The Latest News from Nobis Agri Science

Taking place Feb. 4-5, the 19th annual Great Lakes Regional Dairy Conference will go virtual in 2021.

Experts will share strategies and projections to help producers and industry representatives make the most of the next year and beyond.

Mycotoxins are a type of secondary metabolites produced by molds. Most nutritionists and producers may rightly associate mold and mycotoxins in feed, but it is important to recognize that the presence of mold does not necessarily mean that mycotoxins are present, and conversely, just because there is no visible mold, it does not mean that no mycotoxins are present. Mold counts can still be a valuable tool for managing mycotoxins in the ration. Note that molds are a type of fungi, and for the purposes of this article, these terms will be used interchangeably.

When temperatures dip, cows divert their energy to maintaining normal body temperatures. For dairy producers, the switch comes at the expense of milk production. There are simple management tactics to help shield cows from the cold — and keep productivity up.

We recently completed a trial evaluating how dietary protein and amino acid supplementation affected production during the first 3 or 4 weeks of lactation and to determine how production was affected after treatments stopped (i.e., carry-over effects). The forage in the diets was a blend of about 68% corn silage and 32% alfalfa. The control diet (CONT) contained 17% crude protein (CP) and the concentrate was mostly corn grain and soybean meal.