Podcasts about dairy nutrition

What does the research say about adding quality roasted high-oleic soybeans to the dairy ration? Dr. Adam Lock, Professor from Michigan State University, explains what they are seeing for increases in milk yield and milk fat when feeding roasted, high-oleic soybeans to dairy cows.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Recorded live at the Florida Ruminant Nutrition Conference, this episode of the Real Science Exchange explores how improving nitrogen efficiency can enhance both dairy performance and environmental sustainability. Featuring Dr. Kelly Nichols (UC Davis), Dr. Jonas de Souza (Perdue Animal Nutrition), and Dr. Ben Wenner (Feed Works), the conversation brings together leading perspectives on how nitrogen utilization continues to shape modern dairy nutrition programs.

Can you reduce dairy ration costs by 10-15 cents per cow per day? Jim Barmore, consulting dairy nutritionist, explains how feeding high-oleic soybeans can allow dairy producers to pull out other sources of protein and fat to help reduce dairy ration costs.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Is Optimum Nutrition Winning the "Protein Mania" Era?

This episode of the Real Science Exchange features Dr. Mary Beth Hall, founder of The Cows Are Always Right and former USDA‑ARS scientist, discussing her highly attended Real Science Exchange webinar, Manure Evaluation: Figuring Out What's Going On Between Cows and Their Rations. Joining the pub‑table conversation are Dr. Clay Zimmerman, Dr. Stefano Vandoni, and Dr. Sion Richards. Dr. Mary Beth Hall explains why manure evaluation is one of the most reliable diagnostic tools in dairy nutrition, providing a direct biological response that may not appear in ration models or performance data. She emphasizes why manure must be evaluated alongside cow behavior and production metrics. (09:28) Mary Beth breaks down the science of fecal pH, including how to measure it correctly, why results can be misleading if done improperly, and what fecal pH reveals about digestion beyond the rumen. She explains why fecal pH does not directly reflect rumen pH and how fiber source influences hindgut fermentation. (14:46) The discussion shifts to practical manure screening on farm. Mary Beth explains what to look for when rinsing manure, how undigested fiber or grain can signal rate‑of‑passage and feed processing issues, and why screening is best used as a qualitative diagnostic tool rather than a strict numerical benchmark. (21:36) The panel compares manure evaluation with rumination monitors and emerging dairy technologies, highlighting why sensor data must be interpreted in context with manure consistency, cow behavior, intake patterns, and diet composition to accurately assess cow health. (28:16) Real‑world troubleshooting examples illustrate how ration and management issues—including spoiled silage, feed sorting, inconsistent intake, and water quality problems—often appear first in the manure. Variation within a pen is discussed as an early warning sign for nutrition challenges. (42:14) In closing, the group reinforces why manure evaluation remains underutilized despite being one of the clearest biological indicators of cow health. Integrating manure observation with cow comfort, rumination, feeding management, and overall herd behavior is critical for better nutrition decision‑making. (46:34) Please subscribe and share this episode with your industry colleagues and invite them to join us at the Real Science Exchange virtual pub table. Be sure to register for upcoming Real Science Lecture Series webinars to continue the conversation. Finally, if you'd like a Real Science Exchange t‑shirt, screenshot your rating, review, or subscription and email it to anh.marketing@balchem.com with your size and mailing address, and we'll send one your way.

In this episode of The Dairy Nutrition Blackbelt Podcast, Dr. Lance Baumgard, Distinguished Professor at Iowa State University, explains how stress affects gut barrier function and dairy cow productivity. He highlights how immune activation redirects nutrients away from milk synthesis and discusses key stressors like heat, overcrowding, and transition periods. Learn how stacked stressors amplify biological responses and impact performance. Listen now on all major platforms!"Stress across production systems consistently disrupts gut barrier integrity, allowing harmful compounds to cross into circulation and initiate immune responses that directly reduce dairy cow performance."Meet the guest: Dr. Lance Baumgard is a Distinguished Professor and Norman L. Jacobson Endowed Professor in Dairy Nutrition at Iowa State University. His research focuses on stress physiology, gut health, and nutrient partitioning in dairy cattle, helping advance understanding of how stress impacts productivity and biological function. Click here to read the full research article!Liked this one? Don't stop now — Here's what we think you'll love!What will you learn: (00:00) Highlight(01:39) Introduction(02:17) Gut barrier(03:56) Immune response(05:25) Nutrient demand(06:52) Glucose priority(08:49) Farm stressors(12:13) Closing thoughtsThe Dairy Nutrition Blackbelt Podcast is trusted and supported by the innovative companies:* Vetagro* Kemin* Adisseo* Barentz* Fortiva- Virtus Nutrition- DietForge

Dr. Baumgard opens by explaining the origin of the “immune suppression” theory in transition cows. Research dating back to the late 1970s showed slower neutrophil infiltration into the mammary gland in early lactation, which led to the assumption that cows are immunosuppressed after calving. This idea has shaped industry thinking for more than 40 years. (10:43) He outlines two primary mechanisms traditionally blamed for immune suppression: the cortisol surge at calving, which may impair neutrophil migration, and the metabolic changes of early lactation—high NEFAs, ketones, and low calcium—which appear to reduce neutrophil function in laboratory settings. (13:16) Dr. Baumgard then challenges the central assumption: are cows truly immunosuppressed, or are they simply exposed to greater pathogen loads and stressors during a narrow window around calving? He argues that morbidity may reflect increased environmental and physiological challenges rather than a dysfunctional immune system. (15:25) Dr. Fry shares field data from three herds representing over 100,000 calvings. After implementing management changes—primarily building a well-designed transition barn with lower stocking density, improved hygiene, and better cow flow—metritis rates dropped from 21.3% to 9.7%. Nutrition and innate immunity remained unchanged, suggesting management and environment were key drivers. (21:29) The panel discusses the role of stress stacking during the transition period. Dr. Baumgard explains that multiple simultaneous stressors, such as overcrowding, heat stress, hygiene challenges, social stress, and nutritional shifts, may overwhelm cows. He emphasizes growing evidence that stress compromises gut integrity (“leaky gut”), potentially triggering systemic inflammation and increasing susceptibility in tissues like the mammary gland. (27:27) Heat stress provides another example. While mastitis rates often increase during humid Midwest summers, they decline in arid regions like Arizona and Israel despite severe heat stress. Dr. Baumgard suggests environmental pathogen load—not immune suppression—is the primary driver. (27:43) The conversation shifts to ketosis and hyperketonemia. Dr. Baumgard and Dr. Pralle discuss how elevated BHB and NEFAs may not always indicate disease but instead reflect normal metabolic adaptation to support milk production. The key distinction is productivity: cows milking well with high ketones may not require intervention, while cows with high ketones and poor milk production warrant deeper investigation into underlying causes such as metritis, mastitis, hypocalcemia, gut inflammation, or environmental stress. (37:13) Dr. Fry reinforces the importance of whole-cow and whole-environment evaluation rather than treating metabolic markers in isolation. Monitoring milk yield, rumination, activity, and cow demeanor—along with assessing stocking density, pen hygiene, hoof health, and stockmanship—are critical to identifying true problems. (44:00) The group emphasizes reducing pathogen load through simple, practical management: minimizing manure accumulation, maintaining clean and dry bedding, improving calving hygiene, and lowering stocking density—especially for close-up and fresh cows. (33:39) Looking ahead, Dr. Baumgard describes his lab's focus on modeling “stacked stressors” to better replicate the real-world transition period. Rather than studying stressors in isolation, his team is investigating how combined stressors influence physiology, particularly gut health. (47:11) In closing, the panel encourages industry professionals to reconsider the immune suppression paradigm. Instead of trying to “fix” the immune system at calving, the emphasis should shift toward removing stressors and minimizing environmental challenges that create excessive pathogen exposure. (53:01) Please subscribe and share with your industry friends to invite more people to join us at the Real Science Exchange virtual pub table.   If you want one of our Real Science Exchange t-shirts, screenshot your rating, review, or subscription, and email a picture to anh.marketing@balchem.com. Include your size and mailing address, and we'll mail you a shirt.

Recommendations for identification and selection of bioactive compounds to develop antimethanogenic feed additives. Dr. Yáñez-Ruiz (8:23) How can we search for molecules that modify how feed is fermented in the rumen? Conventionally, we have used scientific literature to look for plant extracts and compounds that have been researched before. Now, we have computational technology that offers opportunities to model how molecules interact with rumen microbes. Once a candidate compound is selected, in vitro tools can be used to test dose responses before animal experiments.  Recommendations for testing enteric methane-mitigating feed additives in ruminant studies. Dr. Yáñez-Ruiz for Dr. Alexander Hristov (17:07) Once compounds have been identified and selected, they need to be tested in the animal. These experiments are costly and best practices for experimental design, animals used, diets fed, delivery of the test compound, and measurement of methane should be followed. Some of these guidelines are strongly linked to the regulatory aspects that provide requirements for how in vivo trials need to be conducted.  Feed additives for methane mitigation: Modeling the impact of feed additives on enteric methane emission of ruminants—Approaches and recommendations. Dr. Bannink (22:43) Once experimental data is collected, it can be used to develop models to predict how effective an additive is, how it works, and its relevance. The intention is to quantify how an additive will work if you feed it to an animal. This can be complex due to variation among different datasets and natural fluctuation in methane production in the animal. One factor that plays a big role in the effectiveness of additives is the type of diet that animals are fed.  A guideline to uncover the mode of action of antimethanogenic feed additives for ruminants. Dr. Belanche (30:03) Understanding the mechanism of action for methane mitigants is challenging. We know some compounds work to reduce methane, but we don't know how or why they are working. There are five main types of additives when grouped by mode of action: modify rumen fermentation to decrease hydrogen production; methane inhibitors that act specifically against methanogens; inhibit enzymes common to all methanogens; hydrogen sinks to redirect hydrogen away from methanogenesis and toward other metabolic pathways; and promote methanotrophs that oxidize methane. The most effective are methane inhibitors, which decrease methane but don't increase animal productivity. Combining a methane inhibitor with a hydrogen sink may help redirect hydrogen and result in improved animal productivity. Regulations and evidence requirements for the authorization of enteric methane-mitigating feed additives. Dr. Tricarico (41:22) There are as many regulatory systems as there are jurisdictions. Two concepts that are shared across jurisdictions are regulatory status/legal classification and intended use. While each jurisdiction requires some legal classification of a feed additive compound, each has a different criteria base from which they classify products. For example, “inhibitor” is a legal classification in New Zealand, but doesn't even exist in other jurisdictions. Sometimes, the same word may mean different things in different jurisdictions. Authorization of a compound is not a blanket authorization, it is an authorization of the intended use of the compound. This specificity is critical for all involved to understand. Feed additives for methane mitigation: How to account for the mitigating potential of antimethanogenic feed additives—Approaches and recommendations. Dr. del Prado (49:42) A major challenge in this area is what kind of accounting system will be used: farm level, lifecycle analysis, carbon markets, national greenhouse gas inventories, etc. An accounting system needs to be well tailored from the type of experimental data available to the complexity used on the scale of the method. Experimental data, modeling, and accounting move hand-in-hand.  Panelists share their take-home thoughts. (58:57) Please subscribe and share with your industry friends to invite more people to join us at the Real Science Exchange virtual pub table.   If you want one of our Real Science Exchange t-shirts, screenshot your rating, review, or subscription, and email a picture to anh.marketing@balchem.com. Include your size and mailing address, and we'll mail you a shirt.

