As a dairy nutritionist I’ve noticed a new trend among dairy farmers in the last few years in feeding and management of their dry cows. The line between a faraway dry cow and close-up dry cow has faded and producers are feeding much more nutrient-packed rations to them than we used to. I am not […] Read more
Getting faraway dry cows prepared
Ration should be about 80 per cent of the lactation nutrient package
Key tips to reduce milk fever cases
Incidence of the calcium deficiency can be sporadic, but hurt when they hit
Clinical milk fever is a particular insidious metabolic disease in freshened dairy cows. I have witnessed on some dairies, it’s not a significant problem, while next-door neighbours are plagued with downer cows one calving after another. In other dairies, milk fever doesn’t show up for months and then it shows up with a vengeance. From […] Read more
Does it pay to put weight on cull cows?
To decide best time to sell, pencil out the cost of feeding for a couple of months
Most producers have walked through their cow herds after the weaning season and picked out candidates for a cull group. Many of these are first-calf heifers and cows that were preg-checked and found open, while a smaller group were culled due to poor feet, legs and other structure defects. Even a few cows destined for […] Read more
Cow ration will have long-term impact in calf
?Feed the grow?ing unborn calf??, and ?meet the cow’??s w?inter requirements
In fall I visit several different cow herds going into winter. One of the first herds I saw this year was a 300 Angus-Simmental cows grazing drought-stricken pasture. I understood from the producer that his herd was nearly four months pregnant and the calves were going to be weaned about a month earlier than in […] Read more
Provide first-calf heifers with nutrition and TLC
But first-calf heifer rations need not be fancy
I was talking to a retired beef producer who owned a purebred Charolais herd back in the 1970s. He reminisced on how winter-hardy the breed was compared to more traditional breeds of the time and how the cows calve out huge white calves. Eventually, he got rid of these cows and replaced them with easier-calving […] Read more
Minerals now benefit next breeding season
It’s too late to fix mineral deficiencies when bulls are turned out with cows
Despite recent rain/snows, prolonged dry conditions this summer have left a wake of poor grazing pastures across the Prairies. High-fibre (aka low-energy) and low-protein grass has been the norm as well as a very poor mineral profile. A well-balanced autumn/winter mineral (and vitamin) program is necessary for gestating beef cows and replacement heifers in order […] Read more
Maintain forage fibre in a dairy diet
Dairy Corner with Peter Vitti
I recently visited a dairy producer running 200 cows having problems maintaining butterfat at 3.9 per cent in his 35-kg milk producing herd. He asked me to walk the lactation barn and see what I could find out. It took about 20 minutes to walk the feed bunk and cows, and in the end, I […] Read more
Consider weaning calves early this fall
Creep feeding gives calves a chance to grow, takes pressure off cows
Recently, I was at drought ground zero in southern Saskatchewan and passed a group of about 50 blonde and whiteface cows and calves grazing dried-out pasture. The thin condition of the cows caught my attention and their calves looked gaunt and on the small side. My immediate reaction was this cow-calf herd was a good […] Read more
Keep bulls in breeding condition
While bulls usually have about 10 months of the year off, they shouldn’t be ignored
This past spring, a friend who runs about 300 beef cows spent about $60K on a select number of crossbred red Angus yearlings and two-year-olds. He had good luck with them during this summer’s breeding season, but since has literarily forgotten about them (and the rest of his bulls) for the next nine to 10 […] Read more
Know your lactating dairy diet costs
Look to find a balance between very expensive and very cheap rations
Occasionally, I talk to dairy producers about the financial aspects of operating a barn, aside from dairy nutrition. All producers wish to reduce their lactating feed costs. One producer I know wants to switch to a notorious cheap protein supplement, while another wants to hire a private dairy consultant and tender out all dairy feed […] Read more
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