Nutrition & Feeding

Forages

Forage Quality for Dairy Cows: Corn Silage, Alfalfa and Forage TestingForage is the biggest ingredient and the biggest variable in a dairy ration. What quality means, how to test it and why a lab report pays for itself.

Forage Quality vs. Concentrate Level: Finding the Economic Balance for High-Producing HolsteinsIn USDA-reported trials, milk barely moved across a wide forage range while income over feed cost peaked in the middle.
TMR and Ration Basics: Mixing, Sorting and Working With a NutritionistA total mixed ration puts every bite in the same bowl. How a TMR works, why mixing and particle size matter and what a good feeding routine looks like.

Feeding the Fresh Cow: The First 30 Days That Determine the Whole LactationA fresh cow protocol is mostly about intake, daily observation and a pen that lets her eat.
Peripartum Amino Acid Supplementation: Can Rumen-Protected Methionine and Lysine Improve Milk Yield and Fertility?What one transition-period trial found, why it is promising but not proof, and how to bring the question to your nutritionist.
Transition Cow Management: The Three Weeks That Make or Break a LactationThe weeks around calving are when most dairy health problems start. What changes in the cow and what herds do about it.
Transition Cow Nutrition: Building a Ration That Prevents Ketosis and Supports Peak MilkA ration is only as good as the intake it produces, so build the diet around the cow's appetite and the numbers that prove it.
Why Your Fresh Cows Aren't Eating: A Troubleshooting ChecklistLow intake after calving is a symptom. Work through health, feed, comfort and competition to find the cause.

Feed System Effects on Milk Fever, Ketosis, and Lameness: What the Research Actually ShowsPasture and confinement feeding do not shift every disease the same way, and some claims are better supported than others.
Reducing Crude Protein in Early Lactation: A Strategy for Emissions Compliance Without Hurting PerformanceA 90-cow trial suggests 15 to 16 percent crude protein can hold milk yield when diets are balanced for metabolizable protein.
Water Quality and Intake in Lactating Holsteins: The Overlooked Driver of ProductionMilk is mostly water, so a cow that will not drink cannot milk, and quality, access and temperature all change how much she takes in.