Dr. Nichols opens by outlining her background in protein nutrition research spanning Canada, the Netherlands, industry R&D, and now academia at UC Davis. Her research has focused on mammary amino acid metabolism, nitrogen efficiency, and the interaction between protein and energy supply in dairy cattle. (1:00–4:05) Dr. Räisänen shares her path from Penn State to Finland, Switzerland, and now Aarhus University, where she is leading research within a large, multidisciplinary project focused on lifetime nitrogen efficiency in dairy systems. Her current work examines early lactation protein supply and rumen nitrogen balance. (7:32–10:07) The discussion begins by establishing why protein nutrition plays a central role in sustainability. Ruminants are net protein producers, converting low-value feeds into high-quality milk and meat protein. However, inefficiencies in nitrogen utilization lead to urinary nitrogen excretion, contributing to ammonia emissions, nitrous oxide production, and nitrate leaching. Improving nitrogen efficiency, therefore, directly impacts environmental outcomes. (12:28–14:17) The group discusses geographic differences in nitrogen regulation. European countries like the Netherlands and Denmark face intense scrutiny due to high livestock density on limited land. Similar regional challenges are emerging in concentrated U.S. dairy regions such as California's Central Valley and parts of the Midwest. (15:17–18:19) Dr. Nichols introduces the concept of metabolic flexibility—the ability of ruminants, and especially the mammary gland, to utilize different nutrients and metabolic pathways depending on supply. This flexibility helps explain why responses to protein supplementation are not always black and white, and why traditional limiting amino acid theory does not consistently predict milk protein responses. (24:58–26:23) The conversation explores early lactation “protein boost” strategies inspired by post-ruminal amino acid infusion studies. Dr. Räisänen describes ongoing work using targeted concentrate supplementation to mimic infusion responses. Preliminary data suggest substantial early lactation milk yield responses, similar to infusion studies, when protein is delivered in a separate concentrate rather than blended into a TMR. (28:33–31:16) Dr. Nichols discusses three key areas of flexibility highlighted in her webinar: Energy source interactions (glucogenic vs. lipogenic supply),   Rumen nitrogen balance, and   Mammary gland amino acid metabolism. (32:21–33:50)   The panel explores how feeding systems may influence metabolic responses. PMR systems with separate concentrate feeding may allow temporal and metabolic “choice,” potentially improving efficiency compared to uniform TMR feeding. Robotic milking systems and automated concentrate feeders offer opportunities for more individualized protein nutrition strategies. (35:00–37:57) Amino acid discussions highlight how flexibility challenges the traditional limiting amino acid model. Milk protein synthesis is not consistently limited by one amino acid, and mammary uptake patterns show that amino acids can serve multiple roles beyond direct incorporation into milk protein. Lysine, leucine, and histidine are discussed as examples of amino acids whose responses may vary depending on metabolic context. (41:07–45:25) The group also examines energy source effects on nitrogen partitioning. Lipogenic diets (e.g., supplemental fats) may alter amino acid metabolism differently than glucogenic diets, but more research is needed to fully characterize these interactions. (49:24–53:11) Dr. Räisänen emphasizes the importance of rumen microbial protein synthesis and improving prediction models for digestible amino acid supply. Better understanding and measurement of microbial protein output could significantly improve feed evaluation systems and nitrogen efficiency modeling. (54:04–56:05) Dr. Nichols highlights endogenous nitrogen recycling and urea transport back to the rumen as another underexplored area. Improved mechanistic understanding of recycled nitrogen could refine models of rumen nitrogen balance and reduce overfeeding of dietary protein. (1:00:46) The episode closes with a discussion of cow-to-cow variation in nitrogen efficiency and the potential for individualized feeding strategies to optimize the marginal efficiency of protein use. (1:02:00) Please subscribe and share with your industry friends to invite more people to join us at the Real Science Exchange virtual pub table.   If you want one of our Real Science Exchange t-shirts, screenshot your rating, review, or subscription, and email a picture to anh.marketing@balchem.com. Include your size and mailing address, and we'll mail you a shirt.

In this episode of The Dairy Podcast Show, Samantha Reighard, Dairy Nutrition and Management Consultant at Standard Dairy Consultants, shares how data-driven tools improve cow health, transition management, and feed consistency. She explains how activity monitoring, rumination trends, and proactive nutrition strategies help reduce variation and prevent health issues. Samantha also discusses dry-off management and heat-stress strategies. Listen now on all major platforms!“Data is superior to experience, and decisions should be based on measurable facts rather than assumptions.”Meet the guest: Samantha Reighard earned her B.S. in Animal Science with a minor in Spanish from Iowa State University. She serves as a Dairy Nutrition and Management Consultant at Standard Dairy Consultants, focusing on feed consistency, transition management, herd monitoring, and data-driven decision making. Samantha works closely with producers to improve cow longevity, productivity, and operational efficiency.Liked this one? Don't stop now — Here's what we think you'll love!What you'll learn:(00:00) Highlight(01:26) Introduction(05:50) Data-driven nutrition(10:36) Activity monitoring tools(13:55) Transition cow management(15:26) Dry off strategies(17:41) Heat stress nutrition(25:34) Final QuestionsThe Dairy Podcast Show is trusted and supported by innovative companies like:* CowManager* Evonik* Priority IAC* Agri-Comfort* Jones-Hamilton Co.* Adisseo* Afimilk- Agrarian Solutions- Berg + Schmidt- BoviSync- dsm-firmenich- Protekta- Natural Biologics- AHV- DietForge

Dr. Ricklefs-Johnson talks about bone health and the cardiovascular health benefits of cheese. Calcium, phosphorus, and vitamins D, K, and B12 are all important for bone health, and cheese is a good source of each. In the past, saturated fat in cheese would have been demonized, but research is finding that saturated fat isn't created equally across all food types, and cheese has many unique fatty acids. Cheese consumption is associated with reduced risks of coronary heart disease, cardiovascular disease, and stroke. Cheese contains bioactive peptides that appear to help lower blood pressure. (4:18) The panel discusses the mechanisms of action of cheese consumption on cardiovascular health, how much cheese is recommended daily, and whether different cheeses have different health benefits. Dr. Ricklefs-Johnson explains that the protein in cheese is primarily in the form of casein, rather than whey. Casein had been less utilized as it was thought harder to digest, but more research is showing the benefits of casein in muscle recovery and helping with sleep. (8:27) Research supports that calcium from cow milk sources is more bioavailable compared to supplements or fortified calcium in plant milks. Cheese is also unique as a dairy food that contains vitamin K, which works in conjunction with vitamin D and calcium for maintaining bone mass. (15:07) The panel visits about some of the other presentations at the symposium, including feeding cows to influence vitamin K or fatty acids in the milk and how to get the word out about the health benefits of cheese. (19:16) Panelists share their take-home thoughts. (26:29) Please subscribe and share with your industry friends to invite more people to join us at the Real Science Exchange virtual pub table.   If you want one of our Real Science Exchange t-shirts, screenshot your rating, review, or subscription, and email a picture to anh.marketing@balchem.com. Include your size and mailing address, and we'll mail you a shirt. 

If Glanbia wanted to further increase Optimum Nutrition and ISOPURE brand household penetration, should it focus more on brand marketing or production innovation? Glanbia Plc (LON:GLB) is a multibillion-dollar global nutrition company that's currently comprised of three divisions that span across the B2B supply chain (i.e. Health & Nutrition and Dairy Nutrition) and branded products (Performance Nutrition). “Health & Nutrition” is a leading global ingredients solutions business, providing value added ingredient and flavor solutions to a range of attractive, high-growth end markets. In 2025, revenue was $629 million, which increased by 11.5% YoY. “Dairy Nutrition” is the number one producer of whey protein isolate…and provides a wide range of dairy and functional protein solutions. In 2025, revenue was $1.52 billion, which increased by 2.8%. The brands in the Glanbia Performance Nutrition portfolio include; Optimum Nutrition, BSN, think!, ISOPURE, and Amazing Grass. In 2025, Glanbia Performance Nutrition revenue was $1.8 billion, which decreased 0.9% YoY. Additionally, I'll dive deeper into Glanbia Performance Nutrition geographical, sales channel, product format, and categorial performance. As part of the branded products portfolio part of the group-wide transformation program announced last November, Glanbia completed the sale of SlimFast and Body & Fit. Optimum Nutrition, which was the initial M&A transaction in 2008 that created the GPN division, now represents 75% of the total revenue. In 2025, Optimum Nutrition generated revenue of approximately $1.35 billion. The other largest GPN brand is ISOPURE, which is a premium high-protein, low-carb brand grounded in purity. And I've loudly proclaimed for several years that “ISOPURE had arguably the largest untapped upside of the entire GPN portfolio.” In fact, I've said it had billion-dollar global brand potential. But with the two largest brands within GPN growing in 2025, what must be solved for Optimum Nutrition and ISOPURE to reach their greatest ambition level. Therefore, our examination will focus on household penetration, as it's often used as a key performance indicator that helps quantify brand health and growth opportunities for CPG brands. Essentially, higher household penetration proves velocity, making retailers more likely to stock a brand, thus increasing all commodity volume, while selling more items to these new households increases total distribution points. Moreover, product innovation and brand marketing act as the "fuel" to this “primary growth engine," accelerating the relationship between household penetration, ACV, and TDPs.

Dr. Rico's presentation was titled “Of cows and bugs: Using insects as alternative feeds in dairy cattle nutrition.” He gives an overview of his presentation, noting that while insects are not a major focus of US dairy nutrition, they are of interest in other parts of the world as a protein source to substitute for soybean or fish meal. (2:12)Dr. Dou's talk was “Alternative feed for livestock: Opportunities and challenges to support a circular food system.” She explains that a typical agriculture/food system is linear: take, make, and waste, which generates a lot of food residues. Her research aims to recover and recycle some of the food residues from other industries and evaluate their suitability for livestock feeding. (3:51)Dr. Pinotti's presentation was titled “Alternative foodstuffs in dairy ruminant nutrition: Basic concepts, recent issues, and future challenges.” His research focuses on using “former food” for livestock feeding and feeding insects not only as a protein source but also as a potential mineral source. (5:38)Dr. Pinotti talks about the challenges around variability in alternative feedstuffs. He goes on to describe some of the bakery byproducts he has used in research rations. He calls them fortified versions of cereal. They contain quite a lot of starch and also contain a lot of fat. These ingredients are ideal for young monogastric animals and also have utility in lactating dairy cow diets. The panel discusses the EU animal protein ban and whether similar restrictions exist for animal fats. (10:16)Dr. Rico notes that insects contain between 40 and 70% protein, depending on the type of insect. Crickets, mealworms, and black soldier fly larvae are the most popular. The fly larvae have a higher fat content compared to crickets and are a good energy source for monogastrics like pigs, chickens, or fish. Less is understood about the feeding value of insects in ruminant diets, and Dr. Rico's lab has been conducting experiments to help define this in dairy cattle. He notes the chitin content of insects is a unique challenge due to its indigestibility. It comes out in the NDF fraction in a nutrient analysis, but it is animal fiber, not plant fiber. (21:27)The panel talks about the scalability of insects as a protein source and confirms that the theory that insects are a cheap protein source is different from reality at this time. The group talks about small-scale insect projects at universities and in Africa. (27:17)Dr. Pinotti explains that insects are quite good at accumulating minerals, bad and good. His group conducted an experiment using sodium selenite as the substrate and the insects made selenocysteine and selenomethionine. Future research will include zinc as well as selenium in the substrate, and insects will be fed in an in vivo trial to verify bioavailability. He does not envision issues with chitin interfering with bioavailability since the insects incorporate the minerals into amino acids. (34:27)Dr. Rico talks about the amino acid and fatty acid profiles in insects. Essential amino acid content is relatively similar to other common protein sources. Insects contain higher levels of lauric and myristic acids than other common sources which could pose a challenge for lactation diets. He explains that there is a low-fat source of black soldier fly larvae with around 12% fat, compared to 30% in the full-fat version. The panel talks about variability in protein and fat content by insect type and the substrate the insects were grown on. (37:35)Dr. Dou describes some of her circular feed research using fresh cull fruit (kiwi, citrus, apples; delivered daily) blended into the TMR. Later, she also ensiled the fruit with dry hay in an effort to preserve the fruit before spoilage. Dr. Pinotti notes that he has used cull material from a salad plant as feed as well.  (44:31)Dr. Dou reports that one-third of food produced for human consumption never makes it to the human stomach. Globally, it's estimated that 1.6-1.9 billion tons of food are lost and wasted each year. The panel talks about the biggest challenges keeping us from using more former food products in livestock feeding. (50:54)Panelists share their take-home thoughts. (59:51)Please subscribe and share with your industry friends to invite more people to join us at the Real Science Exchange virtual pub table.

This episode's guests were speakers on a Hot Topic Panel titled “Farm Management for the Future - Managing for Health, Welfare, and Performance” at the 2025 ADSA annual meeting. Dr. Nelson gives some background on how the Hot Topic Panel idea came to be and introduces the rest of the guests. (1:07)Dr. Devries describes his research program in dairy cattle behavior and nutrition, particularly using behavior as a metric for understanding nutrition and housing management and using automated tools. He has particular expertise in automated milking systems. He envisions incremental adoption of various automated tools to replace human labor in the manufacturing of milk. He predicts this will manifest not only in automated or robot systems, but also in increased automation in a traditional parlor system as well. (5:01)Dr. Boerman, a nutritionist, collaborates with Dr. Amy Reibman, an engineer, at Purdue to research the use of video analytics on dairy farms. Projects include video prediction of cow intake and cow body weight combined with milk production information in an effort to make improvements in feed efficiency. She emphasizes that technology needs to be used across a large number of farms without disrupting the farm. The panel talks about what technologies are currently available, challenges in identifying individual cows, and specific issues created for technology in a dairy farm environment. Dr. Boerman notes that a collaborative effort with colleagues of different expertise leads to the most optimal outcomes. (15:42)Dr. Giordano talks about monitoring systems for reproduction, health, and welfare. Wearable sensors are a good example of a technology that can be used to monitor both reproduction and health, as well as aspects of nutritional management. The goal of many research programs in this area is to touch cows as little as possible, yet intervene as early and intensely as possible with cows who truly need intervention. An intervention could be a treatment to ameliorate or reduce clinical signs, or it could be a preventative intervention that prevents the cow from developing a clinical health disorder. More work is needed to refine algorithms and integrate data, as well as distilling the data into what is most valuable to make the best predictions at the most reasonable cost.  (34:08)The panel further discusses the challenges of data integration, adequate internet and power access on farms, human error for manual data entry, and future training challenges for dairy farm and allied industry employees.(38:32)Panelists share their take-home thoughts. (52:26)Please subscribe and share with your industry friends to invite more people to join us at the Real Science Exchange virtual pub table.  If you want one of our Real Science Exchange t-shirts, screenshot your rating, review, or subscription, and email a picture to anh.marketing@balchem.com. Include your size and mailing address, and we'll mail you a shirt.

