Extension > Agriculture > Dairy Extension > Feed and nutrition
Feed and nutrition
Table of contents
Feed cost calculator
Enter numbers in the boxes and calculator will determine your feed cost. (32 K XLS)
Summer is coming – are you prepared?
Spring is going quickly so now is the time to be preparing for heat stress in our dairy herds.
Nutrition management
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Can you guess your cow's NEFAs?
For fresh cows, successful feeding strategies maintain energy intake, avoid metabolic stress, reduce negative health event risk and maintain liver health.
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Discovering the power of rumen microbes
By providing a suitable habitat for these microorganisms, the ruminant is able to utilize the end products of microbial fermentation and microbial cells to meet its own nutritional needs for energy and protein.
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Precision feeding and monitoring: Now more than ever
The consequences of this summer's drought and increasing feed cost compounded with stagnant milk prices make for tighter and tighter margins challenging dairy profitability.
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Nutrition adjustments for heat stressed dairy cows
Heat stress is detrimental to dairy production and affects feed intake, rumination, nutrient digestibility and absorption, which in turn can decrease milk and component yield.
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Effects of early lactation dietary starch amount on first calf heifer performance and health: A pilot study
The study indicates no difference in postpartum dry matter intake between the low and high starch treatments.
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Fast corn, slow corn, high priced corn
Corn provides starch, an energy source for lactation diets. Starch digestibility is affected by particle size, moisture content, maturity, genetics, and fermentation.
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What's new at the U? Dairy cattle nutrition research update
Using adaptive nutrition to improve performance and health of transition cows and nursery calves
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Low butterfat test problems
Reports in the low 3's: Too low by most standards, and indicates that something is wrong.
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Sampling hay, silage, and total mixed rations for analysis
Sample must be representative.
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Feeding challenges in 2007
Sustaining profits with lower milk prices means considering feed costs.
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Prepare now for summer feeding program
Help cows manage the stresses of heat and humidity.
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Using standard diets for dairy heifer calves
Results in very good performance to two months of age.
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Feeding strategies for post-weaned dairy heifers, 2 to 6 months of age
The goal is to provide consistent performances across all seasons of the year.
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What's the scoop on evaluating manure?
It can help determine how well cows are digesting their ration.
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Successful farms are more consistent, Part 2: Feeding consistency
Variation in milk fat and protein percent can provide insight about your feeding management.
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Feeding the dairy herd
Feeding systems, balancing rations, purchasing feeds, and dairy cow diseases and disorders.
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Ration guidelines
Use the Feed Pyramid to think about how rations should be formulated and cows fed. (180 K PDF)
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Drought-stressed crops used for feed should first be tested for toxicity, nitrate and nutritional value
For toxicity, nitrate and nutritional value.
Feed costs
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Help! High feed costs are killing me
Five tips for reducing feed costs
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Solutions for hot feed prices and cold nursery calves
Solutions to address the challenges of hot feed prices and cold calves include feed sources, inventory management and technology.
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Controlling feed costs in 2011
Five strategies to keep feed costs as low as possible
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Feed costs revisited
Sustaining profits with lower milk prices means considering feed costs.
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Know your feed cost
What is your feed cost per cow/day or per hundred weight?
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Replacing soybean meal in dairy rations
Consider nutrition as well as price or losses in cow performance.
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Critical feed numbers for 2012
The real challenge for many producers in 2012 will continue to be the out of pocket feed costs and income over feed costs.
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Fine-tuning feed costs
Uses various measures to evaluate and compare feed costs for lactating cows.
MUN
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Precision feeding and monitoring: Now more than ever
The consequences of this summer's drought and increasing feed cost compounded with stagnant milk prices make for tighter and tighter margins challenging dairy profitability.
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MUN testing
Milk Urea Nitrogen (MUN) levels that are too high or too low can be robbing you of profits. – Minnesota DHIA
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Don’t waste your protein
Feeding excess protein is expensive. An inexpensive and easy test helps assess protein feeding.
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Milk urea nitrogen
Animals convert excess ammonia to urea because ammonia is toxic while urea is not.
