Podcasts about dairy science

This episode was recorded in Fort Wayne, Indiana, during the 2025 Tri-State Dairy Conference. Dr. Grant gives an overview of his presentation at the conference, highlighting cow time budgets and the importance of natural cow behavior to health, welfare and productivity. The impacts of overcrowding, including rumen pH and de novo fatty acid synthesis, are a key component of his message. (7:07)Eating, resting and ruminating are the big three behaviors we've studied for decades. In addition to their obvious importance to cow welfare, they have a real health and performance effect. Dr. Grant suggests the recumbent rumination - just lying down and chewing her cud - is really the cow's superpower. Cows with the same rumination time who accomplish more while lying down have less subacute ruminal acidosis, greater dry matter intake, and higher fat and protein content in their milk. It all boils down to the balance between eating time and recumbent rumination time. (12:15)The panel discusses the definition of overcrowding. Spoiler alert: it depends. (15:50)Clay asks Rick if overcrowding of beds or feed bunks is more important. The easy answer is both, but Rick acknowledges he'd say beds if he were pushed for an answer. Resting is a yes or no; she's either lying down or she's not. From the feed bunk perspective, a cow can alter her behavior to a point for adjusting to overcrowding - eat faster, change her meal patterns, etc. A hungry cow will walk by the feed to recoup lost rest time. Cows should be comfortable enough to spend at least 90% of their rumination time lying down. (17:50)Dr. Grant thinks of overcrowding as a subclinical stressor. A cow has different “accounts” for different activities: lactation, health, reproduction, etc., as well as a reserve account. To combat the subclinical stress of overcrowding, a cow uses her reserve account, but that's hard to measure. If the reserve account gets depleted and another stressor comes along, the overcrowded pens are going to show greater impacts. The panel brainstormed ideas for how to better measure a cow's reserve account. (19:39)Clays asks if overcrowding is affecting culling rates. The panel assumes it has to be, though no one can point to a study. Dr. Grant notes there is data from France that shows decreased longevity in cows who don't get enough rest, which is a hallmark of overcrowding. Given the low heifer inventory, the panel muses if the industry ought to pay more attention to the culling impacts of overcrowding and have a more dynamic approach to evaluating stocking density as market and farm conditions shift. (25:10)Bill asks about nutritional and management strategies to reduce the stress of overcrowding. Rick notes that overcrowding tends to make the rumen a bit more touchy, so he talks about formulating diets with appropriate amounts of physically effective fiber, undigested NDF, rumen-fermentable starch, and particle size. (29:21)Dr. Grant talks about the differences in rumination when a cow is lying down versus standing. The panel discusses cow comfort, preferred stalls, and first-calf heifer behavior in mixed-age groups with and without overcrowding. Bill and Rick agree that having a separate pen for first-calf heifers on overcrowded farms would benefit those heifers. Dr. Michael comments on evaluating air flow and venting on-farm. (33:49)The panel wraps up the episode with their take-home thoughts. (47:55)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/ (52:02)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.

O aumento da temperatura global desafia os produtores rurais dos quatro cantos do planeta a se adaptarem a novas condições climáticas e conseguirem manter as suas especificidades – e não é diferente com os produtores de queijos franceses. Camembert, comté, brie, roquefort: o país se orgulha de fabricar mais de mil variedades de queijos, dos quais 46 se beneficiam da proteção de Denominação de Origem Controlada (DOC ou AOP, em francês). Mas este patrimônio cultural está ameaçado pelas mudanças do clima. Como evitar que a repetição das secas leve os queijos específicos dessas regiões a perderem o gosto, o odor e até a cor? Pesquisadores da região centro-sul da França se debruçaram sobre a questão.Um estudo do Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas sobre Agricultura, Alimentação e Meio Ambiente (INRAE) e a escola superior VetAgro Sup demonstrou os efeitos de um tempo mais quente e seco sobre o queijo cantal, fabricado há 2 mil anos nas montanhas do Maciço Central. Resultado: quanto menos acesso às vacas têm ao pasto natural da região, rico em diversidade de flora, mais empobrecido será o queijo produzido a partir do seu leite.As conclusões servem de alerta para todo o setor no país, indica o pesquisador Matthieu Bouchon, que coordenou o estudo. "No sul da França, os impactos são muito mais fortes que no norte, onde chove mais. Mas o impacto também pode ser muito diferente em função da flora de cada lugar: temos espécies diferentes até em áreas territoriais pequenas", observa. "No centro da França, por exemplo, encontramos dezenas e dezenas de tipo de floras, e cada uma é afetada de uma forma diferente", explica o pesquisador.Aumento de secas reduz o pasto nas montanhasA partir dos anos 1980, o país viu o número das ondas de calor triplicar, além de se tornarem mais longas. Ao mesmo tempo, as chuvas durante o verão caíram de 10% a 20%, segundo levantamento do instituto Météo France.No Maciço Central, algumas áreas tiveram uma queda de até 40% das precipitações anuais, como foi o caso de 2022, ano de uma seca recorde. Estas alterações afetam diretamente a vegetação da montanha: algumas espécies migram para áreas mais altas e os pastos chegam a reduzir pela metade, com impacto direto na criação de gado e ovinos.Matthieu Bouchon explica de que modo essas mudanças na alimentação dos animais afetam, por sua vez, os queijos: "É diretamente ligado às moléculas presentes nos campos e flores. As do tipo terpeno são ingeridas pela vaca e transmitidas ao leite e, depois, aos queijos. São moléculas aromáticas, que dão o odor às flores e atraem os polinizadores, e que dão também gosto e odor aos queijos", detalha o pesquisador. "Outras moléculas, os carotenoides, estão presentes na grama fresca e fornecem a cor amarela ao queijo", complementa.Leia tambémRoquefort, queijo preferido de reis franceses, celebra 100 anos fiel a origens medievaisQuanto mais milho na alimentação, mais o queijo é 'pobre'Para contornar a menor abundância de pasto, alguns agricultores passaram a misturar ou aumentar as quantidades de milho e feno na alimentação do gado. O problema, mostrou a pesquisa, é que quanto menos pasto variado as vacas consomem, mais insosso será o queijo, tanto do ponto de vista gustativo quanto nutritivo. O cantal feito com o leite de vacas que só se alimentaram de milho tinha menos sabor, odor e cor, além de menos ômega 3."Eu espero que isso não nos leve a ter menos diversidade gastronômica. Sabemos que os produtores estão se adaptando, mas com estratégias diferentes", diz Bouchon."Por enquanto, o desenvolvimento do milho ainda é marginal nas montanhas e está ocorrendo mais entre os produtores de leite, e não de queijo, que tem características mais complexas. Mas não podemos excluir que em dez ou 20 anos, essas práticas não se disseminarão – e é por isso que é importante fazer esse tipo de pesquisa hoje", argumenta.O estudo, feito com a participação de representantes do setor, foi publicado na revista científica Journal of Dairy Science. Uma segunda parte da pesquisa, ainda em fase de análises, deverá esclarecer de que forma as mudanças na alimentação das vacas afeta a microbiologia intestinal dos consumidores.