Genetic resilience and the dynamics of inbreeding and diversity in dairy breeding. Dr. Maltecca (6:43)The main issues in managing genetic diversity in dairy cattle include inbreeding depression and continuing selection without exhausting the available variability in the population. These are difficult to investigate in a breeding population, as there is not a model algorithm where there is the luxury of designing an experiment. Dairy cattle closely resemble one another, so it is difficult to distinguish between the effect of selection from the effect of drift and the effect of deleterious mutation accumulation in the population. Researchers find proxies to estimate inbreeding and inbreeding depression because we don't have good estimates of dominance effects.Identifying genetic diversity within indigenous and highly commercialized breeds for improved performance and future preservation. Dr. Huson (12:24)Dr. Huson covered four steps of thinking about genetic diversity in cattle: characterization of the genetic diversity, biological understanding of why we should preserve diversity, utilizing our understanding of diversity in breeding programs, and preserving and reassessing diversity over time. Harnessing indigenous African breeds for sustainable dairy production: Opportunities for crossbreeding to accelerate genetic improvement. Dr. Mapholi (16:52)Dr. Mapholi emphasized the importance of tick and disease resistance for the sustainability of the African dairy industry. The indigenous African breeds had been overlooked due to small frame size and the perception they were not suitable for commercial farming, but they have excellent tick and disease resistance. Exotic breeds from the US and Europe struggled with the harsh environment. Crossbreeding indigenous and exotic breeds is allowing for simultaneous improvement in milk production and disease resistance. Genomics is particularly helpful to identify the best candidate breeds for crossing.Genomic- versus pedigree-based inbreeding: 2 sides of the same coin. Dr. Macciotta (24:19)It was thought that genomic selection would help in slowing the increase of inbreeding because we were looking at the DNA of the animal, not their pedigree. However, the traditional top animals were the population from which genomic selection began, and genomic selection shortens generation interval, so inbreeding continues to increase at a faster rate. Genomics offer new tools for investigating inbreeding, but there are 10-15 options to calculate inbreeding, all of which could provide a different answer. With pedigree selection, there is only one measurement of inbreeding. We are still investigating the best method for calculating inbreeding using genomic tools.Managing genetic diversity: Strategies for sustainable livestock improvement. Dr. Baes (27:53)Genomic selection has increased the speed at which animals become more related. There are negative implications of inbreeding, but today, the genetic and economic gains achieved through the current intense directional selection still far outweigh the inbreeding issues. No one knows where the edge of the cliff is, however. Dr. Baes envisions an international system one day where academia, AI companies, and producers all work together to understand and manage genetic diversity in livestock.The panelists discuss key takeaways they got from the other speakers' presentations and give perspectives on the topic of genetic diversity for their particular country and field of study. (34:58)Panelists share their take-home thoughts. (46:10)Please subscribe and share with your industry friends to invite more people to join us at the Real Science Exchange virtual pub table.  If you want one of our Real Science Exchange t-shirts, screenshot your rating, review, or subscription, and email a picture to anh.marketing@balchem.com. Include your size and mailing address, and we'll mail you a shirt.

Host Scott Sorrell begins the episode by setting expectations for a science-first conversation on chelated trace minerals, noting panelist affiliations while emphasizing that the discussion is grounded in research, not promotion. Stephen Ashmead, Senior Fellow for Chelates with Balchem, shares the origins of chelated mineral technology through Albion Laboratories, founded in 1956 by his grandfather, Harvey Ashmead, after recognizing challenges with mineral absorption. The conversation also introduces Dr. Bill Weiss of The Ohio State University and co-host Dr. Maria Spinola, who brings both veterinary and applied nutrition perspectives to the discussion. (00:08)The panel explains chelated minerals from a chemistry standpoint, describing how organic ligands form stable ring structures around trace minerals, helping protect them from antagonists in feed and water. The discussion also extends beyond dairy into human nutrition, including examples such as magnesium and iron, highlighting how mineral interactions affect absorption across species. (09:20)Dr. Weiss and Dr. Spinola discuss emerging research showing that mineral sources can influence rumen and intestinal microbial populations. The group also explores how inorganic minerals can accelerate the degradation of vitamins A and E in premixes, particularly over time and under heat, whereas organic minerals are largely inert and help preserve vitamin potency. (14:20)The panel acknowledges the difficulty of trace mineral research due to limited biomarkers and subtle performance responses. They emphasize the importance of using averages for forage mineral contributions rather than relying on single samples, and caution against assuming zero mineral supply from forages. (25:00)A candid discussion centers on over-supplementation, with consensus that many diets exceed trace mineral requirements, particularly for copper and vitamins. Dr. Weiss explains the difference between requirements and recommendations, noting that modest safety margins are justified to account for biological variability, but feeding two to three times the requirements increases cost and risk without clear benefit. (37:57)The episode concludes with a warning against “too-good-to-be-true” organic mineral products, explaining why unusually high metal percentages often indicate inferior chemistry. The panelists emphasize that mineral quality, ligand structure and supplier credibility are important in the long term. The panel's final takeaways reinforce feeding minerals thoughtfully, enough to meet needs, but not in excess. Lastly, you need to consider the microbiome effects, vitamin stability and consistency in delivery when feeding these mineral products. (49:41)

Greg Nye introduces himself and Mountain View Dairy, where he manages three facilities and associated farm ground. He outlines the design and construction timeline of their fully enclosed feed center and shares the three primary benefits behind the project: reduced shrinkage, improved ration consistency, and enhanced employee safety. (1:41)Greg explains how external receiving and intentionally separated traffic flows eliminate cross-traffic between loaders and delivery trucks, which significantly improves safety and efficiency. The group discusses early design considerations, lessons learned from other operations, and how “R&D” (rob and duplicate) helped shape the final layout of the facility. (2:32)Scott and Walt introduce footage showing how feeds are received, stored, and staged. Greg walks through the grain elevator, unloading, conveyor systems, bay storage, and handling efficiencies that minimize ingredient touches. (5:03)Greg explains how strategic ingredient placement and facility layout shorten cycle time for high-use ingredients while maintaining flexibility for premixes and specialty feeds. He then goes into inventory management strategies, including rotating bins, tracking shrinkage, and maintaining ingredient freshness. (6:32)The conversation shifts to dust control and shrink reduction, highlighting the enclosed facility design and the use of an industrial baghouse system to recapture nutrients. Feed processing is simplified by reducing complex operations to just a few controls. Greg highlights the impact of reducing corn handling to a single touch and how it accelerated ROI.  (8:28)Finally, Greg discusses ration delivery innovations, including feed staging on conveyors and a custom delivery box that allows multiple loads to be staged and delivered efficiently. He shares how learning from other operations and refining those ideas to fit their scale and how it played a critical role in designing a system that maximizes efficiency without sacrificing flexibility. (15:08)As we look ahead, join us for the next Real Producers Exchange on Tuesday, February 17, 2026, featuring Skylar Gerke, an Arizona dairyman with Midwestern roots. Skylar brings a unique perspective on what it's like to transition from Midwest dairying to operating in the West. Registration is now open at balchem.com/real-science or agproud.com/real-producer. And as always, thank you to Walt for riding shotgun once again, and to our loyal listeners—thanks for being part of the journey. (20:39)

In this episode of the Real Science Exchange – Dairy Producer Edition, hosts Scott Sorrell, Balchem and Walt Cooley, Progressive Dairy Magazine, recap a recent Real Producer Exchange webinar featuring Rob and Adrian Diepersloot of Wolf Creek Dairy and WonderCow Nutrition. Rob and Adrian share their family's journey, from Dutch immigrant roots to managing large-scale dairy operations in California and Colorado, and discuss how communication, leadership structure and disciplined decision-making have helped them successfully scale their operation. The conversation also dives into lessons learned from facility design, sustainability initiatives and the launch of a consumer colostrum brand rooted in dairy science. Rob and Adrian introduce themselves and share their family's immigration story and early dairy roots in California, including how prior generations entered the U.S. dairy industry. (1:01) The Diepersloot's tell the story growth on their dairy operations, including expansion in California, the decision to diversify geographically and the opportunity that led them to build Wolf Creek Dairy in Colorado in 2017. (1:29) Rob and Adrian describe how they build and empower a strong leadership team, emphasizing the importance of hiring the right people, expecting managers to think like owners, and conducting efficient and candid meetings that focus on the entire business. (6:25) The conversation shifts to facility design and operational successes in Colorado, including no-headlock systems, sort gates, feed efficiency improvements, and later adopted in California. (9:59) Sustainability initiatives are explored, including methane digesters, power generation, manure management and solar energy projects, with a comparison of approaches between California and Colorado. (11:10) Rob and Adrian share lessons learned from technology challenges, including manure handling systems, activity collars, and feeding infrastructure, and how those experiences shaped future decisions. (15:46) The discussion turns to the origin of WonderCow Nutrition, detailing how academic research on colostrum and personal family experiences led to the launch of a consumer colostrum brand in 2023. (17:47) Rob explains WonderCow's calf-first sourcing commitment, how colostrum is collected responsibly, and what differentiates whole colostrum products from skim-based alternatives. (20:19) The episode concludes with a preview of the exclusive “Back 30” live Q&A, available only to live webinar attendees, and a reminder of upcoming Real Producer Exchange events including the next one on February 17 with Skylar Gericke out of Arizona which will focus on reproduction success and heat stress. (23:23)

In this solo episode of The Moos Room, Brad dives into a deep, honest look at production challenges in the University of Minnesota dairy herd and the nutrition and management factors that may be holding cows back. After noticing low udder fill during classification and reviewing herd data, Brad confirms a troubling trend: cows across all lactations are producing 20–30% less milk than predicted. Early-lactation health issues—ketosis, metritis, and retained placentas—are also more common than they should be, especially in first-lactation animals.A recent visit from an outside nutrition team helped uncover several key issues contributing to poor performance. Brad walks listeners through what those “fresh eyes” found across young stock, calves, dry cows, and both the organic and conventional lactating herds. From overconditioned heifers to transition problems at weaning, ration inconsistencies, possible ingredient imbalances, and major concerns with hammer-mill screen size causing undigested corn to pass straight through cows—each discovery points to opportunities for improvement.The conversation also highlights the importance of forage management, including the need for a silage facer, better bunk management, and a long-overdue TMR audit to evaluate mixing order, load prep, refusals, shrink, and ration consistency.Throughout the episode, Brad emphasizes transparency and the value of bringing in additional perspectives. Even well-managed dairies can develop blind spots, and small issues add up fast when milk is left on the table. He outlines the farm's next steps and promises future updates as changes are implemented.If you're interested in nutrition, transition cow health, TMR audits, or practical herd-level troubleshooting, this episode is a real-world case study in identifying problems and planning for better performance.Questions, comments, scathing rebuttals? -> themoosroom@umn.edu or call 612-624-3610 and leave us a message!Linkedin -> The Moos RoomTwitter -> @UMNmoosroom and @UMNFarmSafetyFacebook -> @UMNDairyYouTube -> UMN Beef and Dairy and UMN Farm Safety and HealthInstagram -> @UMNWCROCDairyExtension WebsiteAgriAmerica Podcast Directory 

