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“We can improve feed efficiency by improving how we feed, breed and manage cows,” says Mike VandeHaar of the department of animal science at Michigan State University.
VandeHaar was a presenter at the 4-State Dairy Nutrition and Management Conference held this summer in Dubuque, Iowa.
On-farm variation is a hot topic. Forages, commodities or grains, TMR mixing and delivery, and cow level sorting are sources of variation that change the diet cows eat from that directed by a nutrition consultant. There are many opportunities to improve and gain in each of these areas.
Focusing on forages alone, it’s been long understood that dry matter varies, and hopefully measures are taken to control the variation.
When is a pasture walk more than a pasture walk? When the farmers and ranchers in a discussion group help each other in unexpected ways. When a meeting about forages leads to decisions far larger than the conditions of that pasture. I want to share with you one of those meetings.
Last spring, the monthly meeting of our local forage discussion group was held on a member dairy farm. The farm was located south of Portland, Oregon, in the emerald green fields of the Willamette Valley. It was a clear, cool evening, not a cloud in the sky. We met on a leased property 15 miles from the home place.
The inclusion of buffers in dairy rations is a well-researched and successful strategy. But buffers seem to have become a forgotten tool – or at the very least, one that’s taken for granted on many dairies today.
General perceptions about forage grasses may very well be wrong, according to University of Wisconsin Extension and Forage Agronomist Dr. Dan Undersander.
Managing mastitis begins with controlling the factors that make infection more probable. Cleanliness in both the barn and the milking parlor, and proper maintenance and use of milking equipment, are all factors that make infection less likely to occur. Overall cow health also plays a major role in decreasing the likelihood, or the severity, of infection.
“Mastitis is the result of a bacterial infection in the mammary gland when it is weakened or overwhelmed,” Robert J. Van Saun, Penn State Extension veterinarian, said, addressing participants in the recent Penn State Mastitis and Milk Quality Conference.
Trace mineral nutrition and its application in dairy rations continues to receive significant attention through research and its implementation in the field.
Our nutrient requirement systems, such as the Dairy NRC, work well at predicting requirements for energy, metabolizable protein and other nutrients needed in comparatively larger quantities to support maintenance, growth, pregnancy and lactation in dairy cattle.
Feeding controlled-energy diets prior to calving can help increase feed efficiency and profitability, said Dr. Phil Cardoso, assistant professor, dairy researcher and extension at the University of Illinois.
Cardoso was one of the presenters at the Four-State Dairy Nutrition and Management Conference held June 11 and 12 in Dubuque, Iowa.
As he tills and cultivates fields for his annual crop rotations, Richard Kratz also sows the seeds of innovation. It took four years to perfect his blend of peas and oats, but he is now literally reaping the benefits from Kratz Farm’s 2,000 acres. And, like pollen carried on the breeze, word of the breakthrough is spreading.
On-farm sieving tests on dry and high-moisture corn provide dairy producers and nutritionists with helpful feed management suggestions for dairy rations.
Particle-size assessments, like a grain sieve, provide information on the availability of starch for digestion by rumen microbial populations and intestinal enzymes. Knowing the “relative corn index” (RCI) score of corn can allow you to capture the greatest possible profit and optimize rumen health.
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