Changes in bodyweight are not a very good indicator of the nutritional status of dairy cows. For example, while the gut contents of a 1,400-lb dairy cow weigh approximately 200 lbs, the cow has a daily intake of nearly 100 lbs of feed (fresh weight) and 160 to 240 lbs of water (one gallon equals 8 lbs).

Under ideal conditions, dairy cows produce milk during 305 days of the year and are dry the remaining 60 (Table 1). In reality, feeding for high production should begin during the dry period or towards the end of the previous lactation.

“Corn grain is a seed first, then a feed,” to paraphrase Pat Hoffman, professor at University of Wisconsin (UW). The starch in corn seed contains energy the seed uses to sprout and grow. The energy (starch) is protected for overwintering by a coating of zein (prolamin) protein. The zein is resistant to digestion by rumen bacteria, which must break through and degrade the protein coating to access the starch.

How important is it to know your forage quality? Forage quality directly affects milk production and, therefore, your bottom line. The higher the quality of your forage, the more forage you can feed, supporting higher milk production and eliminating the need to purchase supplemental fiber.

Legendary commentator Paul Harvey always ended his daily lunchtime radio broadcasts with the affirmation, “Now you know the rest of the story.” I’m not so sure we’ll ever know the “rest of the story” when it comes to all the factors affecting total tract starch digestibility. In a previous issue of Progressive Dairyman this past spring, I explored the influence of corn silage processing on the resulting fecal starch.

Internal parasites can affect every segment of dairy production when animals have been grazing even for short periods of time. Parasite infections have a costly effect on cattle health and performance including reproductive losses, hampered immune responses, reduced appetite and lower weight gain.

With fall approaching, graziers are entering the season of opportunity. While year-round pasture management is essential, fall sets the stage for the quantity and quality of pastures in the spring. This year fall pasture management will prove especially important, given the lack of rainfall many graziers in the southern U.S., and in Texas in particular, are experiencing.

Cow health is perhaps the most critical aspect of every dairy operation. Optimizing cow health not only optimizes production performance of the dairy, it helps ensure quality milk is produced by cows with reduced health issues and increased reproductive performance.

The concept of a forage-heavy ration might seem like a step back in time, but thanks to technology that ration is looking futuristic. Cow genetics and herd management have made huge strides in the past 20 to 30 years, so it makes sense to have similar advances in crop production and fertility management.