In midlife, I see TONS of women who are “doing all the right things”—eating clean, exercising harder, even restricting more—yet still are seeing the scale creep up. That's why I've invited Sarah Kennedy on the podcast, who's the founder and CEO of Calocurb– a natural, non-prescription hunger control treatment option.  We're unpacking why hunger can feel louder and more relentless than ever for women in midlife. Sarah breaks down how shifting hormones, chronic stress, poor sleep, and dwindling bandwidth all fuel food noise, cravings, and that constant tug-of-war with your appetite.  You'll learn why willpower is not the problem—and why your biology deserves more compassion… not more restriction.  Most importantly, Sarah shares practical, science-backed ways to calm midlife cravings and support your changing metabolism with more ease. Tune in here and finally make a change that shows you results!  Sarah Kennedy Sarah Kennedy is the founder and CEO of Calocurb, a revolutionary weight-management product based in New Zealand. Calocurb now sells in five international markets and continues to grow rapidly. Sarah, formerly with Fonterra, held senior roles including Vice President International Farming in China and Managing Director of Dairy Nutrition and RD1 retail stores. Prior to joining Fonterra, she spent over 20 years in dietary and animal nutrition. A veterinarian by training, Sarah completed the Sloan Fellowship in Global Leadership and Innovation at MIT. IN THIS EPISODE How Calocurb can help curb your hunger, especially in midlife The physiology behind midlife hunger changes  How Calocurb works and why it's different than synthetic GLP-1s  The benefits of taking Calocurb in midlife  Taking Calocurb safely alongside HRT and other supplements   Dose timing and the best way to take Calocurb for results  Fitting Calocurb into a broader wellness routine for women  Get started with Calocurb with a 10% discount!  QUOTES “When you reduce your calories by 25%, your hunger actually doubles over four months. So the brain is telling you to go out and look for food, and your body thinks you are going into a famine. So it's upping and upping and upping… this is why 99% of diets fail.” “I've been on it 6-7 years now. I don't take it twice a day, only take it once. But I can honestly say to you, I'm at peace with food… I think many, many people will find that.” “This has been revolutionary in the fact that we now understand what is happening in our body and what is driving this hunger and craving.” RESOURCES MENTIONED Calocurb: USE CODE DRMARIZA for 10% off your purchase! https://www.calocurb.com/drmarizasnyder Order my new book: The Perimenopause Revolution https://peri-revolution.com/ Use code ENERGIZED and get 10% off on your MitoQ order https://www.anrdoezrs.net/click-101585564-17091761 Calcurb on Facebook Calocurb on Instagram RELATED EPISODES  #621: The Truth About Metabolic Health, Hormones and GLP-1s with Tyna Moore #558: The Science Behind Ozempic and Important Facts About GLP-1 Agonists + Hormone Replacement For Women 40+ with Dr. Tyna Moore #613: Effective Tools for Curbing Your Appetite in Midlife and Optimizing Your Blood Sugar with Nagina Sethi Abdullah #601: The Food You Eat Will Impact Your Menopause Journey + Foods to Ease Menopause and Promote Longevity with Dr. Federica Amati 696: Why Diets Stop Working in Midlife—and What Actually Helps Instead with Lara Frendjian

What happens when cutting-edge farming meets culinary creativity? You get food that's better for our health, our taste buds, and the planet. In this episode of Dietitian to Dietitian, Joy Bauer of NBC's Today Show along with Abbey Copenhaver, MS, RDN, CDN and dietitian & chef Cindy Kleckner, RD, LD, FAND will pull back the curtain on the future of food. From regenerative farming practices that boost nutrient density, to kitchen innovations that turn dairy into crave-worthy functional dishes, you'll see how sustainability and science are reshaping what lands on our plates. In this episode, we discuss: Learn how modern dairy farming is changing how dairy foods get from a farm to your fridge and how that impacts nutrition. Get fresh ideas for bringing flavor + function together in meals your patients will actually crave. Walk away with practical knowledge you can share with clients who are curious about sustainability, nutrient quality, and the future of food. Hosted by Joy Bauer Click here for the shownotes. The content, products and/or services referred to in this podcast are intended for Health Care Professionals only and are not, and are not intended to be, medical advice, which should be tailored to your individual circumstances. The content is for your information only, and we advise that you exercise your own judgement before deciding to use the information provided. Professional medical advice should be obtained before taking action. The reference to particular products and/or services in this episode does not constitute any form of endorsement. Please see here for terms and conditions.

Public Company CEO Rule 1 - "When all else fails…just mention AI." Glanbia Plc (LON:GLB) is a multibillion-dollar global nutrition company that's currently comprised of three divisions that span across the B2B supply chain (i.e. Health & Nutrition and Dairy Nutrition) and branded products (Performance Nutrition). “Health & Nutrition” is a leading global ingredients solutions business, providing value added ingredient and flavor solutions to a range of attractive, high-growth end markets. In the first nine months of 2025, revenue increased by 11.5% YoY. “Dairy Nutrition” is the number one producer of American-style cheddar cheese in the U.S. market, but more importantly (for my audience) the number one producer of whey protein isolate…and provides a wide range of dairy and functional protein solutions. In the first nine months of 2025, revenue increased by 3.2%. The brands in the Glanbia Performance Nutrition portfolio include; Optimum Nutrition, BSN, think!, Isopure, and Amazing Grass. Glanbia Performance Nutrition had first nine months of 2025 revenue that declined by 2.6% YoY. Additionally, I'll dive deeper into Glanbia Performance Nutrition geographical, sales channel, product format, and categorial performance. As part of the branded products portfolio part of the group-wide transformation program announced last November, Glanbia completed the sale of SlimFast and Body & Fit. In total, those divestures generated only around $63 million…which is a far cry from the almost $400 million paid for both assets less than a decade ago. Optimum Nutrition, which was the initial M&A transaction in 2008 that created the GPN division, now represents 68% of the total revenue. In the last year, Optimum Nutrition generated revenue of approximately $1.2 billion. The other largest share of GPN revenue is the healthy lifestyle brand portfolio makes up 19% and includes ISOPURE, think!, and Amazing Grass. And these healthy lifestyle brands has collectively performed relatively strong over the last several years, with like-for-like revenue increasing 2.6% YoY in the first nine months of 2025. Moreover, in terms of U.S. market tracked channels retail consumption growth…the healthy lifestyle brand portfolio was up 6.8%. And for the final portion of my latest first principles thinking content, I'll focus on the recent AI chatbot launch by Optimum Nutrition. While this is hardly “AI washing,” the current iteration of "Coach Optimum” is also not even worth mentioning on quarterly earnings calls. This isn't to nitpick Glanbia (because it really wasn't mentioned in any kind of predominant manner) but before parading around “Coach Optimum” again…maybe leadership should deepen its understanding of strategic flywheels from powerful predictive health platforms like Hims & Hers.

Probiotics are live microorganisms that, when fed in a known or adequate amount, can serve benefit to the host. While no feed additive will replace good management, probiotics can be a great addition to a dairy producer's toolbox. Ryan Royer, a Veterinarian and Technical Services Manager at Novonesis, tells us why they subscribe to feeding every animal probiotics, everyday.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Are your food cravings stronger in perimenopause or menopause? You're not imagining it! Hormones like GLP-1 play a big role in appetite, metabolism, and even mood. In this episode, I sit down with Sarah Kennedy, Founder and CEO of Calocurb, to talk about how a natural GLP-1 activator made from a completely natural extract helps reset satiety hormones, reduce cravings, and support healthy weight management…without drugs or injections. We cover: What GLP-1 is and how it changes during perimenopause Why Ozempic and Wegovy are everywhere,  and what's happening in New Zealand How a completely natural extract, activates GLP-1 naturally The difference between synthetic drugs and natural GLP-1 activators Sarah Kennedy is the Founder and CEO of Calocurb Ltd, the company behind a revolutionary natural GLP-1 activator that helps manage appetite and cravings. Calocurb was born from over 15 years and $30 million of New Zealand Government–backed science and is now sold in five international markets. Before Calocurb, Sarah was a senior executive at Fonterra, serving as Vice President of International Farming in China, Managing Director of Dairy Nutrition, and Managing Director of RD1-Fonterra's chain of rural retail stores. Earlier, she led Healtheries/Vitaco NZ Ltd, tripling company revenue and steering the merger that created Australasia's third-largest health and wellbeing brand. A veterinarian by training, Sarah also holds an MIT Sloan Fellowship in Global Leadership and Innovation, and has served on multiple boards spanning government, philanthropic, and private sectors.   10% off with code ZORA at https://www.calocurb.com/zora 30 Day money back guarantee! Contact Sarah Kennedy Email: hello@calocurb.com  Website: https://calocurb.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/calocurb /  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/calocurbGLOBAL   Give thanks to our sponsors: Try Vitali skincare. 20% off with code ZORA here https://vitaliskincare.com Get Primeadine spermidine by Oxford Healthspan. 15% discount with code ZORA ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Get Mitopure Urolithin A by Timeline. 20% discount with code ZORA at https://timeline.com/zora Try Suji to improve muscle 10% off with code ZORA at TrySuji.com https://trysuji.com Try OneSkin skincare with code ZORA for 15% off  Join ⁠⁠⁠Biohacking Menopause⁠⁠⁠ before November 1, 2025 to win a Theranordic's Daily Healthy Fiber and Optimized Enzymes. Or 10% off at thearnordic.com with code ZORA   Join the Hack My Age community on: YouTube: https://youtube.com/@hackmyage Facebook Page: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@⁠Hack My Age⁠     Facebook Group: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@⁠Biohacking Menopause⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠  https://www.facebook.com/groups/biohackingwomen50 Private Women's Only Support Group: https://hackmyage.com/biohacking-menopause-membership/ Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@⁠HackMyAge⁠    Website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠HackMyAge.com⁠   

In this episode of The Dairy Nutrition Blackbelt Podcast, Richard Breunig, founder and owner of Priority IAC, shares his innovative perspective on integrating microbiology with dairy cattle nutrition. He discusses the role of specific bacterial strains in rumen fermentation, why acidosis should be addressed through microbial balance, and how rethinking common practices like negative DCAD and sodium bicarbonate can improve herd performance. Listen now on all major platforms!"Microbiology comes first, and nutrition follows; the organisms must be in place before anything else can work."Meet the guest: Richard Breunig, founder, president, and owner of Priority IAC, began his career on a Wisconsin dairy farm, gaining hands-on experience that shaped his focus on microbiology and nutrition. With a background in herd development and microbial application, Richard now leads innovations that improve dairy cattle health through specific bacterial strains.Liked this one? Don't stop now — Here's what we think you'll love!What will you learn: (00:00) Highlight(01:25) Introduction(01:05) Guest background(04:49) Microbiology X nutrition(09:21) Rethinking sodium bicarbonate(10:05) Rethinking DCAD(11:50) Microbial balance matters(19:25) Closing thoughtsThe Dairy Nutrition Blackbelt Podcast is trusted and supported by the innovative companies:* Priority IAC* Afimilk* Adisseo* Kemin- Zinpro- Virtus Nutrition

This episode was recorded in Fort Wayne, Indiana, during the 2025 Tri-State Dairy Conference.Dr. Jaborek gives an overview of his presentation including sire selection, how beef on dairy crosses compare, feedlot performance, liver abscesses and red meat yield. (6:21)Beef sire availability and quality have changed over time with the development of selection indexes and selection criteria. Calving ease, growth, ribeye area,and quality grade are important traits. (10:03)The panel discusses if milk replacer feeding protocols differ for beef on dairy calves. More research in this area is needed. The group then talks about liver abscesses, including etiology, prevalence, and animal welfare and performance impacts. Dr. Jaborek notes calves with liver abscesses gain about 0.2 pounds per day less, on average. The panel believes understanding the impacts of diet differences (beef calves vs. the dairy model) in early life on rumen development would be a fruitful area of research.  (16:00)Dr. Jaborek talks about some of the differences in growth and performance among beef calves raised on their dam, beef embryos from Holstein recips raised in the dairy system, and beef-sired calves from Holstein and Jersey dams raised in the dairy system. The panel talks about why beef calves in the beef system are outperforming those raised in the dairy system, including milk composition differences between beef and dairy cows and milk quantity and availability. Free-choice robot milk replacer feeding systems might better mimic the beef system environment. (26:21)The panel then explores how beef on dairy calves are fed post-weaning. Dr. Jaborek notes they generally continue to be fed a high concentrate diet which may contribute to the liver abscess and digestive issues given the long timeframe of exposure to concentrates. The panel ponders if backgrounding calves on pasture for some length of time after weaning would be beneficial. The group also delves into how maintenance requirements might differ for beef on dairy crosses and if feedlot nutritionists are making adjustments for these calves. (30:45)Given the price of beef calves, would it be more profitable to put beef embryos into dairy cows instead of using beef semen to create a beef-dairy crossbred? Matt then asks if any dairy producers are retaining ownership of these calves past 1-3 days of age. The panel discusses risks and rewards of both questions. (34:29)The panel talks about corn processing and potential impacts on rumen health and liver abscesses. Dr. Jaborek cites a study where feeding more fiber in the form of corn silage did not increase cost of gain, but improved liver abscess reduction by 30 percentage points. (38:47)Dr. Jaborek talks about yield and quality differences in dairy-influenced carcasses and talks about his top priorities for research in the beef on dairy sector moving forward. (42:21)Panelists share their take-home thoughts. (46:26)Please subscribe and share with your industry friends to invite more people to join us at the Real Science Exchange virtual pub table.  If you want one of our Real Science Exchange t-shirts, screenshot your rating, review, or subscription, and email a picture to anh.marketing@balchem.com. Include your size and mailing address, and we'll mail you a shirt. 

