Complete evaluation of last year’s crop storage and management is a continual process and provides an opportunity to set goals for areas of improvement during the coming year. Crucial in today’s economy, storing and feeding high-quality forage helps protect profitability and the bottom line of the dairy operation.

The starch content of a dairy ration, how fermentable this starch is in the rumen and the total tract starch digestibility have a huge influence on many facets of a dairy operation.

In recent years, feed costs have represented more than 60 percent of the cost of producing milk, and feed prices have been high relative to the sale price of milk. Now that milk prices are finally on the rise so are inputs, especially corn, which is not good news for dairy farmers.

In a recent article with Brian Tully, we talked about milk fatty acids and how they relate to feed bunk management – “empty bunk syndrome.” But what was our theory behind using milk fatty acids as a monitor of rumen metabolism? This is an example of serendipity; research can have unexpected spin-offs. How did serendipity play a role in our understanding of how it impacts milk fat synthesis in dairy cows?

We’ve all heard it said, “The proof is in the pudding.” However, the pudding we’re talking about in this article is no dessert fare. It’s actually the final byproduct of rumen and lower tract digestion. And while the absolute proof may not lie in the pudding, it certainly carries some strong evidence regarding starch digestibility.

Summary: This timeless Feed and Nutrition article details four steps for developing a sound nutritional program: 1. Testing forages to determine their nutrient content 2. Balancing rations for heifers, dry cows and milking cows 3. Implementing the balanced ration 4. Evaluating how well the feeding program has worked and implement changes to improve the program, if necessary. Because this article was so popular, we asked Donna Amaral-Phillips a follow-up question: Q: Which of these four steps slips up the most producers? A: Over my career, I have seen farmers, their employees and/or the nutritional consultant slip up on any or all of these critical steps. However, I must say the most common error I observe is related to implementation of step 4 – evaluating the cost-effectiveness of the feeding program.

Traditionally, corn has been the major energy source for dairy rations because of the high starch content. The starch provides energy needed for high milk production; however, when too much starch is added at the expense of forage, rumen pH decreases. When rumen pH falls, intake decreases, as does fiber digestion and milk fat concentration.

Recommended concentrations of dietary phosphorus (P) for lactating dairy cows have been reduced in recent years in order to reduce the excretion of P in manure. This reduction in manure P has resulted in less P spread on dairy farmland, thus reducing the amount of P moving with water to adjacent land and streams.

Use of some supplemental amino acids is now becoming available for all species worldwide. In the past 20 to 30 years, adaptation of supplemental amino acid(s) in the non-ruminant diet has undergone sequential increases to where supplemental amino acids are now contributing 30 percent or more of the required lysine.