This episode was recorded in Reno, Nevada for the 2025 Western Dairy Management Conference. Dr. Shabtai gives an overview of her presentation. Afimilk has a new technology that includes a feed efficiency sensor to determine eating, rumination, heat stress monitoring and more. The Feed Efficiency Service combined with the AfiCollar can estimate dry matter intake, which, when combined with Afimilk's milk meter data, yields an efficiency value of milk income over feed cost for each cow. She details how the algorithm works to predict intake and some of the challenges faced during the development of this technology. The algorithm was developed with Holsteins, but a Jersey algorithm is nearing completion. (5:33)Shane and Emily share some of their experiences with beta-testing the Feed Efficiency technology on-farm to evaluate, including animal-to-animal variation and variation in different stages of lactation. The panel discusses how genomics could pair with this data to aid in selection decisions. (9:21)Walt asks Dr. Shabtai to share how the company took the technology from research facilities to commercial farms, and asks Shane and Emily to share how the technology has proven itself on-farm. (13:11)Shane notes that they've had a handle on the milk side of the efficiency equation of individual cows for a while, but they didn't know much about the feed intake side of the equation. This technology allows for that. Shane also shares how this technology adds another tool to their dairy's sustainability toolbox.  (18:50)Walt asks both producers to share a metric that they thought was important before, but now that we have more knowledge and technology, it might not be as important as they thought. Shane's pick is starch level in corn silage, and Emily's is percent pregnant by 150 days in milk. (21:18)Dr. Shabtai shares the basics that a producer would need to implement this technology. She details a few things that have changed and will change about the product based on data from beta testing and notes there are always new things to see and find on-farm. (22:59)Scott asks Shane and Emily what metric they'd like to measure that they can't measure yet. Shane wonders if there would be a way for AI to compile weather and market data to assist with milk or feedstuff contracting decisions. Emily would like to be able to use more on-farm technology to help manage people. She shares how the data she has now allows her to see different improvements that could be implemented for different milking shifts. Shane talks about need-to-know information versus neat-to-know information. (26:35)The panel discusses how the technology is updated through software rather than hardware when new versions are available. They also share some tips for implementing the software on-farm. Walt asks each panelist their “I wonder if…” question. (29:58)The panel wraps up with their take-home thoughts, and Dr. Shabtai shares where farmers can learn more about Afimilk's feed efficiency technology by visiting afimilk.com. (36:49)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 was recorded at the 2025 Western Dairy Management Conference in Reno, Nevada. Dr. Sabine Mann, Cornell University; Dr. Will Mustas, Progressive Dairy Solutions; Dr. Don Niles, Dairy Dreams LLC; and Joey Airosa, Airosa Dairy Farms, introduce themselves. (0:48)Dr. Mann outlines the high points of her presentation. Giving an adequate amount of high-quality colostrum quickly after birth is essential to equip the calf with the best chances to stay healthy. Colostrum is more than a solution of water and immunoglobulins, and we are continuing to learn more about other nutrients and growth factors that colostrum contains. (12:03)Dr. Niles and Mr. Airosa talk about colostrum and maternity protocols on their dairies. Each has dedicated maternity staff in charge of postnatal calf care. Don mentions they often have public tours of their dairy and shares some anecdotes. Joey's maternity staff try to get colostrum in calves within 30 minutes of birth and have worked out a good communication system to ensure seamless calf care when shift changes occur. (13:57)Dr. Mann emphasizes the timing of colostrum delivery is critical. But what about the amount? Should every calf get four liters? Joey notes they bottle feed and have settled on three quarts for Holstein calves and two quarts for Jersey calves. Sabine says research backs that up - calves will not voluntarily drink much more than 3-3.5 liters. Using esophageal feeders to give four liters could be overfeeding in some cases, which could cause slower emptying of the stomach and thus slower arrival and uptake of immunoglobulins at the small intestine. The four liter recommendation came from the idea that good quality colostrum probably had about 50 grams per liter of IgG, and at that time, we wanted to get 200 grams into the calf. Perhaps making a sheet with recommended amounts based on calf weights could be helpful for maternity staff.  Dr. Mann also clarifies that the 50 grams per liter of IgG is not really good quality colostrum. Most herds average about 90-100 grams per liter of IgG in colostrum. She recommends every farm find out how good their colostrum is and optimize feeding amounts from there. (22:45)Dr. Mann notes the importance of making sure dry cows are not deficient in protein supply and ensuring the dry period is long enough to create high-quality colostrum. While it's commonly thought older cows have better colostrum than young cows, she underlines again the importance of measuring colostrum quality to know for sure. She also highly recommends measuring colostrum quality from individual cows before pooling so that poor colostrum does not dilute good colostrum. (31:04)Dr. Mustas shares some of the challenges he's seeing on dairies where he consults. What can we do to control the bacteriological quality of colostrum? He notes there's no reason we can't get very low bacteria counts pre-pasteurization. Making sure maternity areas are clean and sanitary, udders are prepped very well, and harvesting equipment is not neglected are all great strategies. (35:53)Dr. Mann talks about individual cow variation in colostrum production and some factors that might influence including placental interactions, hormones, and genetics. (38:04)Scott and Sabine discuss some of the research around supplementing with choline during the dry period and subsequent colostrum production. (41:28)Dr. Niles comments that pasteurization of colostrum has been one of the most exciting technologies to come along. On his farm, the pasteurizer has given them much more control over colostrum quality and delivery time. Dr. Mann agrees storage of colostrum has given dairies the ability to be strategic about how they use colostrum, what colostrum they use, and to also plan for seasonal colostrum shortages. She agrees with Dr. Mustas that clean colostrum harvesting equipment is key to low bacterial counts. (44:13)Dr. Mustas talks about how the beef-on-dairy phenomenon has altered colostrum protocols. Calf ranches are giving deductions for poor colostrum scores when calves are received. Some operations even offer premiums or discounts on daily yardage depending on individual calf colostrum scores. (50:21)Joey, Don, and Sabine comment on the importance of finding the right people to work in maternity and instilling the idea that taking care of cows and calves is both a great responsibility and a great honor. (52:56)The panel wraps up with their take-home thoughts. (58:31)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 was recorded at the 2025 Western Dairy Management Conference in Reno, Nevada. Gregg Doud, National Milk Producers Federation, begins with an overview of his talk regarding recent and ongoing investments in the dairy industry. Dan Siemers, Siemers Holsteins, notes they were able to build a new dairy and find a new milk market because Agropur built a new plant in their area. Corey Geiger, CoBank, describes that the US is approaching $9 billion of new investment in dairy plants coming online through 2027, over half of that in cheese. High-quality whey protein isolates are in equal demand as cheese, so that has been a large part of the investment as well. He mentions investment in class one beverage milk and extended shelf life, as well as growth in yogurt and Greek yogurt. The panel also discusses milk in schools.  (1:35)Corey talks about the generational change on dairy farms regarding components. Dan mentions that in one generation, you can increase the fat percentage by 0.4 using bulls available today. The focus on pounds of fat and protein plus health traits has resulted in somewhat less milk. Dan feels that the industry needs to focus a bit more on pounds of milk as a carrier to get protein back in the business. Some plants indicate there might almost be too much fat, so a focus on protein pounds may be in order. (11:03)Corey states that 92% of dairy farmers get paid on multiple component pricing, and 90% of that milk check is butter fat and protein. While some cheese plants don't quite need all the butter fat that's coming from dairy farms, it's important to note that we are still not filling our butter fat needs domestically. There are definitely opportunities in the butter sector. The panel discusses some shuffling in domestic processing might also be needed to better use the sweet cream that's available. (13:01)Scott asks about export markets in developing countries. Gregg mentions that many Central American dairy products contain vegetable oil, so there is a lot of potential there. Corey agrees and states there is also similar potential in the Middle East and North Africa. He also notes that lack of refrigeration is still an issue in some parts of the world, so shelf-stable products are critical. Gregg mentions that drinkable yogurts are in demand in Latin America. (18:29)The panel dives into the way beef on dairy has changed the industry. Dan notes the baby calf market has been a huge profit center, where the dairy can essentially break even and the calves provide the profit. This may be creating a challenge where a lot of dairies aren't creating enough replacement dairy heifers. (23:16)Data and how we use it is the next topic the group discusses. Gregg shares a story of an MIT grad who is developing an artificial intelligence algorithm to combine cow genetics with different diet ingredients and feed additives to decrease methane production while improving cow productivity. (28:49)The panelists close out the episode with their take-home messages. Corey gives listeners a look at the impact of the domestic dairy market. Dan shares the sustainability story and climate impact of the dairy industry will continue to be important. Gregg is excited about new technologies, but asks for assistance in working with the federal government to get those technologies approved at the speed of commerce. The panel also discusses the impacts of tariffs on agriculture and how dairy farmers need to be communicating with their members of Congress. (32:56)Please reach out to your Congress members. Start the conversation, and  help them understand!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.

