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

Recently, I had the opportunity to drive through an area where I worked as a young nutritionist some 30 plus years ago

Dairy farmers strive to get the most return on investment from every asset on their farm. One part of the business that might be overlooked as an asset, though, is the feed center

Most people only think of milkfat when they grab a jug of milk out of the dairy case. For dairy farmers, though, raising milkfat and protein levels is a goal for many, especially as milk components become...