In this episode, Brad dives into the growing interest in milk fatty acid profiles and what they can tell us about cow health, nutrition, and management.Brad explains the three main groups of milk fatty acids—de novo, mixed, and preformed—and how they are shaped by diet, stage of lactation, seasonality, and even genetics. He highlights how monitoring these fatty acid trends through routine milk testing can help farmers fine-tune rations, detect health challenges like subclinical ketosis or mastitis, and make more informed feeding decisions.Brad also shares findings from two recent University of Minnesota research projects:Commercial herd study: Comparing Holsteins and crossbreds, as well as feeding strategies (higher starch diets vs. fat supplementation). Results showed small but meaningful differences in fatty acid profiles, with crossbreds showing slightly healthier rumen indicators.University herd study: Comparing organic pasture-based cows to conventional TMR-fed cows, and looking at breed influences (Holsteins, Viking Reds, Jerseys, and Normandy crosses). Pasture cows had higher preformed fatty acids, while Jerseys and Normandy crosses stood out for more favorable fatty acid compositions.The takeaway: fatty acid testing is a valuable management tool for nutrition, genetics, and herd health monitoring—and could even open new opportunities for niche milk markets.Questions, comments, scathing rebuttals? -> themoosroom@umn.edu or call 612-624-3610 and leave us a message!Linkedin -> The Moos RoomTwitter -> @UMNmoosroom and @UMNFarmSafetyFacebook -> @UMNDairyYouTube -> UMN Beef and Dairy and UMN Farm Safety and HealthInstagram -> @UMNWCROCDairyExtension WebsiteAgriAmerica Podcast Directory 

Dr. Hristov gave a webinar titled “Histidine: a limiting amino acid for dairy cows” on March 4, 2025, and joins the podcast in this episode for a deeper dive into the topic. Panelists introduce themselves and give some background on their interest in histidine (00:52)Dr. Hristov gives an overview of his webinar presentation, touching on some of the first research projects that showed lower protein diets resulted in no change in plasma methionine, but a decrease in plasma histidine. When dietary protein decreases, the cow relies more on microbial protein to meet her needs. Histidine content is about 20% less than methionine content in microbial protein. He also notes there are some short-term reserves of histidine in the body, so short-term studies may not show a histidine deficiency when indeed there is one. (7:08)Matt gives some perspective as a consulting nutritionist about the importance of histidine in diet formulation for his clientele. He agrees with Dr. Hristov about the higher requirement for histidine compared to methionine, and he generally formulates diets with 1.1 times more histidine than methionine. (12:38)The panelists share their experiences with the responses observed from providing additional histidine to lactating cows, including milk and component yields and changes in dry matter intake and body condition. They also talk about how muscle loss can mask a histidine deficiency in the short term. (15:43)The panelists discuss the challenges in determining histidine requirements and finding reliable sources of highly bioavailable histidine. (24:04)Why is rumen-protected histidine not commercially available? Clay explains it is due to the high cost of histidine. There are no feed-grade sources, and using human-grade sources is cost-prohibitive. Dr. Hristov notes swine nutritionists are starting to pay more attention to histidine, which might bring the cost down if demand increases. Matt notes aquaculture is also interested in histidine. (33:58)Matt comments that increasing fat content can be problematic for cheese plants. He sees increasing milk protein yield may be the next frontier of dairy nutrition and histidine might play an important role. The panel discusses the role milk pricing has played in the increased fat content. (37:32)The panel discusses what other amino acids might be important in dairy nutrition as research continues. They also touch on methane mitigation and reducing methane intensity per unit of milk. (43:45)Panelists share their take-home thoughts. (54:31)View Dr. Hristov's webinar on this subject by visiting https://balchem.com/anh/podcasts-webinars/histidine-a-limiting-amino-acid-for-dairy-cows-2/Please subscribe and share with your industry friends to invite more people to join us at the Real Science Exchange virtual pub table.  If you want one of our Real Science Exchange t-shirts, screenshot your rating, review, or subscription, and email a picture to anh.marketing@balchem.com. Include your size and mailing address, and we'll mail you a shirt.

In this special rerun episode of The Dairy Nutrition Blackbelt Podcast, Dr. Kirby Krogstad, from The Ohio State University, examines the role of niacin in dairy cow health and performance. Highlighting niacin's impact on immune regulation, rumen functionality, and lactation outcomes, Dr. Krogstad unpacks recent research findings and their practical applications in dairy nutrition. Listen now on all major platforms!"When we provided niacin to those cows, the acute phase proteins that would suggest a general systemic inflammation were blunted by about 30%."Meet the guest: Dr. Kirby Krogstad is an Assistant Professor of Dairy Nutrition and Health at The Ohio State University, where his research and extension mission is to improve dairy cow health, welfare, and longevity through nutrition. With a Ph.D. in Animal Science from Michigan State University and a Master's in Ruminant Nutrition from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Dr. Krogstad focuses on optimizing dairy nutrition to enhance sustainability and herd performance. Click here to read the full research article!Liked this one? Don't stop now — Here's what we think you'll love!What will you learn: (00:00) Highlight(01:41) Introduction(02:55) Niacin's & metabolism(03:46) Rumen protection(04:47) Immune function(08:03) Lactation performance(09:09) Niacin supplementation(10:46) Closing thoughtsThe Dairy Nutrition Blackbelt Podcast is trusted and supported by the innovative companies:* Priority IAC* Kemin* Afimilk* Adisseo- Zinpro- Virtus Nutrition

Watch the BUCS pilot results video here  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3lEQ3ELF9Bg  Please note: The information provided during this podcast has been prepared for general informational purposes only and does not constitute advice. The information must not be relied upon for any purpose and no representation or warranty is given as to its accuracy, completeness or otherwise. Any reference to other organisations, businesses or products during the podcast are not endorsements or recommendations of Dairy Consulting Ltd or its affiliated companies. The views of the presenter are personal and may not be the views of Dairy Consulting Ltd. The contents of this podcast are the copyright of Dairy Consulting Ltd.

The brand portfolio of Glanbia Performance Nutrition is the definition of a beige flag...not offensive, but not particularly inspiring or exciting either! Glanbia Plc (LON:GLB) is a multibillion-dollar global nutrition company that's currently comprised of three divisions that span across the B2B supply chain (i.e. Health & Nutrition and Dairy Nutrition) and branded products (Performance Nutrition). “Health & Nutrition” is a leading global ingredients solutions business, providing value added ingredient and flavor solutions to a range of attractive, high-growth end markets. In the first half of 2025, revenue increased by 18% YoY. Also, Glanbia announced the acquisition of Sweetmix, a Brazil-based nutritional premix and ingredients solutions business that will reportedly enable the Health & Nutrition segment to continue its Latin America expansion. “Dairy Nutrition” is the number one producer of American-style cheddar cheese in the U.S. market, but more importantly (for my audience) the number one producer of whey protein isolate…and provides a wide range of dairy and functional protein solutions. In the first half of 2025, revenue increased by 14.1%. The brands in the Glanbia Performance Nutrition portfolio include; Optimum Nutrition, BSN, think!, Isopure, Amazing Grass, and SlimFast. Glanbia Performance Nutrition had first half 2025 revenue that declined by 3.8% YoY, driven by a volume decrease of 3.5% and a price decrease of 0.3%. Additionally, I'll dive deeper into Glanbia Performance Nutrition geographical, sales channel, product format, and categorial performance. As part of the branded products portfolio part of the group-wide transformation program announced last November, Glanbia had begun the sale process on the weight management brand SlimFast (that was acquired for $350 million in 2018) and announced it signed an agreement for the sale of Body & Fit (that was acquired in 2017). So, if negative impact from non-core brands were excluded from the first half performance, GPN revenue would have only declined 1.5% YoY. Optimum Nutrition, which was the initial M&A transaction in 2008 that created the GPN division, now represents 67% of the total revenue. In the last year, Optimum Nutrition generated revenue of approximately $1.2 billion. The other largest share of GPN revenue is the healthy lifestyle brand portfolio makes up 19% and includes ISOPURE, think!, and Amazing Grass. While these healthy lifestyle portfolio brands have collectively performed relatively strong over the last several years, revenue was only up 0.6% YoY in the first half of 2025. And for the final portion of my latest first principles thinking content, I'll focus my “beige flag” assessment by examining GPN revenue by product format...and discuss the new ISOPURE protein water, think! crispy squares, and several new powdered supplement innovations like Optimum Nutrition creatine plus. I'll end with a discussion around what should be the strategic "north star" for Glanbia Performance Nutrition.

Ag Meteorologist Stu Muck gives an update on some rain amounts where in certain areas accumulated over an inch and says we are looking at clear skies for the State Fair. Even though she’s gone this week the Fabulous Farm Babe didn’t forget about us, Pam Jahnke talks with DATCP secretary Randy Romanski on the recently announced Governors budget from the agency’s perspective. With it being the first day of the State Fair it is the perfect time to learn what to know before attending. Kiley Alan has a chat with Tess Kerksen the State Fair Director of Marketing and Communications to tell you everything you need to know before you go. Ben Jarboe has a conversation with Dr. Luiz Ferraretto, an Extension Specialist in Dairy Nutrition, taking a look into some feed considerations for lactating cows. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode of The Dairy Podcast Show, Dr. Vern Osborne from the University of Guelph explores the critical yet often overlooked role of water in dairy herd health and performance. From nutrient supplementation through water to improving water quality and facility design, Dr. Osborne offers practical advice for optimizing dairy operations. Tune in now on all major platforms!"Cows are incredibly sensitive to water quality, detecting elements at parts-per-million levels."Meet the guest: Dr. Vern Osborne is a Professor Emeritus in the Department of Animal Biosciences at the University of Guelph. He holds both an MSc and PhD from the University of Guelph and is internationally recognized for his expertise in dairy nutrition and facility design. With a career spanning over 36 years, Dr. Osborne's research focuses on optimizing water nutrition and developing innovative feeding strategies to enhance dairy cow productivity.  He also serves as the Science and Design Lead for the Mission 2050 project, which reimagines modern livestock research facilities.Liked this one? Don't stop now — Here's what we think you'll love!What you'll learn:(00:00) Highlight(01:24) Introduction(05:45) Water as a nutrient(06:40) Transition cow feeding(10:59) Optimizing water quality(17:51) Designing dairy facilities(21:21) Nutrient delivery systems(26:24) Final three questionsThe Dairy Podcast Show is trusted and supported by innovative companies like:* Evonik* Adisseo* Lallemand* Priority IAC- dsm-firmenich- ICC- AHV- Protekta- Natural Biologics- SmaXtec- Berg + Schmidt

Welcome to BCI Cattle Chat! In this week's episode of Cattle Chat, the team answers your listener questions. starting with a question on calf nutrition. Next, Bob Larson answers a question about sexed semen and free martins. Finally Scott Fritz answers a question on pond scum. 4:02 Beef-on-Dairy Nutrition 13:36 Sexed Semen Free Martin 18:08… Continue reading Beef-on-Dairy, Free Martin, Spring Pond Death

In this episode of the Uplevel Dairy Podcast, Peggy sits down with Doug DeGroff, a seasoned dairy professional who brings the rare perspective of having lived and worked in three of the most prominent dairy regions in the U.S.—New York, Wisconsin, and California. Doug shares his expansive career in the dairy industry, from milking cows on one of New York's most progressive dairies, managing a dairy in Wisconsin, to settling in California's Central Valley.Now with Progressive Dairy Solutions, Doug recounts his growth in the industry, his role as a mentor, and the resilience it took to overcome life-threatening accidents, including being buried under 20 tons of silage.Doug also discusses the evolution of large-scale dairies, advancements in genetics and technology, and the importance of family and gratitude. This episode highlights Doug's journey through grit, growth, and a drive to improve both the dairy industry and his personal life.This Episode is Brought to you by Milc GroupMilc Group is a dairy software company that brings real-time, actionable data to dairy farms across the world. They are dedicated to revolutionizing the dairy industry with their user-friendly cloud-based software. ONE™ by Milc Group is our all-in-one app that brings together all the important aspects of your dairy together in one place. With products such as feed and animal management software, people training, dairy facility monitoring, and scale management, Milc Group is committed to providing producers with the tools they need to succeed.ONETM Feed: https://www.milcgroup.com/product/feedONETM Scale: https://www.milcgroup.com/product/scale00:00 Introduction to Doug DeGroff's Dairy Journey02:06 Early Life and Career Beginnings03:37 Transition to California05:25 Experiences in Dairy Management13:38 Nutrition Consultancy and Feeder Training19:05 Silage Avalanche Survivor22:03 The Significance of Back Braces23:42 Impact of the First Injury24:57 The Second Injury and Recovery27:24 Lessons from Adversity30:49 Technological Advancements in Dairying35:13 Future of the Dairy Industry40:50 Personal Reflections and Career Motivation42:51 Conclusion and Final Thoughts

