Learning Resources: Research Updates

Why? Because changes in circulating NEFA, ketones, and calcium actually support high milk yield in healthy, high-producing cows. "Don't mess with high production," says Dr. Lance Baumgard of Iowa State University.

Take a closer look at dietary energy for young calves, says Dr. Jim Drackley of the University of Illinois. New dairy nutrition modeling (NASEM 2021) enables more accurate prediction of growth in calves fed milk and milk replacer across a wider range of management systems. Think "energy-allowable growth."

Potassium (K) plays a key role maintaining the dairy cow's blood acid-base balance while supporting many other vital functions. We especially want to avoid negative K balance during lactation. Dr. Tom Jenkins, Emeritus Professor at Clemson, zeroes in on K in DCAD to support summer milk fat.

Milk fat yield continues to rise year on year thanks first to better genetics, which results in ongoing diet design challenges. Penn State's Dr. Kevin Harvatine highlights nutrition factors to keep up with the current and future dairy cows.

Get Results with Targeted Fatty Acids "A bag of fat is not just a bag of fat," says Michigan State's Dr. Adam Lock. "You cannot know what to expect from feeding it without -- at minimum -- knowing its fatty acid profile." Recent research shows positive results in the transition period and carry-over into peak lactation with targeted feeding of palmitic (C16:0) and oleic (C18:1) acid blends.

Careful with Copper: More for Maintenance, Avoid Too Much in Lactation. Dr. Weiss says that copper (Cu) supplementation warrants special attention. The main concern is the risk of liver toxicity resulting from over-supplementation in lactation diets.

By late October, many dairy operations experience a decline in colostrum supply, which is critical to the health of newborn calves as their primary source of passive immunity. This seasonal decline varies greatly by farm, by cow, and by other factors, but correlates with lessening daylight. Shorter days, less colostrum.

Cows themselves can inform diet formulation on an ongoing basis. One result is rethinking crude protein as a metric for diet formulation, says Cornell's Dr. Mike Van Amburgh.

The current commercially licensed versions of the Cornell Net Carbohydrate and Protein System (CNCPS v6.5.5 ), refined over more than 30 years, are key to optimal diets used by dairy nutritionists and ration formulators worldwide for millions of cows worldwide.