May is the month when the majority of corn gets planted across the nation. It is also one of the months where the most fertilizer is applied. It’s a terrible time for fertilizer prices to spike, and yet, here we are… While you may wish you could just take a year off from buying fertilizer, we all know that crop yield requires nitrogen, and the cows still need to eat. While we can’t take a year off, we can try to make cropping decisions that will allow us to purchase less and

As we step into spring our cows and barn crew are both looking forward to warmer weather. With temperatures increasing, the dairy has been busy gearing up for seasonal shifts. Spring cleaning is underway, with some major projects in progress as we also begin preparing for our Open House on August 1.

Anyone who has AI bred cows during the summer months has “felt the heat” when breeding animals. As a relief breeder on our family’s farm, I’ve often wondered if it was even worth the effort and cost of the semen straw to put sperm in what feels like a roaster oven. Since I’ve spent considerable time observing spermatozoa under a microscope, I know how sensitive sperm are to temperature…both cold and hot.

Scours and early-life disease remain among the most costly challenges in calf programs, driving labor, treatment costs, and long-term performance losses. While management practices such as colostrum quality, hygiene, and housing remain the foundation of calf health, nutrition — particularly milk replacer formulation — can influence how calves respond to disease pressure.

For decades butterfat has dominated milk pricing discussions in the U.S., and feeding strategies have largely followed suit. However, market signals over the past several years suggest a clear shift: Milk protein is becoming an increasingly important driver of farm revenue.

There appears to be an increasing focus on the pre-weaning period due to its association with subsequent milk production, and more recently, longevity within the herd. A 2025 Journal of Dairy Science article by Leal et al. focused on the long-term effects of pre-weaning nutrient supply on lactation performance and survival in the herd.

Rumination is a fundamental cow behavior with wide-ranging implications for digestion, health, and productivity. Rechewing feed increases saliva flow, helps maintain rumen pH, and supports fiber degradation. When rumination declines, feed intake and rumen health often suffer soon after.

Feed push-up is a simple management practice, but its impact on cow performance is closely tied to one key factor: keeping feed consistently within reach. As cows eat and sort the ration throughout the day, feed is gradually displaced away from the bunk, creating periods when feed remains present but is no longer accessible.

Protein is one of the most expensive nutrients in a dairy ration, often one of the most overfed. While crude protein (CP) levels of 16 to 18% are still common in many lactating cow diets, research continues to show that a significant portion of that nitrogen isn’t converted into milk protein: Only about 25 to 35% of the nitrogen a cow consumes is captured in milk, with the remainder excreted in manure, particularly in urine

My name is Chloe Otterson-Taylor, and I’m from Elk Grove, California. I recently graduated from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo with a Bachelor of Science in Dairy Science. Although I grew up around horses and spent much of high school working with and finishing them, it wasn’t until college that I discovered my passion for the dairy industry.

Pheromones are a means of communication within a species, and can be secreted to provide signals between individuals. One example of this is maternal bovine appeasing substance (MBAS), a naturally-excreted pheromone from cows to elicit a calming effect on their offspring by reducing the neuroendocrine response to a threat or stressor.

Leadership and culture are not just buzzwords or skills we hope to develop someday. Instead, they are words that have a different definition to anyone you speak to, based on their own perception. Culture as defined in the Oxford dictionary “is the customs, art, social institutions, and achievements of a particular nation, people, or other social groups.” This isn’t the definition of culture as Galen Emanuel, an author and keynote speaker with a background in theater, defined

Direct-fed microbes (DFM) are live microorganisms — most commonly specific strains of bacteria or yeast — intentionally added to ruminant diets to beneficially modulate the rumen microbial ecosystem. In dairy nutrition, Bacillus spp. (e.g., Bacillus subtilis and Bacillus licheniformis) are frequently used because of their ability to produce fibrolytic, amylolytic, and proteolytic enzymes that enhance feed degradation. By influencing microbial populations and fermentation pa

The growing season is just around the corner, although it is hard to believe with the lingering cold weather here in the North Country. Now is an ideal time to review as a team what it takes to produce high-quality silage in the year ahead. Historically, silage discussions have focused on the basics: harvesting at the correct moisture, chopping at the right length, packing tightly, sealing thoroughly, and deciding whether to use an inoculant. These factors still matter, but t

Calf starter plays a critical role in supporting early growth and rumen development in calves, making it an important component of a successful heifer program. As calves transition to functional ruminants, the rumen needs to develop sufficient physical capacity and absorptive surface area to properly utilize solid feed. Through starter intake, microbial activity and volatile fatty acid production (VFA) are activated, both necessary components in the development of rumen ti

Subclinical hypocalcemia (SCH) affects upwards of 50% of multiparous cows due to increased calcium demands around calving. Although SCH is generally viewed as undesirable, we have come to learn that short term reductions in blood calcium concentrations, like when a cow has transient SCH (low blood calcium at 1 DIM but normal at 4 DIM), may activate adaptive mechanisms that improve calcium regulation later.

We seem to be in the season of spring, but winter has been a far more "traditional" winter than we've had in the North Country in recent years. We've had long stretches of cold weather, plenty of snow, and no January thaw in 2026!

The Rumen Simulation Technique, known as RUSITEC, is a continuous in vitro system designed to simulate the rumen fermentation processes that occur in ruminants. The system uses fermentation vessels maintained at rumen-like conditions (temperature, anaerobic environment, and continuous buffer infusion).

This past January I had the opportunity to attend the GPS Dairy Consulting Bootcamp in Minneapolis, MN. During this program we were exposed to ration formulation software, consultative selling techniques, reviewed our own personality profiles and explored several topics relevant to a career in dairy nutrition consulting.

On many dairies, fiber adequacy is judged by the NDF percentage on the ration sheet. A diet containing 28-32% NDF may appear to be adequate, but some farms experience milk fat depression, declining rumination, intake variability, and signs of subacute ruminal acidosis even when total NDF appears adequate. Often the issue isn’t how much fiber is in the ration, but whether that fiber is physically effective in the rumen. Physically effective fiber, commonly referred to as peNDF