This episode was recorded in Reno, Nevada, during the 2025 Western Dairy Management Conference. The panel is reviewing a presentation given by Dr. Rick Grant, who was unable to be on the podcast. The presentation was based on the idea that crowding is a subclinical presence. If you manage it with people and resources, a dairy can do very well. But if something happens in that crowded situation, like a disease or heat stress, it can tip performance over the edge. Evaluating time budgets for cows can allow for the identification of places to improve. Beds are vitally important. If a cow doesn't have a bed due to crowding then she's not lying down, chewing her cud, which is what allows her to be as efficient as possible. (3:19)Jason thinks about time budgets as a tool for managing stress. Jim agrees and notes that crowding is part of every cow's day, but we can manage to minimize that time in most instances. Jason and Jim talk about some of their approaches to evaluating crowding when they work with a dairy, and where pain points are often located. (5:57)Jason liked Dr. Grant's takeaway message that the cow doesn't necessarily care she's overcrowded as long as she has a bed she doesn't have to fight for and room at the feed bunk she doesn't have to fight for. He describes a very successful client who is overcrowded, but everything else is managed well. All other stressors have been removed, so the only stressor remaining is the overcrowding. But when additional stressors compound crowding, then dairies experience issues. He adds there is a huge opportunity for error when feeding to slick bunks in an overcrowding situation. (16:15)Jim talks about different measures of efficiency. Is it milk per cow, milk per free stall, milk per parlor stall, or milk per pen? He thinks the real answer is “it depends,” and the answer might be different for each dairy. Jason notes that the bank wants to see assets on a balance sheet, and the cows are the assets. (19:24)The group discusses geographical differences in overcrowding. Jim's observations show crowding increases as one moves east in the US. Tom agrees and notes 20-30% of the available stalls are in his part of the world. Overcrowded cows eat faster, and this impacts rumen efficiency, probably leading to lower de novo fatty acid synthesis and overall lower components. The panel talks about whether or not there is such a thing as an “overcrowding ration.”(20:59)The panel relays some real-world examples of crowding where dairies would cull cows to decrease milk production, but production would remain the same because the cows were now less crowded. They talk more about other management strategies that need to be on point if a dairy is going to overcrowd. (27:50)The panel wraps up with their take-home thoughts for dairy producers and nutritionists. Jim and Jason share their contact information with the audience. (38:20)Scott invites the audience to Bourbon and Brainiacs at ADSA in Louisville - a bourbon tasting with all your favorite professors! Sign up here: https://balchem.com/anh/bourbon/ (45:02)The paper referenced in this conversation from Dr. Bach can be found here: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0022030208711226Please subscribe and share with your industry friends to invite more people to join us at the Real Science Exchange virtual pub table.  If you want one of our Real Science Exchange t-shirts, screenshot your rating, review, or subscription, and email a picture to anh.marketing@balchem.com. Include your size and mailing address, and we'll mail you a shirt

Dear Glanbia board of directors…don't be afraid to give up what's good for what's great! Glanbia Plc (LON:GLB) is a multibillion-dollar global nutrition company that's currently comprised of three divisions that span across the B2B supply chain (i.e. Health & Nutrition and Dairy Nutrition) and branded products (Performance Nutrition). “Health & Nutrition” is a leading global ingredients solutions business, providing value added ingredient and flavor solutions to a range of attractive, high-growth end markets. In the first quarter of 2025, revenue increased by 24.9% YoY. “Dairy Nutrition” is the number one producer of American-style cheddar cheese in the U.S. market, but more importantly (for my audience) the number one producer of whey protein isolate…and provides a wide range of dairy and functional protein solutions. In the first quarter of 2025, revenue increased by 18.9%. The brands in the Glanbia Performance Nutrition portfolio include; Optimum Nutrition, BSN, think!, Isopure, Amazing Grass, and SlimFast. Glanbia Performance Nutrition had first quarter 2025 revenue that declined by 6.6% YoY, driven by a volume decrease of 5.8% and a price decrease of 0.8%. Additionally, I'll dive deeper into Glanbia Performance Nutrition geographical, sales channel, product format, and categorial performance. Optimum Nutrition, which was the initial M&A transaction in 2008 that created the GPN division, now represents 66% of the total revenue. In the last year, Optimum Nutrition generated revenue of approximately $1.2 billion. Moreover, Optimum Nutrition is the number one sports nutrition brand in the world and also the top sports nutrition brand in close to 20 different countries. As part of its group-wide transformation program announced last November, that seeks to generate annual cost savings of at least $50m by 2027, leadership noted that a GPN portfolio review to ensure focus can be placed on high-growth opportunities had determined the divesture decision on its Netherlands-based direct-to-consumer ecommerce business, Body & Fit (that was acquired in 2017), and its weight management brand SlimFast (that was acquired for $350 million in 2018). Also, if you don't follow the Irish financial news cycle, you might have missed that the activist investor Clearway Capital is back again! But this time…Clearway Capital is hoping to get support from Tirlán Co-op, which is Ireland's largest, farmer-owned agri-food and nutrition business. Also, Tirlán is the largest shareholder in Glanbia. But while I couldn't get access to the exact letter sent to Tirlán, urging it to support a plan to split up Glanbia…Clearway Capital did recently address the Glanbia board of directors at its annual general meeting, requesting the global nutrition company initiate a strategic review into potential disassembly. And just like three years ago, I'm still largely aligned with those Clearway Capital statements. But the major difference surrounds our motivation as to why we've been urging Glanbia to be split up into two (or three different businesses).

Dr. Drackley begins with an overview of his presentation at the 2025 Florida Ruminant Nutrition Symposium, focusing on the NASEM requirements for pre-weaned calves. He mentions some differences in energy and protein requirement calculations compared to the NRC system, as well as increased vitamin E recommendations and a more biologically based factorial approach to calculating mineral requirements. (5:59)Dr. Overton notes that milk replacements can be formulated differently to account for changes in mineral or vitamin requirements. In herds that feed whole milk, is there any reason to think about supplementing those calves? Dr. Drackley suggests that Mother Nature may have been smarter than us all along, as the composition of whole milk matches very well with the nutrient requirements of calves. (9:43)Dr. Lundquist asked what the impetus was for the increase in vitamin E requirements. Dr. Drackley refers to a series of studies examining the role of vitamin E in immune function that have shown the previous requirements were too low to achieve optimum health outcomes. Many dairies give a vitamin injection after birth to help boost young calves. (11:45)The panel discusses improved colostrum feeding efforts and the variation in successful passive immunity that still exists in the industry. (13:51)Scott asks Dr. Overton what gaps he sees in calf nutrition from his Extension specialist perspective, and he suggests that best management for weaning is still a big topic. Dr. Drackley agrees this is an area that needs some attention. He feels the industry is doing better on the baby calf side by feeding more milk, but then that almost makes weaning more difficult because people are not changing their mindset about how to step calves down from milk or what age to wean calves. (16:39)For people feeding more milk than the traditional 1.25 lbs of solids, Dr. Drackley recommends extending weaning time to eight instead of six weeks. He also recommends at least one step down in the amount of milk, which could be a week of feeding just once a day. Calf starter formulation and quality are also critical. Research shows that providing a small amount of forage, preferably grass hay or straw, before weaning is beneficial for buffering and rumination. (18:47)Dr. Overton asks about the research gap in our understanding of transition cow management and how that impacts the calf in utero and after birth. The panel discusses heat stress and season of birth impacts on calf growth and first lactation performance. (26:08)The panel wraps up with their take-home messages. Discussion includes pelleted versus texturized starters, sugars in a starter to promote rumen development, the value of increasing the quality and quantity of calf nutrition, the thermoneutral zone in baby calves, and outsourcing calf raising.  (33:10)Please subscribe and share with your industry friends to invite more people to join us at the Real Science Exchange virtual pub table.  If you want one of our Real Science Exchange t-shirts, screenshot your rating, review, or subscription, and email a picture to anh.marketing@balchem.com. Include your size and mailing address, and we'll mail you a shirt.

In this episode of The Dairy Podcast Show, Tom Nauman, Dairy Nutrition and Technical Services Manager at The Wenger Group, explains what microbiology nutrition is, the role of Smartbacteria, how they support digestive efficiency, and why trusting microbiology-driven concepts is key to improving cow health and performance. Listen now on all major platforms!"When we talk about microbiology nutrition, we're talking about making the most of what specific bacteria can do to enhance what's going on in the cow's rumen."Meet the guest: Tom Nauman is the Dairy Nutrition and Technical Services Manager at The Wenger Group, bringing over 40 years of experience in dairy nutrition. A graduate of Delaware Valley College, he has spent decades optimizing dairy feeding strategies and advancing technical services in the industry.What you'll learn:(00:00) Highlight(01:37) Introduction(04:18) Technical services explained(08:56) Smartbacteria in dairy(10:21) Feeding smart bacteria(11:37) Managing rich diets(18:19) Monitoring nutrition(19:34) Final three questionsThe Dairy Podcast Show is trusted and supported by innovative companies like:Priority IAC* Adisseo- Scoular- Protekta- Berg + Schmidt- dsm-firmenich- AGRI-TRAC- AHV- SmaXtec- ICC- Natural Biologics- Volac

Dairy provides 13 essential nutrients that are central to good health for Americans. However, there are still barriers to accessing these benefits for many communities across the country. What health and nutrition benefits do dairy products offer to improve health outcomes? How can the dairy industry partner with physicians to communicate dairy's health benefits?Listen to this week's episode of The Dairy Download to hear from two experts on nutrition access: Claire Babineaux-Fontenot, CEO of Feeding America, and Dr. Virginia Caine, president of the National Medical Association.If your company is interested in sponsoring a block of episodes of The Dairy Download, contact IDFA's Lindsay Gold at lgold@idfa.org.Like the show?Rate The Dairy Download on Apple Podcasts!

This Real Science Exchange podcast episode was recorded during a webinar from Balchem's Real Science Lecture Series. You can find it at balchem.com/realscience.Dr. Baumgard begins with an overview of the structure and function of the gastrointestinal tract. More than 75% of an animal's immune system resides in the gut. The focus of this webinar is how heat stress initiates leaky gut, how that leaky gut then influences the immune and hormonal systems, and ultimately, how that reduces productivity. (0:22)Dr. Baumgard compares the metabolism of a cow 200 days in milk to a cow 10 days in milk. The 200-day cow is experiencing ad libitum intake and gaining weight. Her insulin levels would be high, and NEFAs would be low. On the other hand, the 10-day cow is experiencing suboptimal intake, and her insulin levels are the lowest they'll ever be during the production cycle. Body tissue is mobilized, and NEFAs will increase. Research shows it takes 72 grams of glucose to make one kilogram of milk. Any disruption to the gluconeogenic pathway has the potential to decrease milk yield. (6:38)Heat stress is estimated to cost the US dairy industry $1.7 billion each year. Regardless of climate change, heat stress will continue to be an issue because all economically important phenotypes in animal agriculture are heat-producing processes. Dr. Baumgard's lab has been investigating the biology of heat stress to implement more effective mitigation strategies. (9:09)How much of the reduction in feed intake during heat stress explains the reduction in milk yield? A pair-feeding experiment comparing thermoneutral to heat-stressed cows showed that about 50% of the reduction in milk yield during a heat wave is due to a reduction in feed intake. The thermoneutral cows lost weight in response to decreased intake, and their NEFAs increased. Heat-stressed cows did not have an increase in NEFA. Heat-stressed animals fail to mobilize adipose tissue despite their endocrine profile predicting that they should. However, insulin is high when we would expect it to be low, and that response to heat stress is highly conserved in all species. (10:43)Heat-stressed cows produced about 400 grams less lactose per day than their pair-fed thermoneutral controls. This is nearly a pound! Is the liver producing 400 fewer grams of glucose each day? Or is some other extramammary tissue using more glucose per day? Dr. Baumgard's work suggests that the immune system is where the 400 grams of glucose go in heat-stressed animals. During heat stress, vasodilation at the body surface occurs, with concomitant vasoconstriction in the gut. The gut epithelium is very sensitive to reduced oxygen delivery that would result from the vasoconstriction, and tight junction proteins do not function properly, resulting in a leaky gut. This results in an infiltration of antigens into the body, which causes an immune response.  (15:36)Dr. Baumgard details how insulin fits into these immune responses via the Warburg effect. An activated immune cell prefers glucose and needs it in high quantities. The activated cell switches from the Kreb's cycle to generate ATP to aerobic glycolysis. This requires high insulin. The immune system requires approximately one gram of glucose per kilogram of metabolic body weight per hour. (25:03)By far, the biggest impact a dairy producer can make to alleviate heat stress is to modify the environment physically: shade, fans, soakers, misters, etc. Investing in cooling cows improves production efficiency and profitability, summer fertility, animal welfare and health, and sustainability. Other important heat abatement considerations include adequate water availability, reducing walking distance to the parlor and time in the holding pen, and improving ventilation. Dry cows should also be part of any heat abatement strategy, as the benefits of cooling dry cows extends far into lactation. Dr. Baumgard also discusses different dietary management strategies for heat stress situations. (32:43)In summary, heat stress decreases almost every metric of productivity and costs everyone in the industry. Reduced feed intake is only part of the problem. Heat-induced leaky gut results in biological consequences incredibly similar to any other immune activation, such as mastitis or metritis. For dairy producers, heat stress abatement should by far be their biggest priority. Once those infrastructure improvements are in place, dietary interventions are another good strategy to minimize the negative consequences of heat stress. (47:43)Dr. Baumgard takes questions from the webinar audience. (49:22)Please subscribe and share with your industry friends to invite more people to join us at the Real Science Exchange virtual pub table.  If you want one of our Real Science Exchange t-shirts, screenshot your rating, review, or subscription, and email a picture to anh.marketing@balchem.com. Include your size and mailing address, and we'll mail you a shirt.

