There are several dairy feeding programs being utilized by dairies around the world. Some of the more popular include EZ Feed, Feedwatch, TMR Tracker and One Feed. Regardless of which program a dairy uses, the important thing is to be able to get concise usable information from it to help manage the biggest dairy expense and cornerstone to milk production level: feed.

As we entered a new year, with high commodity prices and a recent longer cold stretch, we have begun to see some cow issues. This is not all too uncommon from January to April, as we usually see cowside issues arise.

Feed mixing and delivery is one of the most important activities on the dairy. Mixing and feeding a total mixed ration (TMR) is a multiple-times-per-day activity. Doing this job accurately and consistently time and time again, batch after batch and day after day is critical to production (volume and components), animal health and overall farm economics.

Forages are the backbone of dairy rations on most farms. Forages impact dry matter intake (undigested neutral detergent fiber or uNDF), rate of passage (particle size), rumen environment (stable rumen pH) and economic feed programs (reducing the need for purchased grain and protein supplements).

A review of your dairy’s performance measurements and rations can indicate where areas of opportunities and challenges lie, and help identify clear goals. I’m sure that “Strategic plan for 2021” (or some variation of this) has been on your to-do list since early December. You might be asking yourself, what are my priorities and where should my time and attention go? Or, how can I best use my management team, strategic partners, and technological tools to take action and accomplish my 2021 goals? And, where should I start?”