DSD 6.3 | Big Picture Management Decisions Matter Timeless dairy management decisions, such as voluntary waiting period & days dry, have recently been the topic of interest across the globe. Scrutiny to illuminate the ideal to maximize productive life has left the industry questioning convention.   Michael Overton, DVM at Zoetis worked with co-author Steve Eicker to tease out the answers to these questions from a a massive dataset of 109,000 cows across 60 herds nationwide. This retrospective, observational research project was recently published in the Journal of Dairy Science titled, “Associations between days open and dry period length versus milk production, replacement, and fertility in the subsequent lactation in Holstein dairy cows”. All dairymen should pause to determine the unintended consequences of their management decisions on optimal performance and ultimately the economic success of the herd. Listen in to learn ways to apply concepts from this project to your operation. Topics of discussion 1:33       Introduction of Dr. Overton 2:54       Difference between association vs causation 4:28       Description of data set 4:51       Genomic testing, background 6:31       Advising herds on selection indices DWP$ 10:02     Different measurements collected – carry over impact of days dry and days open 11:50     Figure 4: Impact of previous days open and previous days dry on cumulative milk 14:04     Risk of replacement and impact of mastitis 18:05     How many sins is a dairyman willing to forgive? 19:46    What does your data say for optimal VWP 22:27     Twin events or sex of calf 24:59     Figure 7: Risk of pregnancy   28:46     What do you want Boots on the Ground dairy producers to gain from the project?  Featured Article: Associations between days open and dry period length versus milk production, replacement, and fertility in the subsequent lactation in Holstein dairy cows #2xAg2030; #journalofdairyscience; #openaccess; #MODAIRY; #daysdry; #milk; #previousdaysopen; #VWP; #daysdry; #DWP$; #Zoetis; #dairysciencedigest; #ReaganBluel; 

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, we honor and celebrate the remarkable career and contributions of Dr. Jim Drackley from the University of Illinois, a pioneer in dairy science and animal nutrition. Jim's work has reshaped our understanding of dairy cow health, metabolism and nutrition. Dr. Cardoso, Dr. Overton, and co-host Dr. Jeff Elliott are former coworkers or graduate students of Dr. Drackley's. (0:11)Dr. Drackley begins by telling the audience about his background and how he became a dairy scientist. He talks about several of his mentors during his schooling. (9:20)Speaking of mentors, Scott asks Dr. Elliot, Dr. Overton, and Dr. Cardoso to describe Dr. Drackley's mentorship of them during teaching, graduate school and beyond. They praise Jim's thoughtfulness and hands-off approach that taught them to think critically. (14:06)When it comes to major contributions to the industry, Dr. Drackley names two that he is most proud of: expanding the knowledge of controlled energy dry cow programs using straw and corn silage to help control energy intake and his work in baby calf nutrition, specifically feeding more milk on-farm to calves. Dr. Overton adds that a visionary paper Dr. Drackley wrote in the late 1990s where he referred to the transition period as the final frontier as another important contribution. Dr. Cardoso also emphasizes Dr. Drackley's excellent teaching skills as another achievement of note. (20:58)Dr. Drackley says the teaching part of the job was the part that scared him the most when he started. Graduate school offers little formal teaching training and experience so one learns on the job. Jim describes his teaching style as organized, and he liked teaching in an outline fashion, working from the main topic down through the details. He worked hard to get to know the students, learn their names as soon as possible, and be approachable and empathetic. Later in his career, he used a flipped classroom approach for a lactation biology course and enjoyed it. (28:45)The panel then reminisces about how much technology has changed from a teaching perspective as well as statistical analysis. Lecturing has moved from chalkboard to overhead projector to slide carousel to PowerPoint. Statistical analysis has moved from punch cards or sending data to a mainframe computer to performing real-time statistical analysis on your computer at your desk. (33:00)Jeff, Phil, and Tom share stories and memories of their time with Jim. (37:30)Scott asks Jim what challenges will need to be tackled in the future in the dairy industry. He lists environmental aspects (nitrogen, phosphorus, and greenhouse gases), increasing economic pressure on farms, and improving forage production and efficiency of nutrient use. Dr. Drackley's advice for young researchers is to carve out a niche for yourself. (47:40)Dr. Elliott, Dr. Overton, and Dr. Cardoso share some final thoughts paying tribute to Dr. Drackley and his accomplished career. (1:06:18)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, we revisit our conversation with Dr. Jim Drackley, professor of Animal Sciences at the University of Illinois, who approaches the nuances of controlled energy diets versus higher energy diets, discussing their effects on liver inflammation, rumen health, and overall post-partum performance. Listen now on your favorite platform!"Higher energy diets seem to upregulate inflammation-related genes in the liver, which can affect overall productivity."Meet the guest: Dr. Jim Drackley is a Professor of Animal Sciences at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where he has been teaching and conducting research for over 35 years. He holds a Ph.D. in Nutritional Physiology from Iowa State University, as well as an M.S. and B.S. in Dairy Science from South Dakota State University.What will you learn: (00:00) Highlight(00:55) Introduction(02:11) Controlled energy vs. high energy(04:11) Inflammation linked to higher starch(04:59) Controlled energy diets(06:31) Recommendations for nutritionists(09:14) Balancing protein in diets(10:33) Closing thoughtsThe Dairy Nutrition Blackbelt Podcast is trusted and supported by the innovative companies:* Adisseo- Evonik- Volac- Kemin- Virtus Nutrition

