Most independent advisers concur that proven, quality forage inoculants are a key part of the overall management package required to produce high-quality silages. Traditionally inoculants have contained various species of homolactic acid bacteria (e.g., Lactobacillus plantarum, Pediococcus pentosaceus) to get fast, efficient production of lactic acid to shut down plant enzymes and prevent growth of undesirable microorganisms (e.g., clostridia, enterobacteria). However, silage produced this way may heat and spoil during feedout, since lactic acid does not have strong antimicrobial properties.

Ensiling forages – usually cereal, grasses or legume crops – is a very practical and cost-effective way for dairy farms to preserve and store feeds. Even though the process of ensiling has been utilized for many centuries, and modern research abounds on the proper ways to ensile forages, it’s amazing how many dairy farmers carelessly or ignorantly wreck a crop of corn or haylage through an improper ensiling process.

Recent economic hardships have left the dairy industry reeling. Now more than ever, it is crucial that dairy producers carefully analyze all of their input costs to make sure they are using their dollars wisely. Since feed expenses can represent up of 60 percent of input costs, analyzing their feeding program is a logical place to start.

Producers feeding high-quality ingredients to their herds are often faced with the question, “Is this making my dairy more money or just increasing my ration costs?” While it’s hard to know the exact impact specific ingredients may have on herd performance, one financial metric can help answer this question with more accuracy. Income over feed cost (IOFC) is a proven financial measurement to economically evaluate if feed ingredients are generating additional income for the dairy operation.

Forages make up 45 to 95 percent of the feed that dairy animals receive on a farm. We usually think in terms of just the lactating cows. It is more difficult to think in terms of the whole herd in terms of the forage needs for the farm on an annual basis.

Before antibiotics were commercially available, extracts from various plants were used to treat human aliments and diseases. With trial-and-error, man discovered which botanicals contained secondary metabolites that had antimicrobial properties.

Back about 25 years ago when the first personal computers were becoming affordable, I discovered the power and utility of the electronic spreadsheet. With the aid of feed analysis data that I found in dairy science textbooks – moisture, crude protein, TDN – I was able to construct tables that would calculate rudimentary nutritive values for dairy rations. I could substitute one feedstuff for another and have an instant answer.

If you visit a local farmer’s market you’ll find a feast for your senses. Baskets, bins and counters filled with vibrantly colored fruits and vegetables, the sugary smell of ripening peaches and the sound of a melon being thumped for ripeness. The selections are endless. So how would you buy apples with such varied choices of sweetness, size and color?

The complexity of dairy nutrition is increasing every day. A higher percentage of diets are likely balanced for amino acids, taking into account digestibility measures such as digestible NDF, and fine-tuning specific carbohydrate fractions such as starch and sugar. With price volatility in today’s market, feeding the right diet at the right time has never been more important.