If you’re looking to bump up the fat or protein levels in your milk to add a few more cents to the final pay price, check out this article for five suggestions for each level.

“Although modifying feed rations to boost components may sound like an easy way to tack on a few cents per cwt. to your milk check, it’s important to understand the give-and-take relationship between milk fat and protein. Increasing fat content typically leads to a decrease in protein content, and vice versa. Therefore, producers should consider altering diets to take advantage of changes in the relative value of milk fat to milk protein, according to the specialists.”

Read the full article from Dairy Herd, here. Looking for help modifying feed rations? Contact us today, we focus on unbiased solutions and advice that are tailored to your Herd.

“Herd monitoring technology tracks individual, group and herd activity to give farmers a heads-up on how animals are reacting to nutritional changes,” says Tara Bohnert, business development manager at Nedap Livestock Management. “The data empowers farmers to intervene and implement management changes before significant performance is lost.”

Check out this article for a quick overview of some big advantages of herd monitoring such as earlier intervention and quickly finding and addressing issues that might have otherwise been missed.

Read the full article here.

Michael Lormore, the current director of cattle technical services at Zoetis, led a 2014 study identifying the drivers of financial success for a dairy, using data from 110 farms between 2007 to 2018. The farms were in the Dakotas, Michigan, Wisconsin and Ohio. Check out this article for one variable worth keeping a close eye on.

“The bulk tank somatic cell count, to me, is the most important variable out there,” Lormore said.

Cell counts connect to milk production, cow turnover and longevity, and pregnancy rates, all of which affect net farm income.

“The revenue opportunity should be obvious,” Lormore said. “For every 100,000 increase in bulk tank somatic cell counts, it is a 5.7-pound decrease in milk production per cow per day. There’s a huge opportunity to continue to improve the quality of the milk we produce.”

Read more from Lancaster Farming, here.

“Think of fiber in a dairy or beef diet in the same way. Fiber provides bulk to diets — it’s the most important factor to account for when evaluating forages and developing dairy or beef diets. Despite the many different discussions around fiber digestibility and undigestible fiber, total fiber content is always my starting point in evaluating forage quality.”

If you need help adjusting your herd’s nutrition plan, we offer custom and unbiased consulting and hands-on support, contact us for more information.

Be sure to check out this article by Hay & Forge Grower

“2020 was a year like no other. Following a year dominated by Covid-19, what can dairy farming expect moving forward? Covid-19 forced U.S. dairy producers to rethink the U.S. milk business, especially its dependency on fresh milk sales and foodservice cheese. It also exposed the vulnerability of dependence on external labor. Longer-term emerging trends include the impact of veganism and the climate discussion. Here some of the trends that should shape the industry in 2021.”

1.) Rise of the milk alternatives
2.) China and the global milk market
3.) Covid-19 effect on dairy consumption
4.) The climate debate
5.) Farm technology adoption

If you need help adjusting your herd’s nutrition plan, we offer custom and unbiased consulting and hands-on support, contact us for more information.

Be sure to check out this article by Dairy Herd Management