By Peggy Coffeen, Progressive Dairyman When it comes to trace minerals like copper, it is possible for a dairy cow to have too much of a good thing, and it can even be deadly sometimes. Dr. Mat Faulkner shared why trace minerals matter, how requirements are determined, where absorption occurs, and how much is too much in a dairy cow diet.
Getting the most value from homegrown forages continues to be a top priority for dairy producers. Dr. Dan Undersander presented the three key factors producers should focus on to have the most impact on alfalfa and hay quality.
By Peggy Coffeen, Progressive Dairyman How cows eat and ruminate is just as important as the nutritional composition of the feed in front of them. Dr. Trevor DeVries shared how dairy producers can make the most of every minute at the feedbunk by understanding dairy cow behavior and incorporating that into daily herd management.
Dr. Adam Lock joked that he’s “the fat guy” in the Michigan State University Department of Animal Science . His research focuses on lipids in dairy nutrition and milk production – a topic of conversation for many dairy producers as they’re challenged to find the causes and solutions for milk fat depression (MFD).
Low-lignin alfalfa is an emerging technology with the potential to increase yields per cutting or forage quality, but not both. Dr. Dave Combs, professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison , discussed the technology and research trial results during his presentation at Vita Plus Dairy Summit 2016.
By Jan Shepel Fermentation and how to manage it are critical to the performance of the dairy farm, especially when it comes to making the most of silage. That point was emphasized by Dr. Michelle Windle , forage researcher and dairy technical services specialist with Vita Plus.
By Karen Lee, Progressive Dairyman As the transition cow enters negative energy balance, no longer meeting her nutritional requirements, there is a huge demand on the liver to continue to make glucose to drive milk production.
At time of calving, the fresh cow mobilizes fat or “milks off” her back. Fat is mobilized as non-esterified fatty acids (NEFAs) and glycerol, which is not optimal because, while the glycerol can be used to make glucose, the NEFAs can lead to ketosis or fatty liver, said Dr. Heather White from the University of Wisconsin- Madison at the Vita Plus Dairy Summit Dec. 9 in Baraboo, Wisconsin.
By Judy Brown, contributing writer A double whammy of widespread alfalfa winterkill and drought the past few years is driving more dairy producers to adopt high corn silage diets.
Producers tired of trying to obtain high quality hay and haylage are shifting to high corn silage diets said Dr. Darin Bremmer, Vita Plus dairy nutritionist and technical services advisor, serving Wisconsin producers in central Wisconsin.
Dairy producers have been experimenting with harvesting corn as Shredlage TM and snaplage. At the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Dr. Randy Shaver has been conducting feeding trials of these feedstuffs to see how they perform in the cow. He shared his results at the Vita Plus Dairy Summit, Dec. 5 in Merrillville, Indiana.
Shredlage Currently, Shredlage processing rolls are only available on Claas choppers. These provide a longer...
The transition period can set you up for either success or failure, according to Dr. Laurie Winkelman, Vita Plus dairy nutritionist. During her Dairy Summit 2012 presentation, Winkelman teamed up with Dr. Neil Michael, Vita Plus director of dairy initiatives, to offer strategies for maximizing cow health, nutrition, and performance during this pivotal time.
The transition period is defined as the three weeks pre-calving and three weeks post-calving. Cows will decrease intakes right before...
2014 Update Editors note: While today's markets are far different from those in 2012, diet formulation goals remain quite similar. In this update, Stacy Nichols, Vita Plus dairy technical specialist, shares his insights into the design of optimizal feeding programs. Read below for reference to his 2012 recomendations and to see the similarities and differences between the two years.
Today’s dairy feeding programs are somewhat different than they have been the last few years, but in many ways...
Pat Hoffman works at the UW-Madison Agricultural Research Station in Marshfield, Wis. He said he’ll often be at his office and see dairy nutritionists bringing in forage samples. Recently, he’s also seen a lot of corn samples as well.
What he finds interesting is that even now little is understood about the digestibility of corn and how dairy cattle can best utilize...
Consumers and processors in the Upper Midwest demand solids to produce high quality dairy products. But how do we produce high solids milk without giving up production? How does it pencil out?
Dr. Eric Schwab, a member of the dairy nutrition and technical services team at Vita Plus, shared his thoughts on changing consumer demands and how those demands can be met through increasing milk fat and protein content on...
Does length of time ensiled enhance forage digestibility? Can enzymes aid in this process? What effects do wild yeasts have on rumen fermentation?
These are the questions Dr. Limin Kung, Jr. at the University of Delaware and his colleagues tried to answer in their research this year. Kung reported the findings at the Vita Plus Dairy Summit on Dec. 7 in Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin.
With dynamic markets as the dairy industry’s new normal, today’s producers need to look beyond getting the highest price for their milk. The new focus is on ensuring good margins between costs and revenue.
Dr. John Goeser, Vita Plus dairy nutritionist and technical services representative, said one of the key strategies for protecting those margins is putting up high quality forages. Doing so can significantly reduce cost and, at the...
“How much corn silage should I feed?” is a common question raised by most dairy producers. The short-term answer is usually found by the amount of existing inventories, but the long-term answer is unique for each dairy. Randall Greenfield, Vita Plus nutritionist and a member of the technical staff, said feeding a high corn silage diet has some distinct advantages and disadvantages.
If you chose a high corn silage diet, that means...
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