When it comes to forage particle size, dairy producers could take a lesson from Goldilocks. Not too long. Not too short. But what is “just right?” Forage particle length affects many aspects of rumen function as well as dry matter intake (DMI). Regardless of current milk prices, input costs or other variables, milk production remains a dairy producer’s highest priority, and DMI is fundamental to achieving high milk production.

Dairy producers and their nutritionists are constantly looking for ways to improve forage yield and nutritional quality. This includes areas such as: Hybrid or variety selection Use of crop consultants to help manage agronomic issues Harvesting at optimal crop maturity Wide-swathing alfalfa or high-chopping corn silage Ensuring proper chop length (and kernel processing in corn silage), proper moisture, silage compaction and use of oxygen-barrier film and plastic to protect against surface spoilage Silage inoculation Proper face management to reduce nutrient loss and improve palatability Increased understanding of how length of time in fermented storage changes feed digestibility

Saliva production is very important to high-producing dairy cows because it provides a means to buffer the rumen. High-producing cows generally need to be fed a diet with low forage-to-concentrate ratio and high levels of fermentable carbohydrates in order to meet their tremendous energy demand.

Meeting the protein requirements of high-producing dairy cattle has been a long-time goal of many nutritionists across North America. Lately this has been particularly important due to the pressure dairy producers are feeling from environmentalists, as ruminants are blamed for releasing high levels of nitrogen emissions such as ammonia and nitrous oxide into the atmosphere. Overfeeding of protein has also been associated with reproductive failure as well as increasing feed costs, making this an important issue for producers today as well as in the near future.

No matter the market conditions – from high-priced feed to low milk price – dairy producers make money by increasing income or lowering cost (or both). While we have become very focused on the cost side of the equation, the ultimate goal for the dairy operation should be to generate more profits. One way producers can more effectively do this is by utilizing marginal thinking in decision-making situations.

As a dairy nutritionist working with over 50,000 cows, I am constantly asking myself these questions: “What do I feed in my clients’ rations? Why am I feeding it? How should it be fed?” The answers to these questions are multifactorial and can change rapidly with the volatility of today’s markets and dairy economy. In 2011, I am responsible for over $100 million that will be spent on feed, and I must maximize each of those dollars.

Have you done your summer diet adjustment? With these hot, sultry summer days upon us, the idea of cozying up in the warm kitchen with a steaming bowl of soup or a hearty home-cooked meal does not appeal to many.

Optimum forage quality is critical with grain, commodity and forage prices at historic highs. Relative feed value (RFV) was a ranking tool useful in the past. It incorporates ADF and NDF to estimate intake and digestion.