The dairy industry has seen many improvements over the years in dairy nutrition: forage production, harvesting, and storage, cattle facilities, animal husbandry, reproduction programs, milking equipment and procedural strategies, and various management techniques.  These changes and improvements have resulted in updated ‘thumb rules’ and benchmarks that guide dairy managers, employees, and consultants in managing and […]

Written by: Adam Fellbaum, Form-A-Feed Nutrition & Production Specialist We all know that our cows become stressed in the summer heat and when they become stressed, it impacts our bottom line. There are long and short-term effects and the goal of every dairy producer should be to minimize these effects on their operation. Whatever kind […]

Written by: Mario Solis Flores, Form-A-Feed Technical Services Specialist In many farm operations, it is normal to see owners, leaders or managers get very busy with the day-to-day operations depending on the time of the year. In many circumstances, employee issues arise during the busiest times of the year or when we least expect or […]

Have you ever been overwhelmed with everything that needs to be done or improved today or this week?  I know I have.   What have you found that works the best for you to get things done on time?  What have you found that works to make the necessary improvements and measure results? It is time […]

As I write this blog post, we are experiencing record low temperatures in the Midwest.  The news stations have been telling people to stay inside, schools are closed, tow trucks won’t come for you if you choose to travel and even the post office is not delivering mail.  Our customers, however, are out in the […]

Form-A-Feed’s Dairy Conference is coming up on January 17-18th, 2019 at Treasure Island Resort and Casino in Red Wing, MN.  You don’t want to miss out on Rising to the Challenge with Form-A-Feed. Here’s why: Learn about key management and financial strategies for producers of any size to be successful and “Rise to the Challenge.” […]

The secret to getting more cows pregnant in a timely manner could already be at your fingertips. In fact, it may be just a few key strokes away. Valuable data is already available for most dairies, and digging into it can unearth both sweet spots and trouble zones that affect reproduction. By targeting areas of […]

The lactation curve of milk production on some farms can be complicated. The question of how we get more production from cows comes up in many conversations between nutritionists and their producer customers. A “normal” lactation curve can be broken down to some simple basic principles. One of those basic principles is: The higher the […]

It is calving season! A lot of calves have already hit the ground. Although we focus on making sure the calf receives a clean and adequate amount of colostrum, cows also need special attention during the transition period (21 days before and 21 days after calving). Fine-tuning during this phase can set up the potential […]

Low milk prices and tighter margins have dairy producers and those exiting the dairy industry looking for alternative sources of income. Feeding dairy steers can be a viable and profitable option to supplement farm income. Dairy operations already possess several assets that make up a successful dairy steer feedlot: a source of bull calves, a […]

As part of my summer internship with Form-A-Feed, I had the opportunity to visit with many dairy farmers in the Upper Midwest that are utilizing robotic milking systems.  During my visits with the robotic herds, I came across some common advice from those farmers:   Do your homework! Research robot brands and barn designs. Do […]

I often tell a dairy producer that I must speak for the cows when I am justifying the need to make a change to a feeding strategy, management protocol, facility design, and so on.   I don’t like to give human emotions and qualities to cows, but we often hear about the importance of having happy […]