It was dairy producer Danny Martins’ vision to design a fully automated feed center where he didn’t have to rely on multiple feeders and could instead entrust just one person.

There are a few areas on a farm that don’t receive as much attention by publications, consultants and even the dairy producers themselves that can have a dramatic impact on farm profitability. 

Feed is expensive. The good news is: Successfully implementing feed management protocols can help to lower your feed cost. Feed management encompasses many aspects on a dairy, some of which can’t be controlled like weather, markets and supply chain.

Feed costs represent 40% to 60% of the total cost of producing milk on dairy farms in the U.S. and are most dairies’ number one expense. The prices producers pay for purchased forages, commodities and ingredients greatly impact feed costs and the farm’s potential profitability.

Last summer, I had the opportunity to work as an intern for Standard Dairy Consultants in southern Idaho, working with nutrition consultant Tevan Brady.