Mycotoxins are low-molecular weight secondary metabolites primarily synthesized by fungal genera Aspergillus, Fusarium, and Penicillium. They can contaminate feed and when consumed have toxic effects on animals and humans. Mycotoxins can originate from both the field and storage. Mycotoxins can negatively affect feed intake, rumen function, milk production, immune responses, reproduction, and susceptibility to disease. Furthermore, from a food system standpoint, mycotoxins ca

Around this time of year we often mention the importance of proper timing for chopping corn for silage. Farmers have waited over four months since planting the crop, but too many refuse to wait a couple more weeks until the crop reaches at least 32% DM. Harvesting the crop at a range of 32% to 37% whole plant DM is fine in most situations. Any mention in the farm press or other sources of 30% DM as a goal for corn silage should be ignored: The corn plant is adding starch each

In the June and July issues of the Farm Report I discussed the hydrology and nitrogen (N) dynamics from a recent no-till study that was completed at Miner Institute. We’ll finish up the discussion of this study by delving into the impacts of no-till on phosphorus (P) losses from the field.

For decades dairy calf nutrition programs have been built around compromise: to provide enough milk to support calf growth, while restricting milk intake to stimulate early starter feed consumption and rumen development, ultimately for an earlier weaning. This approach has made the calf rearing process relatively predictable and economical, but is it the right answer? Are we missing out on the true biological potential of modern dairy calves?

Hi, I am Juliette Levesque, the new year-long Agricultural Research Intern! I am from Westborough, Massachusetts, and I recently graduated from the University of Vermont with a BS in Animal Science. I originally chose UVM because of their CREAM program, a student-run dairy farm, as I was very excited for the hands-on animal experience. I have been interested in veterinary medicine for as long as I can remember but wasn’t sure what area I wanted to pursue or which animals I w

There is a wide range of milk replacer (MR) macronutrient profiles available on the market. As a producer or nutritionist, the focus is on selecting the right MR to achieve optimal growth rates aligned with the dairy's goals. Most people will usually focus on the fat and protein content within the milk replacer. Another macronutrient that might not be as commonly discussed in this conversation is lactose (energy source). Growth performance alone may not fully capture how MR c

Recently I had the opportunity to attend the New York Dairy Meeting, a two-day event focused on innovative manure management solutions and advancing New York’s dairy conservation legacy. The meeting brought together a remarkably diverse group of stakeholders including dairy farmers, processors, agribusiness representatives, extension personnel, conservationists, lenders, government personnel, and people from watershed-focused organizations and land trusts. The event highlight

In July I attended a field day hosted by the University of Vermont Northwest Crops and Soils Program featuring autonomous weeding robots. These machines, developed by a company called Greenfield Robotics, are designed to fit between 30-inch rows and mow down weeds as they go. The machines can navigate corn rows on their own for several hours before returning to a base location for charging or a battery swap. The goal of the company is to reduce or eliminate chemical herbicid

We‘ve been very busy at Miner Institute this summer! The summer interns have spent a large part of their summer here working with their show heifers to prepare for the Clinton County Fair in Plattsburgh, NY. They spent the last few months training their heifers to lead well on halters and were taught how to best set up their animal for the show ring.

At Miner Institute’s recent Open House, I gave narrated rides on a hay wagon through our dairy facility. As we approached a pen of cows we are currently conducting a dairy nutrition trial on, nearly every one of the 86 cows in the pen were bunched in 1/3 of the pen closest to the center of the barn. I was hopeful the “general public” wouldn’t perceive that we were forcing the cows to live in such close proximity to each other…it was a hot day.

Dairy calves or dairy-beef calves, not destined for replacement animals, routinely contribute to the beef industry. Some estimates are that over 4.7 million calves go to dairy-beef in the United States annually and are typically raised to be harvested around 16-18 months of age. Many of these animals are transported to a dairy-beef farm early in life, often at less than one week of age. This transport can include multiple trips from the farm of origin and can include auction

The ration is formulated. You loaded the ingredients. You mixed the TMR. But did you actually feed the ration you intended to? Most farms routinely monitor feed ingredients, dry matters, and ration costs, but the scale responsible for weighing those ingredients may not be receiving similar attention. Mixer wagon scale accuracy is especially important for low-inclusion rate ingredients like premixes and feed additives. Even small deviations can become economically meaningful

Alfalfa is a perennial legume, but because it’s typically managed for high forage quality it’s often not a long-lived one. Most dairy farmers in this region are satisfied to get 4 or 5 productive years from a stand of alfalfa or alfalfa grass — and they should be, for several reasons.

Weaning is a major physiological time for a young calf, especially when the calf is fed an elevated milk replacer feeding program (Khan et al., 2011; Steele et al., 2017; Wolfe et al., 2023; Drackley, 2025). There are several benefits to adopting an elevated milk feeding program; in a review, Ghaffari and Hammon (2026) outline several. These include an increase in energy and protein supply, insulin and IGF-1 signaling, mTORC1 activation, muscle and protein synthesis, average

I recently had the opportunity to discuss milk component production and the growing role that fat and protein play in farm profitability with a group of young dairy farmers. This topic comes up often and for good reason. Fat and protein production are making up a larger share of the value of the milk we ship every day. Many farms have already made tremendous progress over the last 5+ years.

I’ve always enjoyed farm tours, especially when other farmers are on them. It’s not the big picture of the farm itself that’s all that interesting…wood, metal and concrete. It’s often not the farm manager that is that interesting either, although we’ve met some memorable ones. When on other’s farms, most farmers I’ve traveled with are looking at the little things …clever fixits that save a few minutes each day… that they hadn’t thought of…and could adapt to their farm. A diff

For many years, fat supplementation in dairy diets was viewed primarily as a way to increase the energy density of the ration. This concept remains true, particularly for high-producing cows with substantial energy demands, but recent research has shown that the response to fat supplementation depends not only on the amount of fat supplied but also on the specific fatty acids being fed. In other words, nutritionists are shifting their attention from "feeding more fat" to "fee

Last month I wrote about the critical weed-free period in corn. This month I’ll continue the theme by discussing why you may still be seeing weeds growing in your fields weeks after the corn was sprayed. While herbicides are very effective at controlling weeds when everything goes well, the reality is that many dairy operations end up with more weed material in their corn bunk than they would like to admit.

In last month’s Farm Report I introduced and discussed the hydrology of an edge-of-field monitoring project that was designed to assess the impacts of no-till corn silage production on field hydrology and nutrient losses. In this article we’ll discuss the impacts the no-till treatment had on nitrogen (N) transport from the field.

With the arrival of July comes lots of activity around the farm! Our four Summer Experience in Farm Management students are settling in and currently alternating between milking, feeding, crops, calf care, and herd health rotations, each a week long.