Digestion

Measure It to Manage It: Rumination data improves feed transitions and ingredient decisions

audrey@agproud.com — Wed, 01 Apr 2026 00:00:00 -0400

In 2021, Hornstead Dairy took a step toward smarter data-driven care by implementing smaXtec, a health monitoring system initially aimed to improve their reproduction program. What started as a tool for reproduction soon uncovered a hidden culprit.

Putting data in the driver's seat

katie_raver@rockriverlab.com — Wed, 11 Feb 2026 00:00:00 -0500

Although it has become commonplace in our standard daily routines, we don’t think about all the ways AI tools are and can be utilized on dairy operations. These powerful tools can not only simplify day-to-day tasks, but they can also help drive decision-making and profitability.

The transition game

louderdvm@gmail.com — Fri, 19 Sep 2025 00:00:00 -0400

We often don’t realize that like the football team, the microbes in the rumen have their own “positions” and responsibilities. The success of the ruminant digestive system is dependent on each microbial team member performing its function.

Rumen upsets: Do they have to be upsetting?

louderdvm@gmail.com — Thu, 30 May 2024 00:00:00 -0400

If cows could just tell us when they get an upset tummy, maybe we could help them get through the episode without a hitch. Before we can discuss rumen dysfunction, we need to understand what normal rumen function looks like.

Leaky Gut and the Cost of Inflammation

Thu, 29 Feb 2024 00:00:00 -0500

We are all well versed in understanding acidosis, but do we truly understand the cost of a leaky gut? What was once a topic of pH has now transitioned into the wider impacts of microbiology, endocrinology, physiology and immunology.

[Podcast] Dr. Alfonso Lago: Feeding Native, Rumen Microbes Improved Milk Yield, Solids, and Feed Efficiency

Tue, 29 Nov 2022 08:00:00 -0500

Dr. Alfonso Lago, president and chief science officer at the contract research organization, DairyExperts (Tulare, CA), summarizes the results of a trial he conducted on behalf of Native Microbials.

Emissions vs. emissions intensity: Evaluating strategies to meet carbon emission goals for dairy farms

agehman@alltech.com — Wed, 25 May 2022 22:22:33 -0400

With increased pressure to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from all sources, agriculture must play a part by improving efficiency of the system and reducing emissions.

Assessing actual nutrient digestibility is key for balanced rations

clayton@papillon-ag.com — Wed, 25 May 2022 21:26:53 -0400

Given this year’s uncertainties surrounding fertilizer, fuel and freight, one thing is certain – the feed bill will be going up. To prepare for a scenario where ingredients are expensive and potentially hard to come by, many producers and nutritionists are taking a hard look at rations and evaluating what can be removed.

What is ruminant gut health and why does it matter?

Wed, 01 Sep 2021 06:05:11 -0400

The ruminant digestive system is as complex as it is important to beef and dairy production. Understanding how it works and what to do when it’s compromised can contribute to better overall gut health in cattle. After all, a healthier gut helps improve performance, prevent leaky gut and mitigate stress — all of which lead to healthier cows and profits.

Don’t ignore the rumen when improving protein efficiency

Wed, 04 Aug 2021 18:48:55 -0400

The most unique characteristic of a dairy cow is the rumen, the large fermentation vat that utilizes microbes to convert the feed she consumes into the nutrients she needs. She is able to take feedstuffs that other animals, including humans, cannot use and extract nutritive value from them to produce milk.

4 nutrition tips to keep rumens running strong during heat stress

Mon, 24 May 2021 16:25:43 -0400

Climbing temperatures may be inevitable this time of year, but dairy cow productivity doesn’t have to be a casualty of heat stress. The key to success is minimizing decreases in dry matter intake and keeping rumens – and your herd – operating at peak efficiency.

Heat stress impacts energy metabolism

rodrigogarcia@techmixglobal.com — Thu, 06 May 2021 21:28:19 -0400

As summer months get closer and temperatures begin to ramp up, dairy producers from all over the world start to think of strategies to minimize the effects of heat stress on their farming operation.

On the shoulders of giants

woody@woodylane.com — Fri, 12 Mar 2021 14:00:01 -0500

We take so many things for granted in agriculture we don’t even realize that, once upon a time, these things did not exist. Someone, somewhere, created or discovered each one – and over the years, we’ve tended to forget those achievements.

Achieving optimum levels of dry matter intake for maximal production

louisa.koch@agriking.com — Mon, 22 Feb 2021 23:07:51 -0500

Any nutritionist will tell you that optimizing dry matter intake (DMI) is one of the most important factors in achieving target milk production.

Feed efficiency: The use of microbial fermentation systems

kmckinney@alltech.com — Fri, 11 Dec 2020 14:00:01 -0500

When we consider the future of food and feeding the population, we also must consider the fact that we will have to produce more food in the next 30 years than we produced in the history of mankind.

Improving fiber digestion - Improves your bottom line!

Tue, 28 Jan 2020 20:46:57 -0500

As a dairyman, are you looking to improve the way your fresh cows transition, take off, peak and breed back? Are you looking to improve rumen health, rumen function, overall health, digestion, feed efficiency and YOUR BOTTOM LINE??? If so, then “RECALIBRATE WITH RECAL”.

The best of both worlds

kimmo@novonesis.com — Fri, 24 May 2019 13:00:01 -0400

When was the last time you experienced “the best of both worlds”? As a figure of speech, you simply enjoyed the advantages of two very different things or situations at the same time.

Follow the data

woody@woodylane.com — Fri, 24 May 2019 13:00:01 -0400

The phone call came in one evening last month. A grass-based dairy farmer, whom I’ve known for years, was calling – there was a problem. Three cows were down; two of them were trembling with something like spasms.

3 valuable variables indicated by rumination monitoring systems

Fri, 08 Mar 2019 19:53:58 -0500

Rumination, or a cow chewing her cud, is a vital part of a cow’s digestive system. If you examine a herd at any point in the day, you’re almost sure to find a majority of the cows ruminating. With advances in technology, rumination monitoring systems have become a popular way to measure rumination, which means they are also able to give us other information related to the cow’s nutrition, digestion and breeding.

Five ways rumination data can bolster herd health

Fri, 08 Mar 2019 18:39:22 -0500

Early detection and prompt treatment of sick cows helps minimize the detrimental effects on milk production, reproduction and overall well-being. Unfortunately, by the time a cow goes off feed, spikes a fever or shows other disease symptoms, she’s already on the path to production losses. Diagnosing health problems earlier can help reduce treatment costs, improve the chances of treatment success and get sick cows back on the road to lactation and reproductive success.

Why do we care about rumination?

kai.yuan@qlf.com — Tue, 19 Feb 2019 23:10:10 -0500

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.

Stabilizing the rumen microbial population during feed changes

kebr@novonesis.com — Mon, 18 Feb 2019 20:44:22 -0500

Many dairy production operations have achieved very high levels of performance, and a change of any type can have a significant impact on milk production. Dairy cows perform at their highest levels of production when everything is consistent and “normal.” Cows like everything to be the same every hour, every day, every week and every month of the year.

Histidine – a limiting amino acid for lactating dairy cows?

anh13@psu.edu — Fri, 05 May 2017 16:35:00 -0400

Methionine (Met) and lysine (Lys) are the two most studied essential amino acids (AAs) and have been shown to be limiting output of milk protein in dairy cows fed North American rations. Histidine (His) is another of the 10 nutritionally essential AAs that must be provided in sufficient amounts in the diet of lactating cows.