Kevin Herrick

Feed strategies that pay faster when margins are tight

During low milk prices, resilient dairy farms prioritize precision nutrition, consistent feeding practices and managing chronic inflammation to improve cow performance, feed efficiency and profitability through strong execution of fundamentals.

July 15, 2026

Kevin Herrick

Periods of low milk prices and tight margins put pressure on every dairy operation, but history shows that the most resilient farms do not rely solely on cost cutting to survive. Instead, they focus on precision, consistency and execution of fundamentals.

Reducing feed ingredient variability: Know your source of distillers

Strategies to source ingredients from a single producer can help minimize variability and the negative effects on animal performance.

February 27, 2024

Kevin Herrick

Several of the ingredients we consider as “byproducts” or “coproducts” do have quite a bit of variability. Wet brewers grains, corn gluten feed and soyhulls have elevated standard deviations for all nutrients.

Forage alternative: Can we use distillers to replace alfalfa hay?

August 26, 2019

Kevin Herrick

If we look at the composition of dried distillers grains with solubles (DDGS), we see that they contain a significant amount of fiber.

NDFd in dried distillers grains with solubles: Should we care?

September 29, 2017

Kevin Herrick, Fernando Diaz, and Paul Kononoff

Most livestock nutritionists recognize dried distillers grains with solubles (DDGS) as a source of fat and protein. As a result, researchers have devoted a significant amount of time and resources to better characterize the fat and amino acid components of DDGS.

Distillers grains: Co-products versus byproducts

August 24, 2016

Kevin Herrick

Are distillers grains with solubles (DGS) a “byproduct” of the ethanol production process or are they a “co-product?” This is more than just semantics, and it matters for your feeding operation.

Consider alternative ingredients to balance amino acids

April 18, 2014

Kevin Herrick

Everyone is scrambling to provide healthy, balanced rations for dairy cattle while dealing with changing feed prices and fluctuating ingredient supply. One component of dairy rations that constitutes a large expense, yet is critically important for maintaining production in high-producing dairy cows, is protein and amino acid nutrition.

An American look at the Chinese dairy industry

April 6, 2012

Kevin Herrick

This article was #6 of the Top 25 most well-read articles on www.progressivedairy.com in 2012. to jump to the article. It was published in the April 10, 2012 Extra. Click here for the full list of the Top 25. South Dakota State University graduate student Kevin Herrick recently had the opportunity to tour China. His article explored the differences in the Chinese dairy industry from the U.S. as well as the challenges Chinese dairy farmers face.

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Articles by Kevin Herrick

Feed strategies that pay faster when margins are tight

Reducing feed ingredient variability: Know your source of distillers

Forage alternative: Can we use distillers to replace alfalfa hay?

NDFd in dried distillers grains with solubles: Should we care?

Distillers grains: Co-products versus byproducts

Consider alternative ingredients to balance amino acids

An American look at the Chinese dairy industry

North: Tips for weaning beef calves

Southeast: Ensiling may reduce nitrate levels in summer forage

Bunker silos: Safer and more efficient – but not without silent and deadly hazards

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