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.How can we increase milk protein and capture that income opportunity? Dr. Van Amburgh describes the seasonal drop in milk protein observed in the summer months. Heat stress may play a role in altering insulin sensitivity and how the cow partitions nutrients. What can we do to avoid that seasonal decline in milk protein?  (0:01)Simple things like cooling, fans, and sprinklers can reduce heat stress and increase cow comfort. Dr. Van Amburgh recommends promoting dry matter intake and lying time, with feed available 21-22 hours per day and more than 12 hours of lying time per day. (5:27)Dr. Van Amburgh discusses basic formulation considerations for amino acid balancing including current feed chemical analyses that include NDF digestibility, characterizing the cows appropriately by using accurate body weights, understanding DMI and making sure actual milk lines up with ME and MP allowable milk, assessing body condition changes, and understanding the first limiting nutrient of milk production. Areas where mistakes are often made include using much lighter body weights than actual to formulate rations, not using actual DMI, and using feed library values instead of actual feed chemistry. (8:00)Milk protein percentage and dietary energy are closely aligned. This is often attributed to ruminal fermentation and microbial yield. Sugars, starches, and digestible fiber sources drive microbial yield. While protein and energy metabolism are considered to be separate, that is an artificial divide and they should be considered together. Once adequate energy for protein synthesis is available, providing more dietary protein or amino acids can increase protein synthesis further. Dr. Van Amburgh provides some ranges of target fermentable non-structural carbohydrates, starch, sugar and soluble fiber appropriate for early peak and mid-lactation cows. He speaks about the benefits of adding sugars to the diet instead of trying to continue to increase starch. (11:15)Dr. Van Amburgh details an experiment using more byproduct feeds in a lactation diet to successfully increase intake and subsequently, milk protein content. (24:04)Milk protein increases with higher DCAD in diets, independent of protein level. Increasing DCAD can also lead to increased DMI, probably through better fiber digestion. The mechanism is not completely understood, but perhaps some rumen microbes have a higher requirement for potassium. In another study, feeding higher DCAD resulted in an 11% increase in milk protein yield and a 26% increase in milk fat yield. (32:39)Feeding fatty acids may also improve milk protein via insulin signaling pathways. A 5.6% increase in milk protein was observed when the ratio of palmitic acid to oleic acid was around 1.5:1. (36:21)Dr. Van Amburgh encourages the audience to pay close attention to digestibility of dietary ingredients and shares an analysis of ten different sources of feather meal that varied in digestibility from around 50% up to 75%. (40:10)Dr. Van Amburgh details an experiment targeting optimum methionine and lysine levels for improved milk protein. In an example with 60 Mcals of ME in the diet, the targets were 71 grams of methionine and 193 grams of lysine. (42:00)Questions from the webinar audience were addressed. They included information about the best type of sugars to add to diets, if protozoa are preferentially retained in the rumen, BMR vs conventional corn silage, amino acid supply when dietary crude protein is around 14-15%, using metabolizable energy instead of net energy, variability of animal protein blends, and methionine to lysine ratios. (48:23)To end this podcast, Dr. Jose Santos steps in to invite everyone to the Florida Ruminant Nutrition Symposium in Gainesville held February 24-26.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 study, two basal diets were fed, one low-fat and one high-fat. The low-fat diet contained cottonseed meal and cottonseed hulls and the high-fat diet contained whole cottonseed. This balanced fiber and protein to try and make the difference between the basal diets and just the fatty acids. Basal diets were supplemented with two different fat supplements that had different ratios of palmitic and oleic acids. The applied question at hand was “Does fat need to be supplemented to a high-fat basal diet?” (5:32)The low-fat diet contained 1.93% fatty acids and the high-fat diet contained 3.15% fatty acids. Fatty acid supplements were fed at 1.5% of dry matter and replaced soyhulls. The palmitic acid supplement contained 80% palmitic acid and 10% oleic acid. The palmitic + oleic acid supplement contained 60% palmitic acid and 30% oleic acid. Thirty-six cows were used in a split-plot Latin square design, with half the cows on each basal diet. Under each split-plot, cows were allocated to a 3x3 Latin square, evaluating a control treatment (no fat supplement), palmitic acid supplement, and palmitic + oleic acid supplement. (8:46)Bill, Adam, and Clay discuss the increase in milk components the industry has experienced recently due to the powerful combination of genetics and nutrition. Hoard's Dairyman reported that 2024 was the first year that the U.S. had averaged over 4% milk fat going back to 1924 when records began. (13:01)Both fat supplements increased milk yield in low-fat and high-fat basal diets, but the magnitude of the increase was larger in the low-fat diet. The high palmitic acid diet increased milk yield more in cows fed the low-fat basal diet than the palmitic + oleic supplement did. High-fat basal diet cows had similar milk yield responses to both fatty acid supplements. The panel discusses the industry emphasis on milk components and if/when a threshold in performance might happen given the advancement of genomics and nutrition. (15:51)Clay asks Adam to remind the listeners about the relationship between fatty acids and crude fat or ether extract. Adam recommends moving away from ether extract and focusing solely on fatty acid content. Bill, Adam, and Clay talk about the variability in the fatty acid content of various feedstuffs. (25:33)Bill asks if the feed efficiency improvement with the fat supplementation was due to more of a gross energy or digestible/metabolizable energy effect. Adam suggests it may be a little of both. The diet is more energy-dense, but we also know now that some of those specific fatty acids have specific effects. Improvements in NDF digestibility are consistently observed with palmitic acid supplementation. Oleic acid improves fatty acid absorption and has an impact on adipose tissue metabolism and insulin sensitivity. Bill and Adam go on to talk more philosophically about the best way to measure feed efficiency in dairy cows. (29:02)If Adam could do this experiment over again, he would have pushed the basal fat levels a bit more and had both lower-producing and higher-producing cows in the experiment. This leads to a discussion of how the results might have differed if distiller grains or soybeans were used instead of cottonseed in the experiment. Listeners should be careful not to extrapolate the results from this experiment to other fat sources. (33:55)Adam emphasizes that we shouldn't be afraid of feeding high-fat diets, either basal or supplemental fatty acids, especially to high-producing cows. We should be very mindful about where those fatty acids are coming from. We could provide the same nutrients by feeding either cottonseed or distillers grains, but how those ingredients feed out could be very different. (38:38)In summary, Clay agrees we should take a fresh look at how much fat we're feeding cows in basal diets and underlines the importance of the source of supplemental fatty acids. Bill concurs and commends Adam's group for basically making cottonseed without fat in the low-fat basal diet, which allowed for very clean interpretations of the fatty acid supplement results. Adam underlines that we can feed higher fat diets, but the fatty acid profile of all of those ingredients we might use is going to be key. In addition to fatty acids in diets and supplements, de novo synthesis of milk fat from acetate is the other half of the equation. Bringing those together might be a strategy to keep up with genetic improvements and drive higher milk fat yield. (47:43)You can find this episode's journal club paper from JDS Communications here: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666910223001114Please 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.Feeding rumen-protected choline in early lactation has consistently increased milk yield and energy-corrected milk yield, which is more pronounced when cows are fed diets low in metabolizable methionine. Choline feeding also increases milk fat and protein yield, minimizes body condition loss in early lactation, and reduces postpartum disease incidence. Dr. McFadden presents three topics about choline biology in the dairy cow. (01:45)Why should we consider fatty acid feeding when feeding methyl donors like choline and methionine?Choline degradation in the rumen and small intestine, focusing on the role of triethylamine oxide Why should we consider lysophosphatidylcholine as an immunomodulator in fresh cows and preweaning calves?Fatty acid nutrition to optimize methyl donor efficiency. (4:02)Fatty liver is a concern for fresh cows because of its relationship with ketosis, poor fertility and compromised milk production. Cows with fatty liver exhibit low circulating concentrations of phosphatidylcholine, which is a component of very low-density lipoproteins (VLDL) that transport triglycerides out of the liver. Feeding rumen-protected choline lowers liver triglyceride deposition by supporting the synthesis of phosphatidylcholine and thus, VLDL. Dr. McFadden goes on to explain the two different pathways for phosphatidylcholine in the liver and how those interact with fatty acid metabolism. He describes several experiments that have investigated how rumen-protected choline and supplemental fatty acids interact in lactating cows. Low phosphatidylcholine supply is a key feature of fatty liver in dairy cows, likely due to low polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) and low choline supplies. Delivery of post-ruminal PUFA may support phosphatidylcholine synthesis with accompanying improvements in insulin sensitivity, body condition maintenance, and inflammation, but interactions with dietary fatty acid digestibility should be considered. Dr. McFadden gives a list of considerations for fresh cow diets incorporating fat and choline supplementation. Gastrointestinal choline degradation and trimethylamine N-oxide (TMAO)  (16:58)Unprotected choline is almost totally degraded in the rumen. Microbes convert choline into trimethylamine (TMA) which is then converted to TMAO in the liver. Rumen-protected choline allows for a large proportion of choline to reach the small intestine intact. However, research shows that choline can also be degraded by microbes in the small intestine in the same pathway, limiting choline bioavailability. Plasma TMAO accumulation is associated with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, inflammation, insulin resistance, obesity, oxidative stress, and cardiovascular disease in rodent and human models. Little research was available regarding if the relationship between TMAO and poor health was causative or just associative. Dr. McFadden's lab infused cows intravenously with TMAO and found that TMAO did not modify milk production or glucose tolerance in early lactation cows.  TMAO does not appear to influence energy metabolism or health in early lactation cows. Choline is subject to both ruminal and lower-gut degradation to TMA, and that influence on choline bioavailability needs to be defined. Data in non-ruminants suggests that unsaturated fatty acid feeding can shift the gut microbes to slow TMA formation. Lysophosphatidylcholine and immunomodulation (28:45)Dr. McFadden gives an overview of neutrophil activation and the oxidative burst that contributes to pathogen killing. The ability to elicit the oxidative burst is diminished in pre-weaned calves and transition cows. When cows were given endotoxin to cause an immune response, circulating lysophosphatidylcholine was decreased. In rodent models, lysophosphatidylcholine promotes the oxidative burst and suppresses long-term inflammation in response to bacterial infection. Dr. McFadden cultured neutrophils from pre-weaned calves with lysophosphatidylcholine and observed an enhanced oxidative burst.Immunosuppression is characterized by low circulating lysophosphatidylcholine concentrations in dairy cows. In  vitro data suggests lysophosphatidylcholine can activate neutrophils, and rumen-protected choline increases circulating lysophosphatidylcholine. Future research is likely to define an immunomodulatory role for choline. Dr. McFadden takes questions from the webinar audience. (38:07)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. Hernandez recently presented a Real Science Lecture series webinar on this topic. You can find the link at balchem.com/realscience.Dr. Hernandez begins with an overview of how she came to study calcium metabolism in the mammary gland. Over the past number of years, she has worked on research to manipulate what's happening in the mammary gland in the prepartum period to ensure adequate endocrine, nutritional, reproductive, and immunological status. (5:55)The panelists discuss how “normal” has changed when it comes to transition cow health. Dr. Overton reminds listeners that 25 years ago, 6-8% of fresh cows in a herd having clinical milk fever was pretty typical. Now, we accept none of that. Subclinical hypocalcemia was not on the radar then, and we thought we had calcium all figured out. Dr. Hernandez's work shows that this was not the case. She is pleased that a synergism of producers, veterinarians, and academics have been working together to understand the mechanisms of calcium metabolism to find solutions for individual farms based on their situation. (9:22)Dr. Hernandez then discusses various interventions used in the industry, including low-potassium diets, negative DCAD diets, and zeolite clays. The clays are new to the US, and it seems that they work primarily through a phosphorus reduction mechanism and are best limited to feeding 10-14 days pre-calving. (18:14)Dr. Overton asks Dr. Hernandez about a point in her webinar that cows are in negative calcium balance through 150-200 days in milk. She confirms that there are approximately 8.5 kilograms of calcium in the bones of a cow, but we don't know how much of that she loses each lactation. Her dream scenario would be a CT scanner large enough to fit a dairy cow in to evaluate how her bones change throughout lactation. This leads to a discussion of whether or not we should be including higher rates of calcium in dairy cow diets. Dr. Hernandez would like to learn more about what's happening with calcium absorption in the gut in real-time with endocrine status and stage of lactation, which is a challenging task. (23:17)Co-host, Dr. Jeff Elliott, asks if the reason multiparous cows are more prone to milk fever is because they're not as efficient at calcium resorption to the bone. Dr. Hernandez doesn't have a definitive answer, but it could be due to less effective gut absorption with age, or it may be related to the influence of estrogen on bone density. She also mentions it could be endocrine-controlled or even stem cell-related.  (28:59)Dr. Hernandez's hypothesis has always been that you have to have a calcium decrease to trigger the negative feedback loop involved in calcium metabolism. Her advice is to wait until 48 hours to take a blood sample to analyze calcium. This aligns well with epidemiological research on the veterinarian side regarding delayed, persistent, transient, and normal hypocalcemic animals. (33:04)Dr. Overton asks about a calcium-chelation study that Dr. Hernandez's group conducted and whether or not chelating calcium had an impact on colostrum production. It did not in that experiment. Dr. Hernandez was surprised at how much chelating agent was needed to overcome the draw of the mammary gland, but that further underlines how much of a priority lactation is in metabolism. (41:45)Scott asks both panelists their views on what the priority should be for research in this area. Dr. Hernandez's ideas include more research on how zeolite clays work biologically, finding out what's happening in the gut, mammary gland, and bone of a dairy cow at different stages of lactation. She emphasizes that research should be conducted at different stages rather than just extrapolating from one stage to another because lactation is incredibly dynamic. Dr. Overton seconded the idea of a better understanding of zeolite clays and their feeding recommendations, as well as research defining what happens to and where all the calcium is pulled from the bone during lactation. (45:32) In closing, Jeff, Tom, and Laura share their take-home thoughts. Jeff is excited to learn more about how zeolite clays work and if other products may come to the forefront to help in calcium metabolism management. Tom commends Laura on her work and how it has dovetailed so well with the epidemiological research from the veterinary side. Laura reminds listeners that the mammary gland is running the show and is thrilled that her work as a basic scientist is having an applied impact on the dairy industry. (51:17)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.

