High grain prices have many dairy producers and their nutritionists sharpening their pencils, looking for ways to reduce feed costs. One option is to replace a portion of the supplemental corn grain with high-quality corn silage that provides highly digestible fiber and contains more energy in the forage fraction, compared with silage made from grain corn hybrids.

Today, more than ever, smart nutrient management is critical to overall feed value and efficiency of the dairy operation. The cost of keeping cows productive is more intense and challenging than ever, and getting the most from the ration is critical, no matter what the production goals are.

Today, more than ever, smart nutrient management is critical to overall feed value and efficiency of the dairy operation. The cost of keeping cows productive is more intense and challenging than ever, and getting the most from the ration is critical, no matter what the production goals are.

When cows in two separate milking parlors receive the same diet from the same feed center, how can one set of cows be 0.2 percent higher in butterfat than the other? That’s the question the manager of a 4,000-plus cow dairy asked one of our regional reps.

Complete evaluation of last year’s crop storage and management is a continual process and provides an opportunity to set goals for areas of improvement during the coming year. Crucial in today’s economy, storing and feeding high-quality forage helps protect profitability and the bottom line of the dairy operation.

The starch content of a dairy ration, how fermentable this starch is in the rumen and the total tract starch digestibility have a huge influence on many facets of a dairy operation.

In August of 2009 the Silver Creek District, of which I am a part, decided to honor the birthday of Scouting in a very special way. 100 years, 100 Eagles; wow, what a challenge!

This column was written by Doug Johnson (pictured at right), who can be reached at: djohnson@modernmachinery.com A snowstorm on a southern Idaho dairy farm – with thousands of cows needing feed and a way to it – is no place for a wheel loader to stop working. Today’s dairyman also can’t afford a machine that operates poorly. So imagine the benefits of a system that can tell you precisely, and in real-time, what’s going on, or going wrong, with your key equipment.

With increasing public interest in farm animal handling practices, a new website – Dehorning.com – has been launched to share science-based information and facilitate discussion about cattle dehorning. The website is sponsored by H.W. Naylor Company, Inc.

Advanced Animal Diagnostics (AAD), a developer of technologies for the rapid diagnosis of farm animal diseases, has restructured its board of directors following the close of its $11.3 million Series B round of equity financing in March. Randall Marcuson, former president and CEO of Embrex, will serve as chairman of the board for AAD. Also joining the board of directors are Jimmy Rosen, partner at Intersouth Partners, Dr. Simon Wheeler, managing director at Novartis Venture Fund, and Joy Parr Drach, AAD’s president and CEO.