Over the years, I have come to believe that the efficiency of converting feed to milk is perhaps the key indicator of dairy profitability

Today’s political climate seems to feature one surprise after another. Congress shocked the country late last month by voting in an overwhelmingly bipartisan fashion to avert a government shutdown...

Transition cows face one of the most difficult turnabouts. As soon as the calf is born, they naturally move from no milk production to a significant ramp up both in quantity of milk and the energy required...

A quick internet search showed me that the term rumen bypass protein was first used in the 1980s. Though it may not be the most perfect technical description, it certainly has staying power

Since I was an undergraduate student in college, I have always been very passionate about forage quality and ruminant nutrition. Almost 25 years ago, I started my research internship at the USDA Agricultural...

Nearly every dairy farmer will tell you that one of the most critical times of a cow’s life is around calving. The weeks preceding and following calving have been well-detailed in research. That...

There are several reasons why fall is my favorite time of the year. Dropping temperatures, cooler mornings, turning leaves, and perhaps most importantly, football. To be sure, the September games can feel...

The concentration of neutral detergent fiber, hereafter referred to as fiber or NDF, is the major determinant of the digestibility and energy concentration of a feed

August is always a difficult month for a dairy cow. In my experience, heat stress seems to have some cumulative risk for cows

There is no doubt that many dairy nutritionists are leaving or have left a footprint in the area of dairy cattle feeding. Most of these nutritionists are or have been academic professors who performed...

Many complex systems make up the lactating dairy cow. For years, scientists have studied the transition from the dry period to lactation — exposing one puzzle piece at a time to create an image of...

In cattle rations, vitamins play an important role in cattle health, production, reproduction, and more

“Vitamins are not that difficult compared to everything else you have to do to get a good diet, but they still deserve some thought,” said Bill Weiss during the July Hoard’s Dairyman...

I love looking back into my history of feeding cows and seeing things that we simply figured out by trial and error that years later have scientific explanations of why they work

I have been told over the years that owning a restaurant is a lot like owning a dairy

Establishing high-forage diets has been an indispensable practice to optimize milk components and dairy profitability

It’s not very frequently that I can reference and expand upon what I’ve learned during my days as a Ph.D. candidate

While calf starter is a component of the preweaned dairy animal’s diet, the majority of nutrients needed for growth during this first stage of life come from milk or milk replacer

More now than ever, milk margins have caused dairy producers to find the most affordable ration available while not sacrificing production