“Our study shows that feeding transition cows a diet adequate in Met and with calcium salts enriched in n3 FAs can enhance lactation performance by increasing energy-corrected milk yield over the first four weeks of lactation and improve liver function by altering liver methyl donor metabolism.”
Read the full article by Joseph McFadden and Tanya France with Progressive Dairy
Alfalfa is known for its high nutritional value, and that makes it a valued forage source. However, alfalfa is often hindered nutritionally because of the indigestible lignin components in the cell wall. Using technology to improve fiber digestibility in alfalfa can provide opportunities to improve feeding flexibility and enhance animal performance. Importantly, high-quality alfalfa can be used to improve cow efficiency, production, and enhance an operation’s economic value.
Alfalfa has a number of beneficial nutritional characteristics that make it a high-quality feedstuff for dairy cows. Alfalfa is sometimes overlooked or left out of the diet because of its high expense relative to other forages. This includes its high establishment and harvest costs. This situation has led to less overall alfalfa production in the United States in the last 20 years. Incomplete fiber digestion reduces animal performance by limiting intake, and that also cascades to more manure production. When that takes place, a dairy farm’s profit potential also drops.
Read the full article by Hannah Wilson and Kenneth Kalscheur with Hoard’s Dairyman
Feed hygiene is key in minimizing or removing the anti-nutritional factors in feed that can negatively affect animal health and performance.
Key factors in reducing feed contamination include:
Read the full article by Cassie Worster with Wisconsin State Farmer
Producing beef x dairy cross calves has the potential to increase the market value of these calves compared to straight bred dairy bull calves. However, as the supply of beef x dairy cross calves increases, it’s reasonable to assume buyers will become more discerning. Dairy producers can stack the odds in their favor with a thoughtful beef sire selection.
In Considerations for Breeding Dairy Cattle to Beef Breeds for Meat Production, we discuss the strengths and weaknesses of Holstein steers, introduce dairy producers to EPD’s (beef genetic proofs), and provide suggestions for beef sire traits to consider when applied to dairy cattle.
By choosing beef sires that improve upon the weaknesses of dairy steers, using beef on dairy can improve feed efficiency, rate of gain and reduce days on feed. Wisely incorporating beef genetics can also improve carcass characteristics over straight bred dairy by increasing ribeye size and changing the ribeye shape, increasing muscling, and moderating frame size while maintaining the marbling ability of dairy animals.
Read the full article by Ryan A Sterry and Amanda L Cauffman with Livestock Division of Extension
As dairy cows produce higher and higher volumes of milk, the need for a higher caloric intake is necessary to help support this huge demand for energy. Dairy cow diets typically contain some form of fat, either from rumen-active sources such as cottonseed, distillers, tallow and roasted beans or from rumen-inert fats such as calcium salts or prilled fats.
Read the full article by Douglas Waterman for Progressive Dairy here.
At Cornerstone, we know the small details make a big difference. Our team has been working hands-on and in the industry for an average of over 20 years each. We know your herd doesn’t take sick days. We’re here to work beside you, offer world-class expertise, and provide solutions and resources to achieve the goals you have for your farm. If you have questions on your herd’s nutrition balance, please contact us.
When you think about the animals who are costing your operation the most money, transition animals usually sort their way to the top. Generally, most production problems can be traced back to the dry or transition period, one of the critical time frames in a cow’s production cycle.
According to Michal Lunak, Extension Educator for Pennsylvania State University, the most common management diseases that occur during the cow’s transition period on U.S. dairies are lameness, mastitis, retained placenta, metritis, ketosis, hypocalcemia (milk fever), and left-displaced abomasum. Here’s a breakdown of just how much these seven diseases could be costing you.
Read the full article by Taylor Leach with Dairy Herd Management here.
Manure is not a liability; it’s an asset. As livestock and cash grain margins narrow for the foreseeable future, producers should start viewing manure with the rose-colored glasses it deserves.
“To best do this, producers should track exactly how much of this valuable asset is supplied to the crop to account for its tremendous value,” explains Scott Fleming, Rock River Laboratory nutrient management specialist. Fleming adds that livestock owners should pay attention to three key factors that can affect the value gleaned from their manure: application rate, analysis, and placement.
The feed costs for dry cows and heifers can affect cash flow as much as the lactating cow. And this is especially true if forage inventories are lacking.
Feed costs per non-lactating animal can be very close to what the market is reflecting. This is due, in part, to feeding both purchased forage and grain. Examining feeding strategies for all animal groups is warranted considering the continued high feed costs this year.
Read the full article by Virginia Ishler with American Agriculturist here.
Wet feedstuffs derived from the food and ethanol industries are valuable additions to cattle diets, when available within a reasonable distance from the farm. They not only provide required nutrients, but their moisture content helps condition total mixed rations (TMRs), increases their palatability and reduces feed sorting by livestock. Depending on their water content and price, however, their purchase can turn into a questionable economic decision.
Where your farm is in the U.S. determines which wet feeds are readily available close enough to justify their hauling to the farm. This article addresses the wet form of beet pulp, brewers grains, distillers grains, gluten feed, and grape pomace (also known as grape marc). We will discuss their composition and what factors to consider when evaluating their incorporation into dairy cattle diets.
Check out these phrases: carbon neutral, reducing your environmental footprint, carbon credits, climate change, carbon offsets, producing products sustainably, sustainability. Unless you’ve been doing your best Rip Van Winkle impersonation for the past several months, it’s virtually impossible to read much in the ag media without being bombarded with these terms, all under the umbrella of “sustainability.”
Farm Progress recently talked with Jill Wheeler, senior manager of public affairs for Truterra, the sustainability business for Minnesota-based Land O’Lakes, and a farm owner herself. As one of the nation’s largest cooperatives, Land O’Lakes is farmer- and retailer-owned and is well-positioned to know the sustainability movement inside and out, and how agriculture can respond effectively.
