One thing they don’t necessarily tell you when you’re in school, studying to be a nutritionist, is that what comes out the back of the cow is almost as important as what goes in the front.

For the most part, most dairies include at least some supplemental or additive products in their feeding programs. We build diets starting with the forage base, using the best forages we can, and then add different feed and grain components to provide protein and energy.

Feeding fat and fat products to dairy cows is common on most, if not all, dairies. Understanding how to properly feed fats and fat products is another story and seems to change daily.

Most dairies have various individuals who owners and managers can go to for advice in the many areas of management and operational matters. Often, this is informal and includes those individuals having some level of input on a daily, weekly or monthly basis.