Temperature Humidity Index (THI) calculates the effects of both temperature and humidity. As we say in Wisconsin on those days when it’s miserable to be outside, “it’s not the heat, it’s the gosh darn humidity!” It takes extra energy to get chores done. Clothes are soaked with perspiration and it’s hard to drink enough water […]

Seventy-five percent of dairy cow health disorders such as displaced abomasum (DA), metritis, and retained placenta (RP) happen in the first 30 days of lactation. The onset of lactation puts tremendous metabolic stress on the dairy cow. The transition period, described as 21 days before calving and 21 days after calving, is one of the […]

Anyone who buys milk replacer has certainly noticed the increase in the price over the last year. Compared to March 2021, the price of milk replacers have increased by $15 to $20 per bag! Some products are approaching $100/bag. These price increases cause us to ask, “should I feed whole milk instead?” and “how can […]

Working to get your cows to reach their full potential? Feeding digestible enzymes can help you do just that. Enzymes have become a top-rated tool our nutritionists use to improve cows’ nutrition by increasing their diet digestibility, which means more energy will be available for milk production. Plus, enzymes can reduce the need for expensive […]

One of my favorite phrases that I hear is, “we are drowning in information while starving for wisdom.” I am sure everyone has felt this at some point in their life. Dairy farms are great at recording data and collecting information, however analysis of this information can be challenging. When evaluating data, these three production […]

Form-A-Feed provides DFM and enzyme technologies such as MultePli, Release II, Dairy S.C.O.P.E, and Sci-Mic 40-20 tailored to improve ruminal energy utilization.  These products do this by enhancing the rumen microbial population’s ability to digest starch and fiber to a greater extent, improving total tract digestibility of feed, improving energy available on corn and forages, […]

The importance of dry cow nutrition is recognized for multiple reasons. We expect this cow to do many things in a short period of time.  She needs to deliver a healthy calf, produce quality colostrum, and release and expel fetal membranes.  She requires appropriate body condition, metabolic readiness, and rumen health to support peak and sustained milk production, and the increased dry matter intake to support it.  And finally, she will undergo uterine involution and prepare […]

Feeding whole milk to calves makes sense in some dairy operations, but whole milk does not meet all of the calf’s nutritional needs.  You might say, “that doesn’t make sense!” believing that the cows of today would not exist had the milk of the ancestral cow not been perfect for her calf.  But research shows […]

Article originally written for and published by Progressive Dairy. Successful colostrum management requires careful attention to cleanliness. Colostrum, while it is still in a healthy cow, should have a bacteria count of essentially zero. However, by the time it gets into the calf, bacteria counts are often very high. Feeding “dirty” colostrum sets the calf […]

Article originally published March 11, 2020 for Progressive Dairy. There are many topics to discuss when managing heifer inventory. Producers give careful thought to feed and labor costs, reproduction, semen strategies, etc. – the list can go on and on. While these are all excellent areas of focus, have you ever considered how many replacements […]

As dairy farms become more sophisticated with the use of new technologies and digital dairy herd management records, on farm employee training needs to match the adaptation of new technologies and information management. From the “good old” breeding wheel and individual cow cards to electronic dairy management software, the amount of herd data collected can […]

Contracting mastitis in fresh dairy cows is a complicated process that requires a close look at the conditions and situations that allow for this harmful disease to develop. Mastitis is defined as an inflammation of the mammary gland caused by bacteria introduced either during the milking process or from environmental contact. The cow has three […]