Please note the recording was before the new NASEM model was released. However, there is still a lot of good information from Dr. Weiss beyond those recommendations. 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.Most ration formulation software uses the 2001 NRC mineral equations. The basic concept of the 2001 NRC mineral requirements is to feed enough absorbable minerals to maintain adequate labile body stores and fluid concentrations. Minerals are lost each day via excretion in feces and urine, milk production, and incorporation into tissues or the fetus in the case of growing or pregnant animals. We have decent data to predict mineral concentrations of milk, growth, and the fetus; however, the endogenous loss in feces is much harder to capture. Absorption coefficients (AC) for most minerals are exceedingly difficult to measure. (0:29)The NRC requirements are the means of several experiments. Feeding to the mean results in half the cows being fed adequately or in excess, and half are not fed enough. In human nutrition, recommended daily allowances for vitamins and minerals are calculated as the mean plus two standard deviations, which statistically meets the requirement for 97% of the population. Since the standard deviation of the requirement is hard to acquire, human nutrition uses the same standard deviation for energy metabolism, around 20%. Dr. Weiss feels this is a reasonable safety factor for minerals for animals as well. He recommends feeding about 1.2 times the NRC requirement while keeping an eye on the maximum tolerable limit for the mineral in question. (4:59)How do we measure absorption? We measure the minerals in the diet, we apply AC, and we get grams or milligrams of absorbed minerals available for the animal to use. Dr. Weiss details some of the complex methodology involved in trying to obtain AC. Feces contain not only unabsorbed dietary minerals but also endogenous/metabolic minerals (e.g., intestinal cells, enzymes, etc.) and homeostatic excretion of minerals (e.g., dumping excess minerals). In the 2001 NRC, the endogenous fecal for almost every mineral is a function of body weight, which is incorrect. It should be a function of dry matter intake. (8:40)Endogenous fecal losses can also be measured using stable or radioactive isotopes. This method is extremely expensive and if radioactive isotopes are used, management of radioactive waste becomes an issue. Thus, most of the AC for trace minerals that used these methods are 50-60 years old. (15:33)Dr. Weiss details some of the issues with calcium requirements in the 2001 NRC leading to overestimation of calcium absorption for many calcium sources and overestimation of the maintenance requirement due to endogenous fecal being calculated using body weight. Organic and inorganic phosphorus have different AC, so partitioning between organic and inorganic will give a more accurate estimate of the requirement. (16:33)Potassium has a linear antagonistic effect on magnesium. You can feed more magnesium to overcome this antagonism, but you won't ever eliminate it. If you feed a few percent added fat as long-chain fatty acids, Dr. Weiss recommends feeding 10-20% more magnesium to account for soap formation in the rumen. (19:17)It's much more difficult to measure AC for trace minerals due to multiple antagonists, interactions among different minerals, and regulated absorption. In addition, AC for trace minerals is very low, which means a small change in the AC can have a huge impact on diet formulation. All feeds in the NRC system have the same AC for each trace mineral and we know that's not right.  (25:39)Dr. Weiss gives an overview of different trace mineral antagonisms and interactions and details his approach to formulation if he has absorption data for a particular ingredient. He also gives his estimates of revised AC for several minerals. (28:07)In summary, the factorial NRC approach only fits 50% of the population. Feeding an extra 10-20% above the NRC requirement includes about 97% of the population. We need to continue to account for more sources of variation in AC. Interactions need to be top of mind when considering mineral requirements and diet formulation. (37:39)Dr. Weiss takes a series of questions from the webinar audience. (40:50)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.

Today we connect with Todd Riley Callaway to discuss microbiome and dairy science-related issues. Todd is an Associate Professor in the Department of Animal and Dairy Science at the University of Georgia, where he unravels “the microbial ecology of the gut in food animals, and how this can affect foodborne pathogenic bacterial populations as well as antimicrobial resistance transfer.” Todd grew up on a small horse, dairy, and beef farm, and pursued a career path as a ruminant microbiologist as an undergraduate at the University of Georgia. Since receiving his B.S. and M.S. degrees in Animal and Dairy Science in 1993 and 1996, Todd has gone on to research topics related to the microbial population of the gastrointestinal tract of animals – seeking to improve animal health, animal welfare, and food safety. Click play to hear Todd discuss: How microbes across various ecosystems interact with each other. Why it is difficult to understand what good and bad microbiome really is. How microbial populations affect meat quality. Want to find out more about Todd and his work with animal and dairy science? Click here now! Episode also available on Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3bO8R6q

In this episode of The Dairy Podcast Show, Dr. Geoffrey Dahl from the University of Florida tackles key topics for aspiring dairy cattle professionals. From mentoring the next generation to addressing workforce demands and educational opportunities, Dr. Dahl highlights the evolving roles and career paths in production and allied sectors. Discover how to align your passion with rewarding opportunities in this ever-evolving field. Tune in on your favorite platform today!"Don't be afraid to take a step into a new opportunity. With hard work and persistence, you'll have nothing to worry about."Meet the guest: Dr. Geoffrey E. Dahl is the Harriet B. Weeks Professor in the Department of Animal Sciences at the University of Florida, Gainesville, and Director of the USAID Feed the Future Livestock Systems Innovation Lab. He previously served as Chair of the Department for 12 years, connecting the university with livestock producers and allied industries in Florida. Geoff has received numerous awards, including the Award of Honor from ADSA.What you'll learn:(00:00) Highlight(01:12) Introduction(05:00) Mentoring career paths(08:11) Student demographics(12:41) Exploring industry roles(16:19) Academic persistence tips(17:52) Master's & PhD(26:34) Closing thoughtsThe Dairy Podcast Show is trusted and supported by innovative companies like:* Adisseo- ICC- Diamond V- Volac- SmaXtec- Acepsis- Berg + Schmidt- Trouw Nutrition- Protekta- Natural Biologics- Scoular- Priority IAC- dsm-firmenich

