Dairy Resources - Nutrition

October 2017

Determining impact of lowering rumen degradable protein during times of heat stress was the focus of researchers in a recent Journal of Dairy Science article. Researchers exposed 18 primiparous and 30 multiparous mid-lactation cows to the prevailing Tennessee July and August temperature and humidity. One of four dietary treatments was randomly assigned to contain two proportions of rumen degradable protein (10 and 8%) and two proportions of rumen undegradable protein (8 and 6%) of dry matter.  Decreasing RDP and RUP proportions did not affect dry matter intake, whereas reducing RUP at 10% RDP had a small negative effect on energy-corrected milk yield. However, reduction of RDP and RUP consistently improved N-use efficiency of heat-stressed multiparous cows. The reduction of RDP and RUP proportions reduced DMI and milk yield but did not affect energy-corrected milk yield in primiparous cows, indicating a limited supply of nutrients. Learn more here.

Taken from summaries of the Professional Dairy Producers of Wisconsin with the full report available in the Journal of Dairy Science

J.D. Kaufman, K.R. Kassube, A.G. Ríus
DOI: https://doi.org/10.3168/jds.2017-13026

December 7th, 2017
Farm Journal Content Services - Dairy Herd Management

What if you lost 20 percent or more of your herd? Or what if a corn farmer lost 20 percent of a standing cornfield to pests or some other natural disaster? In both cases, it would be fair to say that there would be many questions about why those losses occurred, and solutions would likely be sought regarding how to prevent such losses in the future.

Yet similar losses occur every year in silage bunkers and piles across the United States. Losses of 15 percent or more of harvested dry matter commonly occur, representing significant financial costs. Storage losses also affect the feeding value of the remaining silage. Feeding even low levels of spoiled silage results in reduced intake, lowered digestibility and poor performance.

December 4th, 2017
Farm Journal Content Services - Dairy Herd Management

Dry matter loss at feedout is a function of the face removal rate, meaning how many inches per day you remove from the face. If you’re removing a small amount, then dry matter losses tend to be quite high.

January 15, 2018
by Maggie Seiler, Associate Editor Hoard's Dairyman Intel

In the past month, news has come out that vitamin A and E shortages will ring in 2018 as vitamin production was interrupted in late 2017. A plant fire in Germany and shifting production in China caused the perfect storm for dramatically rising vitamin costs that may linger into summer of 2018.

November 2017

Eight multiparous periparturient Holstein cows fitted with ruminal cannula were used in a split plot design to evaluate the effects of monensin on plasma glucose metabolism. Diets were top-dressed daily with 0 mg/cow of monensin (control) or 300 mg/cow of monensin (MON) both pre- and postpartum. In conclusion, MON may improve the energy status of transition cows by (1) improving the efficiency of propionate to produce glucose and (2) decreasing glucose oxidation in body tissues.

X. Markantonatos, G.A. Varga DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3168/jds.2016-12007