The Dairy Corner & Production Tips

Canola meal, the byproduct of oil extraction from the popular prairie oilseed, is now a good fit in Canadian dairy cow diets.

Dairy Cattle, Livestock, The Dairy Corner

Canola meal makes milk on Canadian dairy farms

Dairy Corner: It’s readily available and priced better than some other proteins

By Peter Vitti November 24, 2023

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

The look, feel and smell test are a pretty good indicator of silage quality, but under variable growing conditions it is recommended feed be tested to determine feed value and make sure there are no harmful toxins.

Cattleman’s Corner, Dairy Cattle, Livestock, The Dairy Corner

Balancing variable corn silage quality to a ration

Dairy Corner: Always recommended to start with a feed analysis to know what you have

By Peter Vitti August 30, 2023

I am amazed on how each summer differs in Manitoba. Two summers ago, we had severe drought, last summer was extremely wet and this year started with record heat, then cooled down to night-time single digits. Luckily, temperatures picked up again, all the while with spotty thunderstorms. Such climatic difference presents a patchwork of knee-to […] Read more

Columns, The Dairy Corner

Supply a proper feeding program for replacement heifers

It takes proper management and feed investment to raise calves to the milking age

By Peter Vitti June 22, 2023

Since growing replacement heifers don’t generate any income until they enter the lactation barn, it’s important to set up a well-balanced feeding program that matches their nutrient requirements.

If your dairy cows aren't doing enough cud chewing it could be a sign of several related problems such as low dietary fiber; reduced feed intakes, poor feed digestion, sub-clinical rumen acidosis (SARA), feet and leg problems, butterfat depression all that can result in poor milk production.

Cattleman’s Corner, Dairy Cattle, The Dairy Corner

Dairy cows need effective forage fibre

The Dairy Corner: Cud-chewing, or lack thereof, could be an indicator of several problems due to a low fibre diet

By Peter Vitti January 26, 2023

High-producing dairy cows always need a good level of effective forage fibre in a well-balanced lactation diet that not only supports good milk and milk fat production, but promotes good cow health and digestion. Anytime I walk into a dairy barn, I take a minute to watch the cows resting in their stalls. If most […] Read more

Harvesting feed at higher moisture or adding water to the TMR can
increase feed intake prevent a lot of “sorting” by lactating dairy cows at
the feed bunk.

Cattleman’s Corner, Dairy Cattle, The Dairy Corner

Optimize moisture content of lactation dairy diets

Make sure it is properly measured to avoid being too dry or too wet

By Peter Vitti December 23, 2022

The concept of feeding TMR diets formulated with ensiled forage was introduced to dairies across Canada in the early 1990s. Until then, most dairy producers fed their cows dry hay, followed by a scoop or pull (parlour) of grain ration. I remember a visit to Eastern Canada at that time, and I saw newly made […] Read more

Cattleman’s Corner, The Dairy Corner

There’s value in adding biotin to dairy diets

Important to milk production and hoof health, biotin can get lost in the nutrient shuffle

By Peter Vitti November 28, 2022

It’s long been recognized that lactating dairy cows have a specific requirement for biotin which may not be met by natural synthesis in the rumen. Much research in the early 2000s demonstrated biotin supplements to lactating dairy diets yields respectable improvements in hoof health and better milk production. With the advent of many available feed […] Read more

Under dry growing conditions dry corn - corn under 60 per cent moisture — can be a challenge to properly ensile, but it can be done.

Cattleman’s Corner, The Dairy Corner

Working dry corn silage into dairy diets

It's important to have it tested, regardless of feed moisture levels

By Peter Vitti September 3, 2022

I live in Manitoba and continuous flooding rains since our heavy snows melted have delayed corn planting to the point that much of our corn silage this fall will be wet and immature. However, I travel to other parts of the Prairies and many dairy farms need rain. I suspect that much of these corn […] Read more

Columns, Dairy Cattle, The Dairy Corner

Vitti: A common-sense high-forage diet for dairy cows

It's about finding the proper balance between grain and forage components of the ration

By Peter Vitti May 24, 2022

High-forage dairy diets have become very popular in the last few years. That’s because many dairy producers feared too much grain was being fed to their high-producing cows, causing digestive upsets and lameness. I have reviewed many of these former high-concentrate diets and agree that many were clearly unacceptable to feed. Yet I have also […] Read more

Curled leaves on corn plants due to drought cause it look a bit like the spears of a pineapple crop, resulting in what some call pineapple corn.

Columns, Dairy Cattle, The Dairy Corner

Balance “pineapple” corn silage into dairy diets

Corn with rolled leaves should definitely be tested for nitrates

By Peter Vitti October 1, 2021

I never noticed a “pineapple” cornfield until I ‘ve seen several of them in Manitoba this summer. As I have done, dairy producers should take them in stride as part of our ongoing drought. A pineapple cornfield is simply what happens to a corn plant after months of severe drought. (It is a term used […] Read more

Dairy Cattle, Livestock, The Dairy Corner

Udder edema puts dairy cows under pressure

Dairy Corner: If a chronic problem, a change in ration formulation may be needed

By Peter Vitti August 12, 2021

Udder edema is the swelling and visible accumulation of fluid in a cow’s udder at calving, or it may appear a couple of weeks ahead of time in the close-up pen. Fortunately, most distressed cows do not need any producer or vet intervention. That’s because most of these cases disappear on their own, usually after […] Read more

U.S. grains: Soybeans, corn fall on harvest pressure

U.S. livestock: Hog futures slide in technical correction

National Day for Truth and Reconciliation: Acknowledging the past, seeking a better future

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