In this episode of The Dairy Nutrition Blackbelt Podcast, Dr. Melissa Cantor from Penn State University breaks down nutrition strategies to boost calf health and performance. She explores the impact of early life management practices, including pair housing, colostrum feeding for older calves, and effective weaning strategies to help calves stay healthy. If you want practical advice for healthier, more productive dairy calves, tune in now on all major platforms!"Pairing calves early in life leads to better growth and intake, especially when they're paired within two weeks of age."Meet the guest: Dr. Melissa Cantor is an Assistant Professor in Precision Dairy Science at Penn State University, specializing in dairy calf and heifer management, nutrition, and precision livestock farming. She earned her Ph.D. in Dairy Science from the University of Kentucky, following her Master's degree in Dairy Management from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Click here to read the full research article!What will you learn: (00:00) Highlight(01:21) Introduction(02:55) Benefits of calf pairing(04:33) Colostrum intervention(07:27) Nutritional strategies(11:36) Robotic milk feeders(13:28) Early life disease effects(16:18) Closing thoughtsThe Dairy Nutrition Blackbelt Podcast is trusted and supported by the innovative companies:* Adisseo- Virtus Nutrition- Evonik- Volac

In this episode of The Pet Food Science Podcast Show, Louise Calderwood, Director of Regulatory Affairs at the American Feed Industry Association, takes a closer look at the modernization of pet food labels. She shares key updates, important timelines, and what these changes mean for consumers, veterinarians, and manufacturers. Learn how the new regulations are designed to boost transparency, support pet health, and tackle industry challenges. Tune in to this engaging and informative episode, available now on all major platforms!"Regulatory updates in pet food labeling aim to ensure consistency nationwide, reducing consumer confusion and improving product transparency across state lines."Meet the guest: Louise Calderwood earned her M.S. in Dairy Science from Virginia Tech and her B.S. in Dairy Science from the University of Vermont. With over 30 years of expertise in animal health, regulatory affairs, and agricultural policy, she now serves as Director of Regulatory Affairs at the American Feed Industry Association. What will you learn:(00:00) Highlight(01:07) Introduction(03:12) AAFCO & regulatory updates(05:35) Pet food label(07:48) Label modernization(12:57) Dietary vs. crude fiber(20:44) Labeling challenges & solutions(21:27) Final QuestionsThe Pet Food Science Podcast Show is trusted and supported by innovative companies like:* Kemin* Trouw Nutrition- Biorigin- Corbion- ICC- Scoular- ProAmpac- EW Nutrition- Alura- Symrise

Join Jim Salfer and Fred Hall as they sit down with Dr. Jeffrey Bewley and discuss how conformation relates to Holstein milk production and lifespan.Dr. Jeffrey Bewley is from Rineyville, Kentucky where he grew up working on his grandfather's dairy farm. Bewley received a B.S. in Animal Science from the University of Kentucky in 1998. In 2000, he completed his M.S. in Dairy Science at the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a focus on dairy modernization. His PhD work at Purdue University focused on the application and economics of precision dairy farming technologies. For 9.5 years, Bewley was on the faculty at the University of Kentucky as an Extension Dairy Specialist. He has also worked with IceRobotics, PerforMix Nutrition, BoviSync, and Alltech.Dr. Bewley recently did a webinar with I-29 Moo U and that recording can be found on our website, https://i-29moou.com/webinars.Thank you to our I-29 Moo University sponsors! Information about our sponsors can be found on our website www.i-29moou.com.

Dr. Weiss and Dr. St-Pierre co-authored this episode's journal club paper in Applied Animal Science (ARPAS Journal). Bill and Normand share a career-long interest in how feedstuffs and diet variation impact cows. (6:31)Bill and Normand discuss sources of variation, which they divide into true variation and observer variation. True variation means the feed has changed: a different field, change during storage, etc. Observer variation includes sampling variation and analytical variation. Some feeds may exhibit a lot of true variation and others may exhibit a lot of observer variation. And some feeds are high in both types of variation. Highly variable feeds should be sampled more frequently. Some feeds are so consistent that using book values makes more sense than sending in samples for analysis. Bill and Normand go on to give some examples and share sampling and analysis tips for different types of feedstuffs. (12:41)Bill would often be asked if users should continue to average new samples with older ones or just use the new numbers from the most recent sample. He and Normand debate the pros and cons of the two approaches as well as discuss the use of a weighted average where recent samples would be weighted to contribute more. (26:02)Next, our guests discuss how multiple sources of a nutrient reduce the TMR variation for that specific nutrient. For example, alfalfa NDF is more variable than corn silage NDF on average. Yet if you use a blend of these two ingredients, you end up with less variation in NDF than if you used all corn silage. Normand details the mathematical concepts behind this relationship. Both Bill and Normand emphasize that diets must be made correctly for the best results. (32:26)How do feedstuffs and diet variations impact cows? Both guests describe different experiments with variable protein and NDF concentrations in diets. Some were structured, like alternating 11% CP one day and 19% CP the next for three weeks. Some were random, like randomly alternating the NDF over a range of 20-29% with much higher variation than we'd ever see on-farm. The common thread for all these experiments is that the diet variations had almost no impact on the milk production of the cows. (38:04)Clay asks how variation in dry matter might affect cows. Bill describes an experiment where the dry matter of silage was decreased by 10 units by adding water. Cows were fed the wet silage for three days, twice during a three-week study. To ensure feed was never limited, more as-fed feed was added when the wet silage was fed. It took a day for cows on the wet silage treatment to have the same dry matter intake (DMI) as the control cows and milk production dropped when DMI was lower. However, when switching abruptly back to the dry silage diet, DMI increased the day following the wet silage and stayed high for two days, so the cows made up for the lost milk production. Bill and Normand underline that it is critical for the cows not to run out of feed and described experiments where feed was more limiting, yielding less desirable outcomes. (46:17)In the last part of the paper, our guests outlined seven research questions that they feel need to be answered. Normand shares that his number one question is how long will cows take to respond to a change in the major nutrients? He feels that we spend an inordinate amount of money on feedstuffs analysis, and there are some feeds we should analyze more and some feeds we should quit analyzing. Bill's primary research question revolves around controlled variation. What happens if you change the ratio of corn silage and alfalfa once a week? Will that stimulate intake? Data from humans, pets, and zoo animals indicate that diet variation has a positive impact and Bill finds this area of research intriguing. (50:43)In closing, Clay encourages listeners to read this paper (link below) and emphasizes the take-home messages regarding sampling and research questions. Normand advises that if you are sampling feed, take a minimum of two samples, and try as much as you can to separate observer variation from true variation. He also reminds listeners to concentrate on a few critical nutrients with more repeatability for analyses. Bill encourages nutritionists to sit down and think when they get new data - before they go to their computer to make a diet change. If something changed, why did it change, and is it real? Take time to think it through. (1:01:38)You can find this episode's journal club paper from Applied Animal Science here: https://www.appliedanimalscience.org/article/S2590-2865(24)00093-4/fulltextPlease 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 episode was recorded during a webinar, which was part of a series. Watch all the presentations from this series here: https://balchem.com/animal-nutrition-health/resources-categories/real-science-lecture-series/previous-lectures/page/10/Early in lactation, the cow is incapable of eating enough to meet her dramatically increased requirements. As the cow's intake decreases near calving, there are fewer nutrient contributions from dry matter intake and she must alter nutrient partitioning to meet her increased needs by mobilizing fat and muscle stores. (1:18)Triglycerides from fat stores are broken down into non-esterified fatty acids (NEFA) and glycerol. NEFA has two different fates in the postpartum cow: to the mammary gland as a precursor for milk fat synthesis, or to the liver to be oxidized for energy production. Glycerol enters the gluconeogenic pathway in the liver as a glucose precursor. (4:41)The capacity for the liver to use NEFA for energy is limited by the capacity of the TCA cycle. When the TCA cycle is at capacity, excess NEFA can either undergo incomplete oxidation to ketones or be repackaged back into triglycerides. If the capacity for other tissues to use ketones for energy is exceeded, then blood concentrations of ketones rise and negative outcomes from subclinical and clinical ketosis can occur. If triglycerides accumulate in the liver, negative outcomes associated with fatty liver can occur. Triglycerides can be transported out of the liver via very low-density lipoprotein (VLDL) export; however, VLDL export does not keep up with triglyceride concentration during the transition period in dairy cows, largely because of a limiting amount of phosphatidylcholine. (5:51)Dr. White describes a series of experiments in her lab using liver cells in culture to investigate the relationship between choline supplementation and VLDL export. As choline supplementation to the cell culture increased, so did VLDL export from the cells into the media. In addition, increasing choline supplementation to the cell culture also decreased cellular triglyceride content. (10:54)Using gene expression and radiolabeled tracers over a series of experiments, Dr. White's group found that as choline supplementation increased, so did complete oxidation of NEFA to energy. This was accompanied by decreased incomplete oxidation to ketone bodies and decreased accumulation of lipids in the liver cells. Glucose and glycogen were also increased with increasing choline supplementation to the cell culture, and a decrease in reactive oxygen species was observed. In addition, choline-supplemented cultures exhibited an increase in metabolic pathways associated with methionine regeneration and methyl donation. (15:29)Dr. White then details the complexity of the metabolic pathways that intersect between choline and methionine. In similar experiments supplementing cell cultures with increasing amounts of methionine and choline, there were no effects of methionine on lipid export, oxidative pathways, or glucose metabolism. The main benefit of methionine was a marked increase in glutathione production. It's important to note that no interactions between choline and methionine were observed in this series of experiments. (19:37)There seems to be a clear biological priority for different sets of pathways for choline and methionine. Choline seems to be influencing lipid, glucose, and oxidative pathways, while methionine is primarily serving its role as an essential amino acid for cellular protein structure and generation, acting as a methyl donor, and impacting inflammation. Importantly, both the choline and methionine results observed in cell culture are paralleled in transition dairy cow studies. (24:14)Dr. White's lab further investigated the impact of methionine on inflammation. When cells were challenged with LPS to provoke an inflammatory response, methionine mitigated the inflammatory response. Similar results have been observed in liver tissue samples of transition cows. Methionine mitigated inflammatory markers and increased glutathione but did not influence reactive oxygen species. Conversely, choline decreased reactive oxygen species but did not change glutathione. (27:47)Choline and methionine are both essential nutrients, there are biological priorities for them as methyl donors, and they are not mutually exchangeable. The lack of interaction between choline and methionine in vivo or in vitro supports the idea of different biological roles for these nutrients. (32:09)Dr. White takes questions from the webinar audience. (34:53)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.

