Nutrition

Every day we hear about exciting advances in the area of fresh cow nutrition and how we can prepare the cow for a productive lactation - here is one update.

Evaluating cows manure can give hints to what is happening during a cows digestive cycle. Nutrients that are not digested will be found in the manure.

New Veterinary Feed Directive (VFD) regulations were implemented on Jan. 1, 2017, by the FDA and required producers to get authorization from a veterinarian before purchasing and administering antibiotics that can also be used to treat human diseases for livestock.

As a dairy producer, ensuring your calves have the best start to life begins before the calf is born. The care and nutrition you provide the cow while its calf is in utero can set that calf up for life.

Often when nutritionists think of fatty acid nutrition, our minds turn to fat supplements. However, the area is much broader than dairy cattle diet fat supplements and should be recognized as such.

Milkfat concentration has now become a focal point for nutritionists and farms, given the value per pound has eclipsed that of protein and, in some months, accounted for well over half the milk check.

The three nutrition management areas within the fatty acid discipline include TMR fat supplements, milkfat depression and now also milk fatty acid profile.

Fresh cows are the most vulnerable animals in your operation. Giving them a good start after calving profoundly impacts both short-term and long-term herd profits.

As they transition to lactation, nutritional requirements for fresh cows soar while their dry matter intake is low. In addition, demands on body fat and energy reserves are high. Health and metabolic issues such as retained placenta, udder edema, milk fever, displaced abomasum, ketosis and fatty liver syndrome are rampant.

These metabolic disorders can be costly and may result in lost milk production, veterinarian fees, replacement heifer costs and more.

Numerous factors influence immune function, including genetics, hormones and oxidative stress. However, one of the most influential factors regarding immune function is nutrition.

Dairy cows selectively consume their rations, generally sorting longer particles in favor of finer particles. Feed sorting decreases fiber intake while increasing the consumption of grains and co-products. It also creates instances where cows eat different rations throughout the day.

The amount of research examining the effects of nutrition on reproduction in high producing dairy cattle is daunting. But here is a condensed summary:  Amino acids Methionine is well-known as a limiting amino acid in dairy cattle, and recent research indicates it plays a broader role in reproduction.

On any given day, the typical dairyman loses count of the challenges he deals with. From labor, to mechanical issues, to sick or downed cows and paying the feed bill, the list goes on, seemingly forever. One frequent challenge accounting for much of the drain on overall farm performance and profitability is lack of consistency.