Total mixed rations
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Feeding total mixed rations
Proper nutrition for dairy cows is important for health and optimal milk production.
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TMR feeding management guide
Total mixed ration: nutritionally balanced, correctly mixed, high quality ingredients.
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Particle size of the ration: does it matter?
Its effect on cow sorting behavior and performance.
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The TMR feeding program
Properly formulated rations; quality feeds; good communication, records, and equipment. (2.95 MB PDF)
Minerals
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New U of MN research shows anionic dry cow diets increases milk production
Special attention to dry cow mineral balance can reduce metabolic problems and increase milk production
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Minerals in forages
Macro minerals: forage content, lactating and transition cow requirements, feeding considerations. (584 K PDF)
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Dirt-osis (dirt toxicity in cattle)
Cattle eat dirt but they do not need it to physically digest the feed.
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Rain and mud: a pain in the ash value
A lot of rain may cause a significant amount of dirt in your dairy ration.
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Dietary cation-anion difference update
DCAD is a measure you should be using in both dry and lactating cows.
Body condition score
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How to body condition score dairy animals
Scoring can help detect potential problems that might cause a decrease in milk production. (313 K PDF) – University of Nebraska
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Body condition scores
Body reserves at calving influence potential complications for upcoming lactation. – University of Wisconsin
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Body condition scoring as a tool for dairy herd management
Evaluating fattness or thinness of cows on a 5-point scale to fine tune herd nutrition and health. (730 K PDF) – The Pennsylvania State University
Byproduct feeds and additives
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A biodiesel byproduct may substitute for corn
Can larger quantities of glycerin be fed as a replacement for starch in dairy diets?
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Livestock in bioenergy production
The important role animal agriculture will play in the success of any renewable fuel production plan.
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The ethanol revolution: How will we feed cows in the future?
Corn as an energy source increased the availability of co-products for livestock feeds. (435 K PDF)
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Essential oils as dietary supplements for dairy cattle
Not required, but these compounds may be important as antimicrobials and antiseptics.
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Feeding fat: The good, the bad and the ugly
Increased milk production has necessitated the feeding of more fat.
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Studies that make you go hmm
Interesting research on flavored water, soymilk, garlic and juniper berry.
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U of M distillers grains by-products web site!
The most current information on using these by-products in livestock feeds.
Water
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Impact of minerals in water on dairy cows
Water is the most essential of all nutrients required by dairy cattle
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What if cows don't drink enough water?
You will not get optimal milk production and health can be adversely affected
Goats
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Feeding dairy goats
Goats actually require a more nutritious diet than do other ruminants.
Active worksheets
- PROTEIN Worksheet (743 K XLS)
- FAT Worksheet (820 K XLS)
- MUN Worksheet (280 K XLS)
- Body condition scores (369 K XLS) – The Pennsylvania State University
Other food and nutrition resources we recommend
- Controlling feed costs over the long haul – extension.org
- Feeding dairy cows when corn prices are high
- Managing measure of feed costs: benchmarking physical and economic feed efficiency (260 KB PDF) – The Ohio State University
- Evaluating particle size of forages and TMRs (252 K PDF) – The Pennsylvania State University
- By-Product feedstuffs in dairy cattle diets in the Upper Midwest (235 K PDF) – University of Wisconsin
- Feeding corn gluten for dairy cows: wet corn gluten versus wet distillers grains (345 K PDF) – University of Nebraska
- Understanding milling feed byproducts for dairy cattle (202 K PDF) – University of Nebraska
- Assessment of water quality and nutrition for dairy cattle (627 K PDF) – Michigan State University
- Feed additives in dairy nutrition and management – University of Illinois
- Nutrient Requirements of Dairy Cattle, 2001 (book to order)
- Beginner's guide to body condition scoring (3.6 M PPT) – The Pennsylvania State University
- Effects of body condition on performance (1.2 MB PPT) – The Pennsylvania State University
- Nutritional management of the high-producing dairy cow in the 21st century – University of Nebraska
- Nutritional and environmental management of phosphorus and potassium (163 K PDF) – The Ohio State University
- Nitrogen, ammonia emissions and the dairy cow (227 K PDF) – The Pennsylvania State University
