Each unexpected weather event, drought, heat wave, cold snap or any other knee-buckling pitch has an impact on your crop. Yields, nutritive value and feed hygiene can all be impacted, making the product you get out of the field unique from past years.

Feed efficiency is a topic that’s been kicked around nutrition circles for some time. For decades, producers and nutritionists have focused on getting more milk from each pound of feed.

Since 1944, the National Research Council has established basic nutritional guidelines and recommendations for dairy cows. Over the subsequent 75-plus years, this organization has generated eight sets of these reports, the last one being in 2001, so 20 years ago. Needless to say, a lot has changed in those 20 years. 

When following a recipe, it's often necessary to grab the correct ingredients at the store in order to get the optimal desired outcome. Similar to whipping up a cake or mixing your favorite dry rub, creating a dairy ration requires specific ingredients.

Corn silage harvest is complete for another year. As is often the case, silage inventory from last year’s harvest is running really low, and you are likely anxious to open a recently filled storage structure to start feeding it to your lactating cows.

Feed costs represent 40% to 60% of the total cost of producing milk on dairy farms in the U.S. and are most dairies’ number one expense. The prices producers pay for purchased forages, commodities and ingredients greatly impact feed costs and the farm’s potential profitability.

Knowledge of cow biology, feed composition and herd information is vast and ever-expanding. Dairy producers and nutritionists have powerful tools available to balance rations and monitor outcomes for specific groups of animals.

Last summer, I had the opportunity to work as an intern for Standard Dairy Consultants in southern Idaho, working with nutrition consultant Tevan Brady.