In 2000, Dr. Peggy Hsieh’s (Professor & Researcher, Florida State University) research brought to market a commercial test to aid regulators in enforcing a new ban on ruminant meat bone meal in cattle feed. Now Hsieh says her new research will bring to market a commercial test to enforce a 2009 ban on ruminant central nervous system tissue in cattle feed.

Low-milk-fat syndrome, commonly known as milk fat depression (MFD), has been studied for approximately 170 years. Many hypotheses have been evaluated in order to explain the biological mechanisms by which nutrition could modulate milk fat percentage.

The most profitable cow on your dairy is the fresh cow. She makes more milk more efficiently than at any other time of the lactation. Feeding fresh cows to maximize their peak milk production is some of the best money spent on your dairy.

On most dairies, feed costs will represent the largest single expense. With escalating prices, feed is eating up what otherwise could be pretty good milk prices. Now more than ever, controlling shrinkage is imperative. What is shrinkage? It is simply defined as the amount of feed delivered or raised on the farm that is not consumed by the cattle for which it was intended. If you don’t measure the shrinkage, you can’t manage it. And the larger the dairy, the more important this factor is.

Inoculants are silage additives with a main ingredient of lactic acid bacteria. These bacteria ferment sugars in the crop and help to preserve it. “Adding lactic acid bacteria helps ensure the fermentation goes the direction we want it to go,” said Richard E. Muck at the Midwest Forage Symposium earlier this year.

It’s no secret that transition cows are some of the most vulnerable animals on a dairy. The physiological changes and stresses surrounding calving can disrupt immune function and leave cows susceptible to a variety of disorders.

A recent USDA survey reported that few custom calf raisers feed calves the large amounts of milk or milk replacer common with intensive feeding programs. Most custom calf raisers are feeding approximately one gallon per calf daily. Many want to know: Why?