Checking the animals’ condition, and a quick look at the ration, can tell the story of the dry matter intake (DMI) of dairy cows.
The Dairy Corner
The five-minute tricks to identify good dry matter intake in dairy cows
Dairy Corner: Checking the condition of cows, and a quick look at the ration, can tell the story
Well-balanced starch and forage levels make milk
Dairy Corner: The amount of starch in corn and barley silage can vary greatly between harvests
Starch levels in corn and barley silage can vary widely between harvests, so they need to be balanced in a dairy ration, nutritionist Peter Vitti says.
Watch dairy heifers grow on well-balanced diets
The Dairy Corner: There are numerous ways to get a quality mix to a farm’s heifers
I have balanced many dairy heifer replacement diets in the last few months. It’s a pretty easy exercise once I put it down on a PDF spreadsheet and email it to the dairy producer. I am confident all heifer nutrient requirements are met, given how heifers consume it. Plus, I want to make these diets […] Read more
Dear Dairy Diary: SARA in lactating dairy cows
Dairy Corner: Changing the effective forage fibre resulted in subtle but important improvements
Dear Dairy Diary, June 24, 2024: I received a call from a dairy producer who milks about 200 dairy cows. Several of his lactating cows were lethargic, quit eating and milking and had severe diarrhea. The producer moved a bubbly loose pile with his boot and noticed a lot of undigested corn and what seemed […] Read more
How field peas fit in dairy lactation diets
Dairy Corner: Research and some practical trials show peas can be fed to cows with no effect on milk yield
A few years back, there was a surge of investment in pea processing for the plant-based protein industry. A multimillion-dollar plant was built in Manitoba, along with other smaller related food and processing businesses. There was more than just talk about growing more peas in Western Canada in which an offshoot would be feeding more […] Read more
Strategic use of chelated minerals makes financial sense
Dairy Corner: There are specific cases where chelated minerals should be used in dairy diets
In the last couple of years, I’ve noticed most dairy lactation diets contain a fortified level of chelated trace minerals. When I ask dairy producers why they feed them over conventional ones, they often say they don’t know or their nutritionist thinks it’s a good idea. There is nothing technically wrong with feeding chelated trace […] Read more
Good early-lactation nutrition cuts risk of cystic ovaries
Dairy Corner: A drop in proper metabolic function will pose reproductive challenges in cows
Most producers usually wait until estrus appears in a dairy cow at 60-70 days postpartum, then place an emphasis on getting her pregnant by 90 days. This practice maintains a 13-month calving interval. Unfortunately, the onslaught of cystic ovaries in 30 per cent of all breeding cows makes it a challenge. Yet, there is hope […] Read more
Balancing low cost with enough nutrition
Use caution when feeding low-quality forage to dairy replacement heifers
Most dairy producers always look for ways to reduce the livestock feed costs. Some people have taken advantage that three-month-old replacement dairy heifers have a fully developed rumen and can truly digest lower quality/cost forages. There is nothing wrong in feeding this way, but these forages must be well balanced with other more nutritious feedstuffs […] Read more
There’s a reason if cows aren’t chewing their cud
It's important to look at the structure of fibre in the ration
This fall I visited three similar dairies milking between 100 and 150 cows. It was about 10 a.m. in two barns (different days) and midafternoon in the third. In each case I noticed less than 10 per cent of resting cows (three-quarters were lying down) were not chewing their cud. I reviewed the TMR in […] Read more
Canola meal makes milk on Canadian dairy farms
Dairy Corner: It’s readily available and priced better than some other proteins
If there is anything that defines a truly Canadian crop, it’s canola. Much of its intense breeding work started in the mid-60s by Drs. Downey and Stefansson. By the late 1970s, they successfully eliminated high levels of anti-nutritional components from rapeseed oil and turned it into a valuable food for humans. Likewise, canola meal, a […] Read more
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