Nutritionists are often blamed for transition cow problems like high NEFAs, clinical and subclinical ketosis, and subclinical hypocalcemia. Dr. Baumgard suggests these symptoms are a result of one of two situations: 1. These are highly productive, healthy, and profitable cows; or 2. The symptoms are the metabolic reflection of immune activation, likely stemming from metritis, mastitis, pneumonia, or GI tract inflammation. In the first scenario, the nutritionist deserves a raise; in the second, these are mostly management issues not caused by nutrition. (1:26) If listeners are interested in more detail on this topic, Dr. Baumgard suggests reading this 2021 review in the Journal of Dairy Science: “ Invited review: The influence of immune activation on transition cow health and performance—A critical evaluation of traditional dogmas.” Link: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0022030221006329Dr. Baumgard highlights key concepts that underpin his thinking regarding transition cows: The best indicators of health are feed intake and milk yield, it's too easy to overthink the immune system, Mother Nature is rarely wrong, and inconsistent or non-reproducible data should create doubt. He goes on to review the incidence of metabolic disorders in early lactation and the energy balance dynamics of the transition period. (4:29)For decades, we've had the assumption that NEFAs and ketones are causing many of the health issues in transition cows. NEFAs, BHBs, and calcium have been correlated and associated with negative outcomes. However many other studies do not find these negative correlations or associations. Plasma NEFA is markedly increased following calving in almost all cows, yet only 15-20% get clinical ketosis. Dr. Baumgard suggests that it's presumptuous and reductionist of us to assume we can use one metabolite to diagnose the disease. Little mechanistic evidence exists to explain how these symptoms cause metabolic disease issues.  (10:29)If hyperketonemia, high NEFA, and subclinical hypocalcemia are causing disease, then therapeutically treating these disorders would improve overall cow health. NAHMS data does not back that up. Dr. Baumgard dissects the dogma of ketosis. In short, mobilization of adipose tissues and partial conversion of NEFA to ketones is essential for maximum milk yield. (18:35)High-producing cows are more hypoinsulinemic compared to low-producing cows, and transition period insulin concentrations are inversely related to whole lactation performance. Low insulin concentrations coupled with insulin resistance allow for fat mobilization. (29:02)Post-calving inflammation occurs in all cows. Sources include the mammary gland, the uterus,  and the gut. Severe inflammation precedes the clinical presentation of the disease. In one experiment, all cows exhibited some inflammation in very early lactation. However, cows that were culled or died before 100 days in milk were already severely inflamed during the first few days of lactation. Dr. Baumgard thinks inflammation is the simplest and most logical explanation for why some cows don't eat well before and after calving.  (31:13)While clinical hypocalcemia (milk fever) is pathological and requires immediate intervention, is subclinical hypocalcemia detrimental to health, productivity, and profitability? (36:33)Dr. Baumgard's paradigm-shifting concept suggests that increased NEFA and hyperketonemia are caused by immune activation-induced hypophagia, and hypocalcemia is a consequence of immune activation. He goes on to use a high-producing, a low-producing, and a sick cow to illustrate this concept. (43:26)In summary, the metabolic adjustments in minerals and energy during the transition period are not dysfunctional and don't need to be “fixed.” The real fix is to prevent immune activation in the first place to prevent the cow from going off feed. Profitable production is a consequence of wellness. (52:19)Dr. Baumgard takes a series of engaging questions from the webinar audience. Watch the full webinar at balchem.com/realscience. (56:04)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.

