Animals speak louder than words.™
AMPLI-Calf® starters and growers contain a combination of unique, proprietary ingredients, including a natural palatability enhancer, an immune modulating compound, a prebiotic dietary fiber that maintains lower gut health and a unique source of fiber for better digestion.
HEIFERSMART® Dairy Program products can offer a cost-effective and progressive means to help heifers mature into productive and efficient lactating cows - further enhancing the return on investment of a calf and heifer nutrition program. The HEIFERSMART® Dairy Program portfolio represents the latest focus on extending the growth benefits achieved in superior calf feeding programs by keeping heifers growing through breeding to pre-fresh so they are prepared to enter the lactating herd sooner. An easy and convenient way to meet specific nutritional needs for developing dairy heifers.
MetaPro® balances dairy rations to maintain milk production with lower crude protein intake and lower fecal and urine loss. It is based on a prescriptive balance of metabolizable protein, lysine and methionine.
LAND O LAKES® Calf Care Products help young animals get back on the path to growth and success. The Calf Care Products complement all calf nutrition options from Land O'Lakes Animal Milk Products and Purina Animal Nutrition, providing essential nutrients to aid in overall health and growth.
A full potential plane of nutrition, delivering at least 2.5 pounds of dry matter per day, is recommended as the best calf feeding plan to promote optimal health and growth, efficient, productivity and to achieve a calf’s full genetic potential.
NutriTek® Technology supports cows’ immune function and greater peak milk production with a unique combination of antioxidants and polyphenols.
Propel® Technologies solve the energy challenge in fresh and lactating cow diets. They include three different palatable fat supplements for higher peaks, intake support, and increased milk and component yields.
Rally® Dairy Feed maximizes the use of carbohydrates and increases dietary energy. Use Rally® as a supplement to help cows transition from post–calving, handle heat stress and support milk production.
Heat stress in dairy cattle is one of the leading causes of decreased milk production and reduced fertility in the U.S. during the summer months. While heat stress is unavoidable, minimizing...
View Article »
Your cattle’s milk production can plummet when heat and humidity rise. Depending upon cattle heat stress level, milk production can drop by 10-35%. That can equate to a loss of up to $4.55...
Warm temperatures and humid days mean it’s that time of year again: The annual battle against heat stress and milk production losses. Ask yourself these three questions to determine...
Weather is unpredictable, but it shouldn’t hinder your herd’s milk production. When under heat stress, cows consume less feed and use more energy to cool themselves. The drop...
When temperatures and humidity rise, often milk production falls. What about the other repercussions of heat stress in dairy cattle? Just like milk production, reproduction rates can drop as...
As the temperatures rise and we head into the summer months, it is important to remember that calves can face nutritional challenges in the summer months as well. When temperatures rise...
The equipment that mixes the cows’ ration plays an integral role in the day-to-day operation of the farm - contributing significantly to a farms’ profitability. If the equipment is not...
Depending upon how you’re paid for your milk – butterfat can add a significant amount to your milk check. Looking back to 2011, butterfat averaged $2.15 per hundredweight1, and that...
When it comes to optimizing a cow’s ration for milk components, there are three areas that dairy producers should focus on for maximum results. Too often people try to jump to amino acid...
If you’re finding yourself putting on an extra layer of clothes, chances are your calves are already experiencing cold stress. Calves under 3 weeks of age can begin feeling cold stress...
Each stage of a calf’s nutritional program is important to ensuring a healthy and profitable calf crop. A sound and well-managed feeding program is critical after birth to allow a good...
When warm weather is on the horizon, it’s time to start monitoring the Temperature-Humidity Index (THI). The THI accounts for the combined effects of temperature and humidity to assess the...
For a cow to achieve maximum peak milk, her internal systems need to be in optimum condition. The stress of the transition period can make this a challenge. Researchers are linking more health...
Raising dairy replacement heifers is a significant investment for most dairy operations. Monitoring performance and making adjustments as an investment grows is a key to optimizing return on...
The transition period, 21 days before through 21 days after calving, is a challenging time for the dairy cow. Changes in pens, hormones, metabolism, rations and weather add stress, increasing a cow...
It’s not uncommon, when discussing rations to talk in terms of percentages. While these terms work well when discussing the ingredients themselves, they don’t provide much information...
Many tools exist to evaluate the effectiveness of a dairy cow’s diet. But the final judge of how well a ration performs is the cow herself. We shouldn’t overlook the vast amount of...
When looking for ways to improve milk production or components oftentimes the focus is placed on adjusting small items in the ration, like increasing grams of metabolizable protein or metabolizable...
With warm weather come flies. Not only are flies a nuisance to both animals and employees, they impact the health and well-being of the animal and cause economic losses that can last a lifetime...
One of the many goals in raising calves is to provide a stress-free environment, which takes proactive management of the calves’ basic needs. These basic needs include: food and water...
The source of lysine in your ration, may or may not be something you’ve given serious consideration to. However, lysine is one of the first two limiting amino acids in a lactating cow’s...
Feeding clean high-quality maternal colostrum is considered the gold standard for getting proper nutrients and antibodies into newborn calves. However, accessing maternal colostrum that is both...
Feeding calves the correct amount of grain can be a challenge. Many calf raisers work with hundreds of calves that may vary in age from 1 day to 12 weeks old; all of which have different...
What if you could stretch your corn supplies a bit further or increase milk production just by re-evaluating how fine your corn is ground? If corn is not ground properly, your herd could be losing...
Calf managers often focus on addressing sanitation, nutrition and general calf management concerns. But, how much time is really spent addressing employee-related issues? Could communication or the...
Weather is one of the main factors affecting calf health. As summer heats up, young calves can experience stressful highs during the day, and chilly lows in the evenings, exposing them to...
Calves typically experience growth slumps after weaning for multiple reasons. One reason is a change in housing. After weaning, many dairymen introduce their heifers to group housing for the first...
Dairy farmers today are entering a new era of calf nutrition. The research and knowledge base behind feeding calves and what the long-term impact calf nutrition has on milk production has grown...
Many calf barns rely on natural ventilation to provide clean, fresh air to calf pens. But, as the weather cools down and winter approaches, there can be a tendency to close the doors, windows and...
It’s fairly common practice to operate fans and sprinklers to keep the lactating herd cool. But an often overlooked group of cows are the dry cows. According to National Animal Health...
In order to achieve any goal, the first step is to believe that it is possible. Perhaps your dairy cow milk production is averaging 26,000 or 28,000 pounds of milk. That’s nothing to shake...
Minimizing stress during a cow’s transition period by managing the environment surrounding her is always top-of-mind. Beyond the external environment, it’s just as critical to...
As the season starts to change, calves will begin to suffer from the cold sooner than one might think. Even at a temperature of 60 degrees Fahrenheit, cold stress can impact the growth and health...
When calves get sick, producers tend to focus on the technical issues, but often, it can be everyday details that lead to calf health challenges. Bethany Fisher and Christie Underwood, Calf and...
Every dairy is looking for opportunities to capture more milk and improve components, and my role is to assist in uncovering these opportunities. One particular herd that we work with asked me to...
The calf is born with a small, underdeveloped rumen compared to its other stomach compartments. The substrate or diet provided to the young, growing calf directly impacts the progress of rumen...
