In this episode of the Progressive Dairy Podcast, Dr. Devan Paulus Compart, Technical Services Manager with Papillon Agricultural Company, shares her 5-step process for selecting feed additives, how additives can be used as a tool to manage on-farm challenges, what metrics define feed additive success and how to make an informed financial decision for your operation.

“Normal” may not seem very exciting, but when it comes to managing dairy cattle, it can be a very good thing. Effective bacillus-based probiotics can help us do just that.

The dry period is a time of rest and relaxation for the dairy cow. While her body continues to finish growing a calf, other organs are recovering from the lactation that has just been completed and preparing for another year of milk production.

Ultimately, return on investment determines the value of any probiotic during a particular segment of an animal’s life or through life cycle feeding. What did we gain by spending the money to feed the effective probiotic or what did we "not lose" by feeding it?

With heat stress comes lameness and negative impacts on hoof health. In fact, heat stress is one of the biggest factors contributing to dairy cow lameness.

The use of feed additives in livestock diets is part of many nutritional strategies to help optimize performance, health and the well-being of animals.

The impact of heat stress is cumulative. One event may be easy for a cow to bounce back from, but over time, repeated bouts take longer recovery and hinder profitability. Nutrition is a valuable tool to help mitigate the effects of heat stress and maintain herd productivity.

Heat stress occurs when an animal generates and absorbs more heat than it can dissipate through respiration, sweating or active cooling. Rumination generates large amounts of heat, so when a cow is hot, her first response is typically to eat less feed.