FROM THE PRESIDENT'S DESK: COMPONENT PRODUCTION STARTS WITH ASKING THE RIGHT QUESTIONS

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. Just look at the change in fat and true protein content for farms in FMMO 1 (see figure). It is awesome to see that the recent “lows” are greater than the “highs” of yesteryear. Genetics have improved, certainly, but management has improved too.

The challenge is figuring out where the next opportunity is on-farm. Whether we are working to be part of the 7 or 8 lb club or frustrated that component production isn’t where we would like it, our first instinct is often to look at the ration. Sometimes that is the issue. But sometimes the ration is only part of the story. Component production is one area where it helps to step back and look at the entire day from the cow’s perspective. As Rick Grant, our past president and current trustee, has often said, “We need to get the diet and the “dining experience” right to optimize milk components.” This means we must focus on diet formulation and the management environment.

Does she have feed available when she wants it? Does she have enough room at the feedbunk? Is she spending her day eating, ruminating and resting, or is she spending time competing for resources? Small disruptions in those behaviors may not seem important, but they can affect feed intake, rumen function, and ultimately the pounds of fat and protein that end up in the milk tank. Is the stocking density optimized? Is the cooling system mitigating heat stress enough? Are the stalls comfortable enough that she will want to lie down and ruminate? Sometimes we become accustomed to conditions in the barn and stop noticing the small things. Looking at stall occupancy, the amount of time cows spend lying down, and where cows ruminate can be just as valuable as looking for the next ration adjustment.

Water is another focus area. We know it is important. Milk is 87% water after all. However, water is rarely the first thing we discuss when components are lagging. A high-producing cow can consume a tremendous amount of water every day (≥ 35 gal/d), especially during hot weather, when water intake can increase by at least 4 to 5 gal/d. It is worth asking whether water access, water space, or tank maintenance could be limiting performance in ways that are not immediately obvious.

Many of the discussions I have with farmers eventually come back to forage quality. It is certainly not a new hot topic, and maybe that’s why it can be easy to overlook. Does she have enough high-quality forages? Highly digestible forages used properly in diets can support rumen health while promoting feed intake, milk yield, and component production. There is no substitute for getting the forage fundamentals right. The same can be said for feed management. Fresh feed, consistent feed availability, regular push-ups, and minimizing sorting are not necessarily exciting topics, but they matter. The farms that consistently excel in component production are often doing many basic things exceptionally well rather than relying on a single nutritional tool or feed additive to drive results.

As we evaluate opportunities on our farms, the most useful question may simply be: what is preventing cows from reaching their full potential? The answer will be different from one farm to the next. There are very few silver bullets for component production. More often, progress comes from identifying a handful of small opportunities and consistently improving them over time. When those changes support feed intake, rumen function, cow comfort, and health better milk component production usually follows.

— Heather Dann

dann@whminer.com