The inclusion of buffers in dairy rations is a well-researched and successful strategy. But buffers seem to have become a forgotten tool – or at the very least, one that’s taken for granted on many dairies today.

Dairy producers seeking to increase the ration energy level for high-producing cows have increasingly turned to feeding supplemental fat as a way to accomplish this goal. That’s because supplemental fat, especially in early lactation, supports milk production, helps cows retain body condition and positively influences reproductive performance. Plus, fats contain 2.25 times more energy than starches and digestible fiber found in common grain or forage sources.

The dairy industry has come a long way in formulating and delivering quality dairy diets. It’s really quite extraordinary the level of information dairy producers and nutritionists now have at their fingertips about each ingredient included in rations. This data allows producers to deliberately and carefully feed groups of cows according to their specific needs in order to maximize production and efficiency while supporting cow health and productivity.

The dairy industry has come a long way in formulating and delivering quality dairy diets. It’s really quite extraordinary the level of information dairy producers and nutritionists now have at their fingertips about each ingredient included in rations.

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.

The full impact of the 2012 drought continues to be calculated and reports of hay and forage shortages persist. Forages that are available are generally expensive. Not surprisingly, dairy producers are concerned about feed cost, quality and availability – and with good reason.

Change is not always an easy concept to embrace. But for dairy producers and nutritionists willing to look at their rations in a new light, getting in on the leading edge of change with amino acid balancing offers environmental rewards as well as benefits in herd performance. That’s because dairy diets have long been formulated to oversupply protein in hopes of delivering adequate levels of limiting amino acids. While certainly understandable in theory, this practice has its drawbacks. It is:

Nutrition tweaks and adjustments are a necessary part of good ration management, and the right decisions made at the right time can pay big dividends. However, field assessments have found that for these ration tweaks to be effective, any underlying herd challenges must be identified and resolved first or the ration adjustment can be an expensive exercise in futility. It’s essential to make sure a dairy’s underlying herd management makes the grade before fine-tuning the ration.