This article is a summary of some very useful information recently presented at technical conferences in the U.S. by Dr. Frederique Chaucheyras-Durand from INRA, France. It also builds on the recent article “Yeast Products in Ruminant Feeds, What, Why, Where and When?” by Dr. Angel Aguilar in the April issue of Progressive Dairyman.

The trace minerals (TMs) zinc, copper and manganese are components of a wide variety of enzymes and proteins that support metabolism, growth, production and reproduction. TM supplements are added to dairy cattle rations to prevent mineral deficiencies, and supplementation has traditionally been provided in the form of inorganic salts, e.g. copper sulfate, zinc sulfate and zinc oxide.

The last publication of the Nutrient Requirements of Dairy Cattle did not include choline as a required nutrient for dry or lactating cows, citing the need for more research. Since that publication, there has been considerable research on choline for dairy cows, including 13 university studies focusing on transition cows.

Over the last 50 years, milk production of dairy cows has essentially doubled. Even if cows consume an increased amount of dry matter, meeting the early-lactation nutrient needs of high-producing dairy cows is a big challenge. The transition period is more than ever a critical period.

Since the 1950s, scientists have known about the medical efficacy of certain plants. Still, they only found their way into modern livestock farming about 10 years ago. Today, they are not just found in the organic sector.

To determine why the ration along the feedbunks was so inconsistent, a nutritionist for a 1,000-cow dairy in the Upper Midwest recently asked for a TMR audit. His situation nicely showcases what data from more than 1,000 TMR audits in five years revealed.

Feeding dairy cows has always called for feedstuff flexibility, but that’s especially been the case in recent years. Variable feed quality, feed availability challenges and roller-coaster feed prices have driven dairy producers and their nutritionists to explore alternative ration ingredients while trying to protect cow performance and maintain profitability.

With feed prices high, many nutritionists and producers have become focused on reducing shrink of feed ingredients on the dairy (i.e., reducing waste of feed). However, these discussions frequently focus around the total volume of feed and do not take into account the nutrients within the feed.

Troubleshooting a problem on a dairy is a multi-faceted endeavor. Usually, no one specific area will tell the whole story, and most of the time the problem started weeks ago.

Dairy cows that are fed flaxseed produce more nutritious milk, according to a new study by Oregon State University.