The Latest News from Nobis Agri Science

Feed mixing and delivery is one of the most important activities on the dairy. Mixing and feeding a total mixed ration (TMR) is a multiple-times-per-day activity. Doing this job accurately and consistently time and time again, batch after batch and day after day is critical to production, animal health and overall farm economics.

The MSU Extension dairy team has multiple employee training programs available for dairy farms in Michigan.

Employee development and education are key components of successful farm management. Training is necessary so new employees learn how to perform their jobs, but re-training of more experienced employees also has benefits, such as preventing protocol drift. Additionally, providing training opportunities for employees can improve the work environment and reduce employee turnover.

The Tri-State Dairy Nutrition Conference is virtual April 19-21, 2021. The conference will cover a range of topics from farm risk management to cow immune health.

A lot of volatility has been occurring in the commodity markets during the last couple of months. While priced at about $4 per bushel at the beginning of November, today’s price in the futures market for corn grain for March 2021 is surpassing $5 per bushel (25% more expensive). Similarly, while priced at about $360 per ton at the beginning of November, today’s price in the futures market for soybean meal for March 2021 is about $424 per ton (roughly 18% more expensive).

Pounds of milkfat and milk protein shipped, also known as milk component yield (MCY), accounts for more than 75% of the milk check. With milk volume supply constraints in play, maximizing MCY has never been more important. Milk containing higher concentrations of fat and protein produces more cheese, butter and other higher-value dairy products. Dairy producers can capture some of that value by focusing on increasing MCY. The good news is: Producers can start making changes almost immediately – even without long-term investments in herd genetics. Milk composition is highly influenced by the ration and feeding management. One of the keys to achieving this goal is closely managing neutral detergent fiber digestibility (NDFD) in the ensiled forage base of the ration.

I am a sports fan. We have season tickets to three University of Minnesota sports (oops, not this year). In addition to enjoying the games, I have the occupational hazard of studying how the coaches are leading the teams.

Those in the compressed natural gas industry encouraged dairy farmers Thursday to consider investing in the manure business.

Chief financial officer of Pagel Family Businesses Brian Dolski said during a virtual panel discussion at the Dairy Business Association’s Dairy Strong conference Jan. 20 that farmers could receive a potential of $1,200 per cow per year if they install a digester. He also noted that while much of the compressed natural gas industry is in California, that shouldn’t stop Wisconsinites.

Taking place Feb. 4-5, the 19th annual Great Lakes Regional Dairy Conference will go virtual in 2021.

Experts will share strategies and projections to help producers and industry representatives make the most of the next year and beyond.

Mycotoxins are a type of secondary metabolites produced by molds. Most nutritionists and producers may rightly associate mold and mycotoxins in feed, but it is important to recognize that the presence of mold does not necessarily mean that mycotoxins are present, and conversely, just because there is no visible mold, it does not mean that no mycotoxins are present. Mold counts can still be a valuable tool for managing mycotoxins in the ration. Note that molds are a type of fungi, and for the purposes of this article, these terms will be used interchangeably.

When temperatures dip, cows divert their energy to maintaining normal body temperatures. For dairy producers, the switch comes at the expense of milk production. There are simple management tactics to help shield cows from the cold — and keep productivity up.

We recently completed a trial evaluating how dietary protein and amino acid supplementation affected production during the first 3 or 4 weeks of lactation and to determine how production was affected after treatments stopped (i.e., carry-over effects). The forage in the diets was a blend of about 68% corn silage and 32% alfalfa. The control diet (CONT) contained 17% crude protein (CP) and the concentrate was mostly corn grain and soybean meal.