Dairy cows that become pregnant within a reasonable time frame produce more milk over their lifetime and are less likely to be culled from the herd. Thus, the goal is to have as many cows pregnant as possible by the time they are less than 150 days in milk.

Cow comfort is often listed as one of the most important aspects associated with getting dairy cows to milk to their genetic potential economically. Cow comfort involves not only providing a comfortable resting place and surface for cows, but also providing for proper ventilation within the facility to minimize heat stress, prevent condensation of moisture and allow for good air quality (i.e., low ammonia concentrations).

• Corn silage should be harvested at 35 percent dry matter (65 percent moisture) and one-half to three-fourths milk line. When results from numerous studies were combined and analyzed, harvesting corn silage at 40 percent dry matter or higher resulted in decreased milk yields of 4.4 pounds of milk per cow per day.

1. Develop a plan Develop a plan for using homegrown forages and determine whether you need to purchase other forages.

Reproductive performance impacts milk production and, therefore, profitability of a dairy herd. Recently, improvements have been noted in 21-day pregnancy rates for dairy cows. These improvements have been the result of increased genetic selection for fertility traits, refined reproductive management programs, improved cow comfort and facilities management, and redefined nutritional programs for dry and lactating dairy cows.

Properly designed and managed freestalls can provide dairy cows with a comfortable resting environment. Maximizing cow comfort will increase lying times, which can provide many benefits to dairy producers, including higher milk yields and cow longevity. However, poorly designed and kept freestalls can result in greater incidences of mastitis, lameness and hock injuries.

Interpreting forage analysis reports is a two-part process. You must first understand the basic terminology and meaning of the important components of the report. Then you must evaluate each forage’s ability to produce a desired level of animal performance when it is consume.

Summary: This timeless Feed and Nutrition article details four steps for developing a sound nutritional program: 1. Testing forages to determine their nutrient content 2. Balancing rations for heifers, dry cows and milking cows 3. Implementing the balanced ration 4. Evaluating how well the feeding program has worked and implement changes to improve the program, if necessary. Because this article was so popular, we asked Donna Amaral-Phillips a follow-up question: Q: Which of these four steps slips up the most producers? A: Over my career, I have seen farmers, their employees and/or the nutritional consultant slip up on any or all of these critical steps. However, I must say the most common error I observe is related to implementation of step 4 – evaluating the cost-effectiveness of the feeding program.