This Real Science Exchange podcast episode was recorded during a webinar from Balchem's Real Science Lecture Series. You can find it at balchem.com/realscience. Dr. Santos begins with a timeline of events that occur during the cow's transition from the dry period to her exit from the fresh pen. He suggests that cows should be dried off at around 230 days of gestation, then moved to a closeup group at 250-255 days gestation which is around three to three-and-a-half weeks before calving. Dr. Santos recommends keeping multiparous cows separate from primiparous cows and feeding to minimize metabolic disorders in early lactation. After calving, cow health needs to be monitored for early detection and treatment of disease. In addition, diets that do not limit voluntary dry matter intake should be fed. During the early postpartum period, controlling excessive weight loss and lipid mobilization is the goal.  (00:27) What is the association between time spent in the closeup pen and disease? Research shows that around three to four weeks in the prepartum group is associated with the lowest risk of morbidity, maximum milk yield and highest pregnancy rates. How does a change in body condition during the first 65 days in milk impact cyclicity? How does 90-day milk yield impact cyclicity? Cows that lose one or more units of condition are less likely to be cyclic at the end of the voluntary waiting period. There is a small statically positive association between milk yield and cyclicity. Dr. Santos' first take-home message is to avoid excessive body condition loss after calving. Cows should lose no more than 0.5 body condition units from the week before calving to the first AI. This can be accomplished by minimizing over-conditioned cows at dry-off and reducing the risk of disease in early lactation.  (6:13) What about feed efficiency? Dr. Santos describes experiments comparing the 25% most efficient to the 25% least efficient cows. All cows produced the same amount of energy-corrected milk, but the most efficient cows ate four kilograms less feed each day. The risk of morbidity and the culling rate was the same for both groups, as was reproductive performance. Dr. Santos suggests we should not be afraid of selecting for feed efficiency while still optimizing intake in early lactation.  (18:23) Morbidity negatively impacts intake in early lactation. Around one-third of cows are affected by disease in the first three weeks of lactation and almost 80% of the first disease diagnoses occur during the first three weeks postpartum. The earlier in lactation disease occurs, the longer the legacy effects from that disease can impact cow health and performance. Dr. Santos describes an experiment in beef cattle evaluating how an inflammatory response impacts nutrient partitioning away from performance. Early lactation morbidity not only makes a cow not want to eat, it also may shift nutrients away from production toward survival, resulting in fewer nutrients available for milk production and reproduction. Dr. Santos describes a series of experiments evaluating the impact of early lactation disease diagnosis on reproductive performance. Dr. Santos' second take-home message is to stimulate dry matter intake and minimize disease in the early lactation period. (22:21) How can we formulate diets that will improve reproduction? First, we should formulate diets that reduce the risk of disease. Then we should incorporate nutrients that are known to improve reproduction in cows. Dr. Santos describes how supplementation with rumen-protected choline decreases triglyceride accumulation in the liver and improves milk yield. He also details the mechanisms of using acidogenic diets to reduce hypocalcemia. He recommends not using these diets for heifers and feeding them for around 21 days to cows rather than the entire dry period. Dr. Santos feels that forage quality has been neglected in the transition period and details how improved fiber digestibility during the transition period can have longer-term impacts. Lastly, he recommends feeding 1-1.5% supplemental fat in early lactation diets for improved reproduction and milk yield without negative impacts on body condition. In closing, Dr. Santos presents a summary of diet formulation recommendations for transition cows.  (34:13) Dr. Santos leads an engaged question-and-answer session with the webinar audience. (51:11) Please subscribe and share with your industry friends to invite more people to join us at the Real Science Exchange virtual pub table.   If you want one of our Real Science Exchange t-shirts, screenshot your rating, review, or subscription, and email a picture to anh.marketing@balchem.com. Include your size and mailing address, and we'll mail you a shirt. 

In this episode of The Dairy Nutrition Blackbelt Podcast, Dr. Alexandre Pedroso, a dairy specialist, explores the critical link between animal welfare and the nutritional status of dairy herds. He highlights how factors like heat stress and inadequate bedding can directly affect cow performance, feed intake, and overall health. Tune in for practical advice on optimizing welfare conditions to boost milk production and efficiency on dairy farms!"If a dairy cow doesn't have enough time to rest because the bedding is poor or because they're heat-stressed, then they don't lie down for enough time."Meet the guest: Dr. Alexandre Pedroso holds a Ph.D. in Animal Science with a focus on dairy cattle nutrition. With over 25 years of experience, he has worked as a consultant for dairy farms and animal health companies. He also specializes in animal welfare using the CowSignals methodology. Currently, Dr. Pedroso is a Senior Consultant at Plenteous Consultoria, helping dairy producers optimize efficiency and profitability. What will you learn: (00:00) Highlight(01:21) Introduction(05:51) Welfare in dairy(06:54) Heat stress(09:09) Welfare & intake(12:54) Cow comfort(14:36) Stocking density(18:21) Closing thoughtsThe Dairy Nutrition Blackbelt Podcast is trusted and supported by the innovative companies:* Adisseo- Volac- Kemin- Virtus Nutrition- Evonik

In this episode of The Dairy Nutrition Blackbelt Podcast, Dr. Kirby Krogstad, from The Ohio State University, examines the role of niacin in dairy cow health and performance. Highlighting niacin's impact on immune regulation, rumen functionality, and lactation outcomes, Dr. Krogstad unpacks recent research findings and their practical applications in dairy nutrition. Listen now on all major platforms!"When we provided niacin to those cows, the acute phase proteins that would suggest a general systemic inflammation were blunted by about 30%."Meet the guest: Dr. Kirby Krogstad is an Assistant Professor of Dairy Nutrition and Health at The Ohio State University, where his research and extension mission is to improve dairy cow health, welfare, and longevity through nutrition. With a Ph.D. in Animal Science from Michigan State University and a Master's in Ruminant Nutrition from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Dr. Krogstad focuses on optimizing dairy nutrition to enhance sustainability and herd performance. Click here to read the full research article!What will you learn: (00:00) Highlight(00:58) Introduction(02:12) Niacin's & metabolism(03:03) Rumen protection(04:04) Immune function(07:20) Lactation performance(08:26) Niacin supplementation(09:63) Closing thoughtsThe Dairy Nutrition Blackbelt Podcast is trusted and supported by the innovative companies:* Adisseo- Volac- Evonik- Virtus Nutrition

Hello there!In this episode of The Dairy Podcast Show, Dr. Sarah Morrison, a research scientist from the Miner Institute, discusses the use of biofilms and probiotics in calf health and nutrition. With a practical approach rooted in research, Dr. Morrison shares strategies that producers can implement to improve calf growth and gastrointestinal health. Listen now on all major platforms!"Positive biofilms or bacteria help maintain intestinal integrity and keep harmful pathogens at bay."Meet the guest: Dr. Sarah Morrison earned her Ph.D. and M.S. in Dairy Nutrition from the University of Illinois, focusing on calf and heifer nutrition. Currently a research scientist at the Miner Institute, she works on applied dairy research, aiming to improve calf health and farm productivity.What you'll learn:(00:00) Highlight(00:48) Introduction(03:58) Practical dairy research(06:10) Biofilms in calf health(08:44) Kefir for calf systems(19:18) Starter intake impact(23:18) Managing kefir on farms(29:02) Final three questionsThe Dairy Podcast Show is trusted and supported by innovative companies like:* Adisseo- Volac- SmaXtec- Acepsis- Trouw Nutrition- Protekta- Natural Biologics- dsm-firmenich- ICC- Berg + Schmidt- Diamond V

Dr. DeVries presented a Real Science Lecture webinar on May 8, 2024, titled “Lessons Learned in Research on Nutritional Management of Robot Milked Cows.” You can find the webinar recording at balchem.com/realscience.  Dr. DeVries begins with an overview of how his robotic milking research has evolved. In Canada, around 20%-plus of farms are using robotic milkers. He describes survey research in the US and Canada as to why producers choose to implement robotic milkers. (9:19)In Trevor's webinar, he discussed the large amount of variation in nutritional management of robot-milked cows across Canada. Some of his research with Dr. Penner has looked at the interaction between feed consumed at the feed bunk and feed consumed at the robot. Ideally, you wish to be able to accurately predict intake because that is a primary driver of milk production. Because cows can be supplemented individually at the robot, there is opportunity to better feed cows to match their individual needs. (13:50)Trevor and Greg describe their respective university's robot milking research facilities. The panel discusses additional technologies that would be useful for all robotic milkers, like load cells to measure feed delivery and disappearance. Cows typically consume around 250-300 grams of concentrate per minute, and that can vary by feed type (pellet vs mash, for example.) The panel also ponders whether the design of the feed bunk in the robots has an impact on intake rate. (17:35)As a consulting nutritionist, Todd prefers to feed as little as possible in the robot and have a more consistent mix in the PMR. The level of milk production of the cows can have a large influence on how much pellet is fed at the robot versus the feed bunk. Todd goes on to describe his strategy for creating proportions of PMR and robot intakes for different scenarios. (26:06)Clay asks the panel what the maximum amount of concentrate should be fed at the robot. They discuss factors that can influence concentration including individual cow variation, length of time in the robot per milking, and the number of visits to the robot per day. Clay goes on to ask how fast fresh cows can be stepped up in their robot feedings. The group has a lively discussion about all the different factors that play a role in that decision. Greg reminds the audience not to get so caught up with programming the robot that we lose sight of the fact we're still feeding cows and good dairy management still applies. (31:29)Todd describes some of the biggest challenges he observes as a consultant in robotic dairies, primarily centered around understanding cow behavior. Trevor underlines the importance of cow comfort and other non-nutritional factors in regard to their influence on the success of the nutrition program.(41:29)Scott asks the panel what they think robotic milkers might look like in 2050 and what problems will have been solved by then. Greg's wish list includes knowing PMR intake to better manage robot feedings and having cow body weights on every dairy. Trevor thinks we will have a much better understanding of how genetics influence cow performance in a robotic system and how we can raise cows to adapt to the technology to be better robot cows. Todd agrees that body weights are critical and also envisions more individualized milkings depending on each cow's preferences. On his wish list is a drone that could be used to fetch cows to the robot who have not gone to be milked. (46:51)​​Trevor and Greg discuss what's next in their upcoming research projects, and Todd gives some wishlist ideas for future research. (54:18)In summary, each guest gives their take home messages. Clay is intrigued by the precision feeding aspects of robotic milking systems. Todd encourages dairy producers not to be scared of robotic milking systems. Greg looks forward to research in the next 5-10 years to support or refute the preconceived notions we have about robotic systems. Trevor reminds listeners that cows must consume a certain amount of nutrients in order to produce milk. In the robotic system, those nutrients are delivered via two different components and research continues to understand the interplay between them. Lastly, animal behavior is a critical component of the success of robotic systems and our management approach should reflect that. (1:02:46)Please subscribe and share with your industry friends to invite more people to join us at the Real Science Exchange virtual pub table.  If you want one of our Real Science Exchange t-shirts, screenshot your rating, review, or subscription, and email a picture to anh.marketing@balchem.com. Include your size and mailing address, and we'll mail you a shirt.

