I know we have all been there: The trucks are loaded and headed to the local sale barn with this year’s calf crop. We waited all year to sit and watch these fancy calves fill the ring and circle around. All our blood, sweat and prayers that went into getting to this beautiful fall day will soon be worth it. Ring full after ring full, we sit and begin picturing the large paycheck we’ll be handing the bank later that afternoon. 

There are three areas where consistency is necessary to optimize feed management: inventory, mixing of the total mixed ration (TMR) and the feedbunk.

Monoslope barns are common in the Upper Midwest and particularly in northwestern Iowa. Initially, they were built to control manure runoff and comply with new environmental regulations. 

“We know that how a transition cow completes her transition period really sets her up for her entire lactation,” Dr. Erin Horst, Ph.D., said as she began her presentation about the Best Practices for Transition Cow Success at the recent Great Lakes Regional Dairy Conference.