Every dairy includes some level of fat in the cow’s diet, whether specifically formulated in or not. While we are well acquainted with the various sources both natural and commercial, the roles that various fat sources, fat components (fatty acids) and fat combinations play in the animal, in terms of production, health and reproduction, still need a great deal of work.

What many dairy farmers do not know is the many other factors that affect NDF digestibility outside of the hybrids they choose to plant and harvest. There are both dietary and non-dietary factors that can either negatively or positively impact fiber digestion.

Progressive Dairy hosted these technologies along with PDPW on the Nexus Innovation stage – a live-format presentation that is a cross between a TED Talk and a Shark Tank pitch.

The imminent summer season brings a new set of challenges, and heat stress tops the list. It's more than just a buzzword; heat stress can negatively impact every animal on your farm – regardless of age – along with you and your team. Learn what strategies you can implement to mitigate heat stress.

The economic cost and impact of feed shrink on dairy farms is a real problem. One form of unseen shrink is the degradation of fat-soluble vitamins supplemented in rations.

One feed ingredient that's easy to spot is cottonseed. From a visual perspective, whole cottonseed is an intriguing ingredient. The nutritional attributes are similarly interesting.

While mitigating heat stress with proper cow cooling lays the foundation, recent research shows that properly supplying essential nutrients to dairy cows, specifically EPA/DHA omega-3s, may be just as important in tempering inflammation and helping cows be more resilient through immune challenges.

One area that may not always be linked as directly as it should be to nutrition is animal health. In many cases, we tend to compartmentalize health and nutrition to a degree, handing the health program to the veterinarian and the nutrition program to the nutritionist.

In the big picture of U.S. greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, contribution of livestock is relatively small.