The low milk prices in recent years have motivated many dairy producers to cut back on feed costs. Certainly all producers and nutritionists should be evaluating their rations to make sure they are feeding the most cost-effective ration.

Recently, we completed two research trials on two dairy farms (each farm has over 1,500 cows) in Michigan. Cows were supplemented with a molasses-based liquid supplement from 21 days before calving to 40 days after calving. Trials ran for three months, and rumination data was collected on individual cows using rumination collars.

Reason 1: Cows are naturally adapted to high-sugar diets. High-starch diets (greater than 28 percent) or high starch fermentability may depress ruminal fiber digestion, but high-sugar diets (6.5 to 8.5 percent) do not.

Editor’s note: This article is the second in a series geared toward dairy industry salespeople and other allied industry representatives. Read the first article here. In this article, I continue to share some thoughts of how to take Carnegie's time-tested prescription for relationship and business success and apply it to agribusiness.

How to Win Friends and Influence People, written by Dale Carnegie and first published in 1936, is one of the most influential books worldwide. The original book provided insightful wisdom of how to influence people, win friends and be a great leader. In this article, I will share some thoughts of how to take Carnegie's time-tested prescription for relationship and business success and apply it to agribusiness. The core principles of the book are quoted below, together with relevant examples.