Ask dairy producers and nutritionists whether the source of dietary protein makes a difference in performance and the answer is a resounding “Yes!” But the answer may not be as emphatic when you ask about sources of supplemental dietary fat and fatty acids, even though the response should be the same. The source of dietary fat makes a difference in animal performance, just as it does for protein sources. It’s a question of digestibility, bioavailability and more.

Nutrition is one element of dairy management that can have a profound effect on the cow’s ability to conceive. Many key components of the ration – like energy levels – directly impact the dairy cow’s ability to become pregnant.

If you feed dairy cows, at some point, in some way, you will deal with the negative effects of mycotoxins on animal health and performance. The challenge often lies with the degree, since symptoms of mycotoxin contamination are wide-ranging, often nonspecific and may be seemingly unrelated.

Investigating the underlying factors of dairy reproductive performance is a lot like peeling an onion – the more you look, the more layers you find.

Every nickel and every dime always count, but it seems like they count more these days for dairy farmers. While the long-term outlook for milk prices is beginning to brighten just a bit, producers must still keep a close eye on every part of their business as they ride out this cycle of negative economic forces.

Dairy cow fertility has improved significantly over the past 10 to 15 years. Recent USDA data show that on most farms, 21-day pregnancy rates are on the rise, with many herds achieving 20 percent or better on a regular basis.

Proper nutrition plays an obvious and substantial role in helping cows through the transition period and ensuring a good start in the following lactation. At the core of successful transition is the impact of nutrition on the cow’s immune function, which is the basis for her ability to stave off infections, metabolic disorders and other challenges that threaten health and performance.

Dairy nutritionists and veterinarians play integral roles in nearly every facet of dairy cow and farm success. As such, these trusted advisers are vital partners in your dairy’s success. Communication between all parties – consultants, employees, dairy owners and managers – is critical to optimize cow productivity and performance. Yet everyone has a story about a friend, neighbor or relative’s dairy where communication doesn’t occur in a timely or desirable fashion.

It’s no secret that transition cows are some of the most vulnerable animals on a dairy. The physiological changes and stresses surrounding calving can disrupt immune function and leave cows susceptible to a variety of disorders.