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If there are wet conditions during the growing season, producers should think about have alfalfa hay tested for nitrate levels.
Cattleman’s Corner, Dairy Cattle, Livestock

Include high-quality alfalfa in a balanced dairy ration

Dairy Corner: Test for nitrates if the crop was produced under high-moisture conditions

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High-quality alfalfa has not escaped the high cost of other dairy feeds, and thus significantly contributes to the record-setting cost of producing milk. And last year’s foul growing season, with wet conditions in some areas across the Prairies, was not kind to some alfalfa crops, resulting in some sprouting. This resulted in a few cases […] Read more
One producer uses this automatic robot feed-pusher to keep feed in front of his dairy cows. It is is programmed to move along the feed-bunk, where it then augers newly dumped feed, remixes it and pushes it up, every 2 1⁄2 hours.
Cattleman’s Corner, Dairy Cattle, Livestock

Dairy cattle can be picky eaters

Dairy Corner: Keep a properly mixed ration ‘pushed up’ in front of the cows throughout the day

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As a dairy nutritionist, I often bag a TMR sample from the feed bunk and then later Koster-test its moisture, which should be about 50 per cent. I also do a shaker box test with a three-screen Penn State Particle Separator. I like to see 15-20 per cent long-stem particles in the top-screen, 35-40 per […] Read more
Cows on a Grunthal, Man. dairy farm. (Manitoba Co-operator photo by Geralyn Wichers)
Dairy Cattle, Livestock

Continuous tie-stall housing to be phased out in new dairy code of practice

Producer, animal welfare groups praise new code; some drawbacks were noted

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New guidelines for dairy cattle care will improve animal welfare while also potentially increasing farm productivity, Dairy Farmers of Canada says. “I think that we’ve come to a very solid revised code,” David Wiens, DFC’s vice-president, said in an interview. The National Farm Animal Care Council (NFACC) on Thursday released its revised Code of Practice […] Read more
A typical dairy cow needs about one per cent potassium in her daily diet to maintain a number of normal body functions, including good milk and milkfat production.
Cattleman’s Corner, Dairy Cattle, Livestock

Feed enough potassium in dairy lactation diets

Dairy Corner: There’s a balancing act between there being too much or not enough K

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It’s widely accepted that excessive potassium (K) fed to a pre-fresh dairy cow may lead to a high incidence of milk fever at calving. However, many don’t realize that once they calve, high-milk-producing cows require lots of dietary potassium. Plenty of research since the 1960s has proven that high dietary levels of potassium promote good […] Read more
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

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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
On a 325-cow dairy, these are some of the dry cows fed a two-stage feed ration as they recover from milking and also prepare to deliver a new calf. The faraway cows are fed a modest-energy, forage-based diet, while the close-ups receive similar forages mixed with a couple of pounds of corn silage and a few pounds of a palatable dry cow pellet.
Cattleman’s Corner, Dairy Cattle, Livestock

Consider a two-stage dry cow feeding program

Dairy Corner with Peter Vitti: Meeting all of the dry cow’s nutritional needs goes a long way toward success

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Whether dairy producers provide a single or two-stage dry cow feeding program, it is important that it maintains or puts the right amount of body condition to prepare cows for a successful lactation. A closer review of any of these dry cow feeding programs (with proper management) will find certain similarities. Plus, they should dovetail […] Read more
File photo of a Canadian Holstein dairy cow outdoors. (Diane Kuhl/iStock/Getty Images)
Dairy Cattle, Livestock, Weather

Quebec ag ministry, UPA organize to round up rogue dairy herd

Spooked cattle on run since July

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Quebec’s provincial ag ministry and the Mauricie regional arm of the Union des producteurs agricoles (UPA) are asking for the public’s patience as they organize a new effort to capture a herd of dairy cattle on the loose since the summer. Quebec media quoting dairy farmer Pierre Lapointe, the animals’ owner, have said the cattle […] Read more
Kristian Sorensen, who farms in Western Denmark produces about 4,000 calves for veal calves each year that are marketed to local Danish Crown abattoir in Holsted.
Cattleman’s Corner, Dairy Cattle, Livestock

Beef/dairy crosses fit Danish veal program

Calves are raised under high animal welfare standards

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More dairy farmers are starting to use sexed beef semen to crossbreed with their herds to produce a calf with added value. And that’s exactly the animal Danish beef farmer Kristian Sorensen wants to purchase for his Tranbjerg Ostergaard farm located near the town of Arre in Jutland, western Denmark. Each year Kristian produces around […] Read more
Keeping replacement heifers in ideal body condition
Cattleman’s Corner, Livestock

Keeping replacement heifers in ideal body condition

You don't want them too thin or too fat — aim for somewhere in between

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When weaned dairy calves are released from the calf barn and put into replacement heifer pens, there are different ways of feeding them. Some post-weaned heifers are not well fed and poor nutrition is almost guaranteed to make them struggle throughout their first lactation. Other replacement heifers are fed too well. As a result, they […] 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

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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

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