This episode comes to you from the “New Developments in Transition Cow Nutrition” seminar in Stoke-on-Trent, England. Dr. Santos, Dr. Reynolds and Dr. Zimmerman spoke at the seminar. Each speaker gives a brief overview of their seminar presentation, and then the panel takes questions from the audience.In his presentation, Dr. Santos discussed some of the latest research using rumen-protected choline in transition cows. There is substantial evidence that choline plays an important role in transition cow nutrition, particularly because of its consistent positive effect on the yield of energy-corrected milk and benefits that extend beyond the supplementation period. (1:16)Dr. Reynolds's presentation focused on protein nutrition in very early lactation cows. Cows are in a substantial negative balance for metabolizable protein in the first week or two postpartum. Recent research, with abomasal infusions of casein, or the amino acids in casein, immediately after calving, has resulted in substantial increases in milk yield. In his lab, Dr. Reynolds has used rumen drenches to supplement cows immediately postpartum as palatability of supplements has been an issue. Providing essential amino acids and total protein to cows immediately after calving is a challenging problem.  (2:10)Dr. Zimmerman's presentation discussed differences in rumen encapsulated products. There are four parts of a good ruminant encap: good ruminal stability, good intestinal digestibility, good feed mixing and TMR stability and biological response in the animal. (3:44)Questions from speakers and attendees were as follows:What is the optimum level of choline to feed to a transition cow? Given the close relationship between methionine and choline, is there a similar ratio between them like the 3:1 lysine:methionine ratio? (4:56)Around 98-99% of dietary choline will be degraded in the rumen whereas, with lysine and methionine, we know there's an amount that escapes with the bypass protein fraction of the diets. Has the ruminant animal evolved not to require any bypass choline? (13:46)Dr. Santos's presentation focused on the benefits of choline supplementation to the transition cow. What are the benefits for the in-utero calf? (19:45)What is the mechanism by which choline increases colostrum production? Is it just similar to the effect on milk yield generally? (28:21)Does choline impact younger or older cows differently? (30:36)Given the increase in intestinal length and changes in the architecture in early lactation, does this result in suboptimal absorption and scouring? Could it be a nutrient deficiency problem as opposed to something like acidosis? Should we analyze fecal samples to assess this? (34:50)Do you think fundamentally we are underestimating metabolizable protein requirements in very early lactation? Or are we just not managing that transition particularly well? And if so, what sort of safety factors should we evaluate regarding protein nutrition? (41:45)In the early lactation studies where metabolizable protein is supplemented in high concentrations, we see big milk and energy-corrected milk responses, but no increase in dry matter intake. Why is that? (43:34)Dr. Santos describes an experiment in beef cattle, evaluating the inflammation impacts of pneumonia on essential and nonessential amino acids in the gut. This model might be quite similar to that of a dairy cow with metritis. (50:24)Do you have any recommendations for amino acid supply for cows on grass? Is there anything new coming in that regard? Are there any specific recommendations for synchrony and/or ratios of energy and amino acid supplies? (55:58)When should amino acids be fed after calving? (1:01:13)In closing, each panelist provides a take-home message. (1:06:00)Dr. Santos: Consider choline a required nutrient. Dr. Reynolds: Most of our cows have the genetic potential to produce a lot more milk than they are achieving in very early lactation. We need to look at that in terms of how we might be able to help them achieve that potential yield.Dr. Zimmerman: Not all encaps are created equal. Make sure that you're able to see published in-vivo research with these products, done by reputable institutions, to prove that these products are working in the animals. Please subscribe and share with your industry friends to invite more people to join us at the Real Science Exchange virtual pub table.  If you want one of our Real Science Exchange t-shirts, screenshot your rating, review, or subscription, and email a picture to anh.marketing@balchem.com. Include your size and mailing address, and we'll mail you a shirt. 

Dr. Harvatine gave a presentation on the Real Science Lecture series on April 2nd titled “High Oleic Soybeans, Where Do They Fit Into Dairy Diets?” Access the recording at balchem.com/real science.As Dr. Harvatine thinks back over his 15 years at Penn State, he didn't think he'd do much fat supplement work. But we keep getting new questions, new products, and new challenges. One of these is high oleic soybeans, which could be an opportunity to grow some of our own fat on the farm. (6:35)High oleic soybeans have been around for about seven years or a little longer. They were developed for fry oil (french fries and potato chips), but dairy nutritionists were interested in the opportunity to use 18:1 fats because of their lower risk of milk fat depression. (7:36)Dr. Davis indicates that high oleic soybeans are a growing piece of the soybeans planted yearly. Seedstock availability is limited, but many companies have it in their pipeline. Pest and weed control traits will eventually be baked into the seedstock, but growers are taking a risk by choosing to grow high oleic soybeans. Dr. Davis's company offers a premium for high oleic soybeans at their plants to encourage growers to take those risks. (13:15)What factors should a producer or a nutritionist consider when using high oleic soybeans? Dr. Harvatine sees a couple of different ways folks are feeding soybeans. One, is using expeller soybean meal or roasted soybeans as a RUP source while accounting for the additional fat that it provides, and the other would be pulling the dry fat supplement out of the ration and feeding high levels of roasted soybeans to replace it. He has some hesitations about the latter approach and reminds the audience that high oleic soybeans are not at zero risk for milk-fat depression. Dr. Davis adds that a major consideration is economics. The market has been extremely volatile lately, with very high oil prices, recently, followed by a decline over the last year. As renewable diesel becomes more common and more crush plants come online, we could see depressed meal prices as well. (16:14)Do we know what amount of oleic acid to be feeding? Dr. Harvatine shares that Dr. Andres Contreras at the Michigan State Vet School has seen molecular changes in adipose tissue metabolism with 50 grams per day of abomasally infused oleic acid, so it seems to be bioactive at reasonably low levels. The challenge, however, is we're not sure how much actually gets through the rumen from different feed sources. In addition, there may be some interaction between fatty acids and the type of fiber on NDF digestibility that needs to be investigated. (26:50)A concern with roasted beans compared to extruded products is the potential for higher variability with roasted beans. Dr. Davis gives some examples of considerations dairy farmers need to consider when roasting beans on-farm. (37:16)Dr. Harvatine and Dr. Davis discuss how dairy producers may be able to take advantage of market volatility and be opportunistic in different settings regarding growing and feeding high oleic soybeans. Both guests agree that soybeans should be used in diets for all their nutrients, protein, RUP, and fat. They caution against pulling it into diets just as a fat supplement and not assessing what it's doing for the protein side. (43:30)We've seen a rapid increase in milk fat percentage in the US milk supply over the last few years. Why? Dr. Harvatine points out rapid genetic improvement, a better understanding of mitigating diet-induced milk fat depression, and better use of forages and fiber digestibility. Certainly, palm fat has helped, but it does not explain all of it. Dr. Davis adds that not only have genetics improved, but we have improved nutrition programs to support that genetic potential. (52:14)In summary, Dr. Davis advises nutritionists and dairy producers to stay flexible as we're still early on in the high oleic arena. Dr. Harvatine agrees there are great opportunities and lots of decisions to be made for each individual farm. Don't forget the fundamentals of nutrition when considering this - view high oleic soybeans as a complete package, keeping in mind not only the protein, RUP, and fat but also quality control and roasting. (58:55)Please subscribe and share with your industry friends to invite more people to join us at the Real Science Exchange virtual pub table.  If you want one of our Real Science Exchange t-shirts, screenshot your rating, review, or subscription, and email a picture to anh.marketing@balchem.com. Include your size and mailing address, and we'll mail you a shirt.

This journal club episode comes to you from the 2024 Tri-State Dairy Nutrition Conference. The paper is “Assessing Transition Cow Health: Integrating Traditional and Novel Biomarkers” from the conference proceedings with Dr. Andres Contreras of Michigan State University.What is a biomarker, and what makes a good biomarker? Dr. Contreras defines anything that can help assess a physiological response or pathological state. Two examples would be BHBA (beta-hydroxybutyrate) and NEFA (non-esterified fatty acids), both fat mobilization measures. (2:56)Dr. Contreras structured the paper in three sections of biomarkers: (3:54)Ones that can be measured by looking at cow records, like how many DAs or hypocalcemias occurred over a period of time.Cow-side measurements like BHBA in urine or blood.Samples must be sent to a lab to be measured. These generally cannot be used to make decisions immediately but can help assess how a transition program is working, for example.How many samples should be taken, and what cows should be sampled in a commercial dairy setting? Dairy size, pen size, and pocketbook size will all play a role in this decision. Experts usually recommend at least 10 head, and those 10 must represent the cows' population in your pen. If you have the ability to take more samples, Dr. Contreras recommends 10-12% of the cows in question. He then describes ideal times before and after calving to sample BHBA and NEFA for the most predictive value. (5:31)Setting a target that integrates BHBA and NEFA the first week after calving with measures like body condition score and/or body weight is ideal. Cows will mobilize fat post-calving no matter what, so the goal is to moderate the degree and intensity of fat mobilization. (11:38)Rumination and activity monitors are great for measuring biomarkers in real-time and are excellent tools for diagnosing problem cows early. Dr. Contreras has researched ultrasounds to measure fat mobilization, but this may not be practical in a commercial setting. Urine pH after calving might start to be a significant predictor of clinical ketosis. Healthy cows will have a higher urine pH than sick cows.  (14:44) A transition cow experiences several types of adaptations: lipid mobilization to address negative energy balance, skeletal muscle mobilization to address negative protein/amino acid balance, calcium mobilization to compensate for calcium loss, and oxidative stress due to generating energy. The goal is to target biomarkers that reflect the intensity of those adaptive mechanisms. Many of these require sending samples to a lab. A dairy's nutritionist, veterinarian, and farm manager work together to create a targeted suite of biomarkers to assess their cows and reach their goals. (21:11)Inflammation is often at the core of transition cow maladies. Measuring a panel of acute phase proteins the first week after calving and comparing the dynamics of how they occur through the year could help identify issues in closeup cows if those proteins are spiking. (26:03)The group discusses the importance of using individual herds' baseline data for prediction and assessment and focusing on closeup cows when fresh cow problems arise. They also discuss biomarkers for excessive protein catabolism and a liver functionality index. This leads to a discussion of whether creating an index might be a better overall measure than making decisions on just one diagnostic value. What if someday there might be one perfect predictive biomarker, and what might that look like? (27:50)In summary, you should not rely on a single biomarker and start measuring early. Ideally, this would be in the dry period. If that's too challenging, it would be at least a few days after cows go to the closeup pen. Cow-side biomarkers like BHBA, body condition score, and body weight can tell you a lot about transition cow health. Use all the biomarkers and herd records available to design your approach to transition cow health. (43:10)Please subscribe and share with your industry friends to invite more people to join us at the Real Science Exchange virtual pub table.  If you want one of our Real Science Exchange t-shirts, screenshot your rating, review, or subscription, and email a picture to anh.marketing@balchem.com. Include your size and mailing address, and we'll mail you a shirt.

This journal club episode comes to you from the 2024 Tri-State Dairy Nutrition Conference. The paper is “Methane in the context of circular dairy farming” from the conference proceedings.What is circular dairy farming? The concept is that instead of extracting or using natural resources and then discarding the wastes in a linear kind of fashion, economies should try to be increasingly circular. This would include the concepts of reusing, recycling, upgrading, upcycling, etc. Traditionally, the focus on methane was about the inefficiency and leakage of energy and finding a way to minimize that from the perspective of energetic efficiency and productivity. More recently, the focus on decreasing methane has been the environment. (3:19)Dr. Newbold talks about the trade-off between circularity and methane. High fiber diets produce more methane than high starch diets. Adding fat to diets can also decrease methane production. However, starch and fat are human edible so if we leave starch and fat in feeds to decrease methane in dairy cattle, that leaves less starch and fat for human consumption. The concept of “local” also plays into circularity, whether that be feed production or milk processing. (7:01)What are the metrics of circularity? Two approaches to this present in the literature. The first is  human edible efficiency: how much human edible food are we producing? In a dairy setting, the measurement would be how much human edible food are we putting into the cow compared to the amount of human edible food coming out of the system? The second metric is the alternatives for land use. (10:45)What is the best way to express methane production? Dr. Newbold shares three, and they are generally used in different contexts. First is methane production, usually presented as grams per cow per day. This is an easily scalable measurement, but may not be the best or easiest way to manage interventions on-farm. The second common metric is methane yield which is generally expressed as grams per kilogram of dry matter intake. Lastly, methane emissions intensity is grams of methane per kilogram of milk. (12:26)When considering the human edibility equation, the denominator consists of the human edible content of the feed. In principle, depending on how hard you worked and how much money you spent, you could extract some of the starch, fat, and protein and use it for human food. However, there's no consensus in the literature about this kind of edibility coefficient. In other words, what proportion of the protein in soybean meal or the proportion of starch that's left in wheat middlings or distillers grains is human edible? Greater consensus about what is and what is not human edible would actually be quite useful in allowing for better and more consistent calculations. (18:29)Dr. Newbold gives examples of relative efficiency comparing U.S. dairy production, a grass-based system, and a tropical grass based system. Each of these have a different human edible efficiency and a different amount of methane produced. (19:59)When it comes to lowering the environmental impact of milk production, don't focus on one metric in isolation of the rest of them. If you're setting off in a particular direction, whether that's trying to drive methane down or milk production up, think about the potential trade offs and unforeseen consequences. (32:12)Please subscribe and share with your industry friends to invite more people to join us at the Real Science Exchange virtual pub table.  If you want one of our Real Science Exchange t-shirts, screenshot your rating, review, or subscription, and email a picture to anh.marketing@balchem.com. Include your size and mailing address, and we'll get a shirt in the mail to you.