Evidence shows feeding a negative dietary cation-anion difference (DCAD) diet of -8 to -12 meq per 100-gram ration dry matter for the last three weeks prior to calving can help prevent a rapid decline in blood calcium around calving and improve cow health and performance in the subsequent lactation.

Some combinations are simply meant to be. Can you imagine Abbott without Costello? Lucy without Rickie? Laverne without Shirley? Likewise, dietary anion-cation difference (DCAD) and metabolizable protein (MP) must both be considered in formulating successful dairy rations.

GE, DE, ME, NEL, NEm, NEg There are a number of key dairy nutrition terms – like gross energy, digestible energy, metabolizable energy and more

The decrease in milkfat production on a 1,500-cow New York dairy occurred a little at a time. Point-by-point, fat production quietly slipped away – not setting off any alarms or concerns, but eroding nonetheless.

Ration dietary cation-anion difference, or DCAD, and dairy cow health and performance are closely intertwined. Still, the concept of DCAD isn’t always well understood, which can lead to dairies failing to obtain the best possible results from their nutrition program.

The discussion about the importance of proper prepartum dietary cation-anion difference (DCAD) levels often centers around cow health, and rightly so. It’s been repeatedly shown that lowering ration DCAD prior to calving helps stave off serious health challenges, including milk fever (clinical and subclinical), reduces incidence of displaced abomasum and retained placenta, and boosts immune function.

It’s well known that fresh cows need a higher dietary cation-anion difference (DCAD) and supplemental potassium to correct potassium imbalances and buffer blood acids. This helps to allow the cow to rapidly increase dry matter intake postpartum and maximize milk and milk component production.