The William H. Miner Agricultural Research Institute has released two studies that compared six rumen-protected lysine (RPL) products for both the release of lysine over a 24-hour period in high and low moisture total mixed rations (TMR) and the efficacy of rumen protection of RPL products after mechanical mixing in TMRs. In the first study, after 24-hour exposure in TMRs with either 40 percent dry matter (DM) or 52 percent DM, only 3.8 percent of the lysine in Metabolys BY-PASS LYSINE was lost.

The Dairy Practices Council has recently published three new guidelines. The guidelines were distributed to the entire DPC membership and are also available on the DPC website. The guidelines are Selected Personnel in Milk Sanitation; Component Test Variations in Raw Milk; and Automatic Milking Systems – Questions Dairymen Need To Ask.

A dairy farm in Vermont employed a five-step collaborative approach to investigate and reduce the level of phosphorus going into the Lake Champlain watershed, helping to preserve the health of the ecosystem and the area’s $3.8 billion tourism industry. Shelburne Farms, a nonprofit environmental education center and working dairy farm, brought together landowners, residents, and researchers to investigate and improve water quality.

Brian Pacheco, a fourth-generation dairyman from Kerman, California, and chairman of the board of California Dairies, Inc. (CDI) is a recipient of an Award of Distinction from the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences at UC – Davis. During a recent national sales meeting, colleagues in Pfizer Animal Health’s U.S. cattle and equine business unit decided to forgo some food and beverages throughout the week and donate the money saved to Bethel Orphanage in Juarez, Mexico. Pfizer’s $11,000 donation represents about 6 percent of the orphanage’s annual operating budget.

A panel of farm animal care specialists established to analyze undercover video investigations at livestock farms has completed a review of a recent investigation at a dairy in Idaho. Hidden camera investigations at livestock farms have heightened public attention on animal care issues. In an effort to foster a more balanced conversation and to provide credible feedback to promote continuous improvement in farm animal care, the Center for Food Integrity (CFI) created the Animal Care Review Panel. The panel was comprised of Dr. Temple Grandin, Colorado State University; Dr. Candace Croney, Purdue University; and Dr. Jim Reynolds, Western University. They agree that the practices seen in the video are unacceptable and clearly abusive.

Holstein Association USA introduced its Dairy Rhythms herd management software at World Dairy Expo, Oct. 2-6. Dairy Rhythms is a comprehensive herd management system that ties together the association’s database with dairy records processing by AgriTech Analytics. Designed with a user-friendly interface, the program gives producers quick and convenient access to not only traditional health, milk and reproduction data, but also genetic, pedigree and classification information for their Holstein cattle.

Scientists have altered the genes of a dairy cow to produce milk that’s rich in a protein used in numerous food products and lacking in a component that causes allergies in humans. Using a process called RNA-interference that turns certain genes on or off, scientists from New Zealand produced a cow whose milk had increased casein, a protein used to make cheese and other foods, and almost no beta-lactoglobulin, a component in milk whey protein that causes allergies.