By Grace Thomas, M.Agr.Sc. P.A.S. The temperate climate in Ireland and the United Kingdom leads to ideal conditions for pasture growth. Due to this, pasture and pasture-based forages make up a large proportion of dairy cow and beef cattle rations. With 95% of Irish dairy cows(1) receiving pasture or grass silage in their diet, and […]
By Dr. James C. Coomer, Ph.D., PAS Mycotoxins seem to be discussed everywhere in livestock nutrition press these days and it appears mycotoxins are an inevitable part of nutrition now and into the foreseeable future. DSM recently released their December mycotoxin survey, including their corn mycotoxin survey results for 2023. The survey of 123 corn […]
By Dr. Gene P. Gengelbach, Ph.D., P.A.S. Fall is the time of year many people associate with colorful foliage and football. For the livestock producer, this is the time of year they must evaluate their forages and devise a feeding strategy for the upcoming winter months. Many parts of the country experienced drought conditions for […]
By Lucas A. Krueger Why does dry matter loss matter? With summer forage harvests behind us and fall crop silage in full focus, evaluating dry matter loss from harvested forages is never more important. From a practical standpoint, dry matter loss equates to wasted fuel consumption; seed, fertilizer, herbicide, and pesticide use; and acreage. Dry […]
By Dr. David Jones, Ph.D., P.A.S. Along with amino acids and peptides, ammonia is part of the soluble protein (or ‘A’ fraction) of routine protein analysis. It is generated by the deamination (removal of nitrogen-containing amino groups) of proteins, which reduces the overall quality of the protein. Ammonia is a source of nitrogen for rumen […]
By Dr. Dan Schauff, Ph.D., P.A.S.; Dave Spangler; and Lucas Krueger The cost of milk production has increased dramatically in the past year due to various factors such as money supply in excess of economic expansion, higher energy costs, supply chain disruptions, and uncertainty in world wheat/grain markets due to the war in Ukraine. On […]
By: Dr. Aimee N. Hafla, Ph.D., P.A.S The winter months are a good time to consider feedstuff production and management plans for the upcoming year to ensure your livestock have proper diets. Cattle feeders with integrated crop-livestock systems have the flexibility to produce the feeds that best fit their operation. Questions to ask yourself during […]
It’s no secret that the weather in the Midwest has been high in precipitation this year. All of this rain and extra moisture can cause feed and pastures to become moldy. Storage units, bales, and land have all been flooded for months and it doesn’t take much for that water to ruin your livestock’s feed. […]
By Gene P. Gengelbach, Ph.D. PAS Just when you thought it couldn’t get any worse… Last year (2018) U.S. hay and haylage forages were down 6% from the prior year, and quality was below average in many regions due to untimely rains interrupting the normal harvest schedule. Couple that with the extreme winter weather that […]
What to do if there’s a deficit By Grace Thomas, M.Agr.Sc., P.A.S. As forage makes up over 50% of most dairy cow rations, once harvesting is finished it is a good idea to complete an inventory of all forage on the farm. This will not only determine the level of forage that is available and […]