During the 2012 World Dairy Expo, a staircase wrap urged passersby to “Do the Math” and re-evaluate how they choose protein sources for their dairy cows. Typically, we buy protein supplements on the basis of the protein they provide.

With the drought of 2012 nearing the rearview mirror, we enter 2013 fall harvest with much more optimism as crops across Ontario look much better than the previous year. Sitting back and looking at the big picture, I think that now is the time to truly replenish on-farm feed reserves that have been drastically depleted over the past 12 months.

Every farmer I speak with would like to improve the reproductive success of his or her dairy herd in some way. Although there are many factors that must be managed in order to achieve this goal, I would like to take this opportunity to focus on the nutrition program.

It is well known that dairy cows will not consume enough energy after calving to support their increased milk production. Fat tissue mobilization will partly supply the lack of energy, and cows will be in a negative energy balance. Its extent will negatively affect the reproductive performance of dairy cows and will have a major economical impact for the producer.

Dietary potassium is a significant nutrient for good dairy cow health and nutrition.

This macromineral impacts carbohydrate metabolism, amino acid uptake and protein synthesis, all of which aid in milk production as well as reproductive performance, immune function and cow well-being.

If you had to choose just one cut of haylage to feed your milking herd for the entire year, which one would you select? I would hazard a guess that about 98 percent of producers and closer to 99.9 percent of nutritionists and veterinarians will choose the first cut.

Distillers grains are the byproduct of distillation and fuel ethanol production. They have a long history of being fed to livestock. The tremendous growth of the ethanol industry in the past 20 years has greatly increased the supply of distillers grains to be used as a feedstuff.

When it comes to “game changers,” the dairy industry has seen its fair share. The science behind creating a gallon of milk continues to change rapidly, thanks to new technologies and with the push for efficient and profitable operations in the current marketplace, nutrigenomics is today’s game changer producers need to consider.