The Balchem technical team selected abstracts of interest from the 2024 American Dairy Science Association meetings to feature on this episode of the Real Science Exchange. Whole Cottonseed and Fatty Acid Supplementation Affect Production Responses During the Immediate Postpartum in Multiparous Dairy CowsGuests: Jair Parales-Giron and Dr. Adam Lock, Michigan State University (0:58)The experiment had four treatment groups: no fat supplement, 10% of the diet from whole cottonseed, a 60:30 mix of calcium salts of palmitic and oleic acid at 1.5% of the diet dry matter, and a combination of both whole cottonseed and fatty acid supplement. Energy-corrected milk was increased by almost six kilograms in cows fed the whole cottonseed diet, with a similar increase of more than five kilograms in the fatty acid-supplemented cows during the first 24 days of lactation. However, no further improvement was observed when both whole cottonseed and fatty acids were fed together. The increase in milk production was not accompanied by increased weight loss or loss of body condition. Effect of Close-Up Metabolizable Protein Supply on Colostrum Yield, Composition, and Immunoglobulin G ConcentrationGuests: Dr. Trent Westhoff and Dr. Sabine Mann, Cornell University (17:06)In this study, cows were assigned to one of two diets 28 days before expected calving: one that provided 39 grams of metabolizable protein (MP) per pound of dry matter and one that supplied 51 grams of MP per pound of dry matter. This represents about 100% of the MP requirement and 140% of the MP requirement, respectively. Diets were formulated to supply equal amounts of methionine and lysine. Cows entering their second parity who were fed the elevated MP diet produced two liters more colostrum than second parity cows fed the control MP diet. This effect was not observed in cows entering their third or higher parity. Overall, higher MP supply did not impact colostrum quantity or quality. Dr. Westhoff also highlights an invited review he authored regarding nutritional and management factors that influence colostrum production and composition. The MP research has also been published; links to both are below.MP paper: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0022030224010774Invited review: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0022030224000341Colostrum—More than Immunoglobulin G (IgG): Colostrum Components and Effects on the CalfGuest: Dr. Sabine Mann, Cornell University (41:23)Dr. Mann presented this abstract at an ADSA symposium titled “Colostrum: The Role It Plays In Calf Health, Development, and Future Productivity.”  Her focus was to give credit to the importance of IgG while reminding the symposium audience of the importance of other colostrum components like bioactive factors and nutrients. There is potential that measuring IgG could be a marker for all the other colostrum components that have been transferred as well. We have excellent and cost-effective ways to measure IgG calf-side, but very few bioactive factors can be measured as easily. Heat treatment of colostrum to control bacterial contamination has a detrimental effect on many of the non-IgG components of colostrum. More data is needed to learn how impactful this may be to the calf. Dr. Mann details parts of the heat treatment process that farmers can check to make sure heat treatment is having as little impact as possible. She also would like to have a way to measure the antimicrobial activity of colostrum and the concentrations of insulin and IGF-1 in colostrum on-farm. Lastly, she reminds the audience that we can focus a lot on making the best quality colostrum via transition cow management and best management practices for colostrum harvest, but we still need to get it into the calf. Colostrum must get into calves cleanly and safely, at an adequate amount, and at an optimal temperature.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. Shakespeare wrote, “The eyes are the windows of the soul.” Dr. Ollivett believes the lungs are the window to calf health management. The lungs are an indicator organ: respiratory disease is a symptom of management failure. Failure of passive transfer, diarrhea, septicemia, poor nutrition, a dirty environment, and heat or cold stress can all negatively impact the lungs. Often, this can manifest as subclinical pneumonia, where the lungs are abnormal but the calf externally appears completely normal. (3:51)Dr. Ollivett reviews the defense mechanisms of the airway. When a veterinarian takes swabs to assess a respiratory disease problem, the bacteria and viruses that live in the nasopharyngeal area just ahead of the trachea are the most representative of those bacteria and viruses that are present in the lungs. The bacteria and viruses in the lower nasal passages are unreliable indicators of what is present in the lungs. (6:28)Is coughing a good predictor of pneumonia? Research shows that if calves are coughing, it is highly likely they will test positive for a respiratory pathogen. One study showed that coughing was the best predictor of observing pneumonia on lung ultrasound, but only 37% of calves with pneumonia on ultrasound also had a cough. Dr. Ollivett observed similar results in commercial settings, where only about 10% of calves with pneumonia on ultrasound had an accompanying cough. This suggests that a cough is not a good early warning tool for pneumonia. (10:29)Dr. Ollivett believes respiratory disease exhibits an iceberg effect, where considerably more subclinical respiratory disease exists than clinical respiratory disease. She provides examples of necropsied lungs from dairy calves to emphasize the point that calves can appear completely normal, but have the same or more damage to their lungs compared to calves exhibiting clinical signs of pneumonia. In her work, Dr. Ollivett has found that the sensitivity of lung ultrasounds to find lung lesions in animals with subclinical disease is 88%. (16:32)What does it take to perform a lung ultrasound? Dr. Ollivett gives an overview of the process and describes what normal and affected lungs look like. Depending on the farm, 50-80% of cases can be subclinical for one to two weeks before we see signs of pneumonia. With lung ultrasounds, you can treat affected animals sooner while also getting a good assessment of where management can improve to better prevent pneumonia cases in the future. (27:37)The prevalence of the disease is roughly equal to the incidence of the disease times the duration of the disease. Prevention of disease reduces the speed at which disease occurs, thus decreasing the incidence of disease and lowering its prevalence. On the other hand, identifying sick calves sooner should reduce the duration of the disease, also lowering its prevalence. In addition, effective treatment that reduces the duration of disease supports antimicrobial stewardship. Dr. Ollivett details criteria to evaluate treatment failure in your operation, as well as discusses antibiotic therapy in conjunction with lung ultrasounds. (34:29)Dr. Ollivett emphasizes the impact that the gut has on the lungs on most dairy farms. She feels that as an industry, we are far too comfortable with abnormal manure in 7- to 14-day-old calves. After any abnormal manure, calves are more likely to have abnormal lungs in the next couple of weeks. Ensuring good passive transfer and maintaining a clean environment will reduce lung lesions. (50:50)To keep calves breathing easy, Dr. Ollivett shares recommendations to reduce management failures before, at, and after birth. These can include clean and adequate space in maternity, clean calf bedding and equipment, the excellent establishment of passive transfer, adequate average daily gains in early life, and routine lung ultrasounds. (53:21)Dr. Ollivett answers questions from the webinar audience about evaluating treatment protocols for effectiveness, technicalities and landmarks of performing lung ultrasounds, how soon after birth to begin lung ultrasounds, using lung score to determine when to treat with antibiotics, and if lung ultrasounds could be used to cull animals with lung damage before they enter the milking herd. Watch the full webinar at balchem.com/realscience. (55:44)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 you have Jersey or Holstein cows, have you noticed that they tend to produce less colostrum during the fall and winter months? In some cases, this reduction is reported as a complete lack of colostrum. Despite these observations, the causes remain largely unknown. Join Brad and Emily along with Pete Erickson, from University of New Hampshire and Tess Stahl from Rutgers University to discuss colostrum yield in cows.Housing?? Could it just be that simple.  Listen to end to here thoughts that it may just be about keeping cows indoors in the winter!Creating models for the prediction of colostrum quantity, quality, and immunoglobulin G yield in multiparous Jersey cows from performance in the previous lactation and environmental changes (Journal of Dairy Science article)Questions, comments, scathing rebuttals? -> themoosroom@umn.edu or call 612-624-3610 and leave us a message!Twitter -> @UMNmoosroom and @UMNFarmSafetyFacebook -> @UMNDairyYouTube -> UMN Beef and Dairy and UMN Farm Safety and HealthInstagram -> @UMNWCROCDairyExtension WebsiteAgriAmerica Podcast Directory 

Dr. Nydam and Dr. LeBlanc recently presented a Real Science Lecture series webinar on August 7, 2024. You can find the link at balchem.com/realscience.Dr. Nydam begins with a brief overview of the concepts from the webinar, all based on understanding and applying information from different types of studies on dairy cow health and performance. Dr. LeBlanc adds that their goal was for the webinar to be useful for people with a practical interest in feeding and managing dairy cows. (4:12)Dr. Nydam discusses different kinds of bias in research. All studies have some bias in them to some extent, so acknowledging, understanding, and trying to control for that is critical. Dr. LeBlanc describes survivor bias. In the simplest sense, survivor bias can be thought of as who's alive to be counted. Several examples of treatments causing animals to be removed from a study or a disease-causing animal to be culled are reviewed. (8:24)Both guests give their perspectives on p-values. A p-value tells us the likelihood that a difference we observe is due to chance. There is active discussion among statisticians about the value of the p-value. Both guests suggest that readers should also assess if the study achieved its stated objective and if there are adequate numbers and statistical power to accomplish the objective. P-values help us understand risk. A p-value does not tell us how big a difference was or how important it was. (18:54)Dr. Nydam reviews that there are two kinds of study validity: internal and external. Internal validity centers around whether the study was done well. Was bias controlled for and acknowledged? External validity centers around the applicability of the study to the population. Is a study about mastitis treatment in water buffalo in Pakistan applicable to a dairy farm on Prince Edward Island? Peer review usually takes care of assessing internal validity. External validity is more up to each reader to decide for themself and their situation. (29:01)Scott asks about the validity of field trial data. Both guests acknowledge the inherent challenges of field studies and give some tips for success. Field studies can often have good external validity because they are done under real-world conditions and at scale. (34:23)The group dives into the topic of industry-funded research. Some skepticism and cynicism about industry-funded research exists. Industry-funded studies are not inherently biased and often answer important and tangible questions for decision-makers. Government funding is rarely going to be awarded to that type of research, but the industry is interested in funding it. If an industry-funded study is well done by a reputable researcher, has gone through the peer review process, and has appropriate methods and statistics, Dr. Nydam sees no reason to discount it. (44:56)Dr. LeBlanc reminds the audience when looking at different kinds of studies and different types of evidence, it's not that one type of study is good and others are not. For a lot of health-related research in dairy cows, we don't have good (or any) experimental models to reproduce things in a white-coat-science sort of way. At the end of the day, dairy managers and industry professionals want to know if a particular piece of science, whether experimental or observational, helps them make decisions on the farm. There's a place for all types of research as long as it's done well and in its own right.  (42:08)Dr. Nydam's key takeaway is that it's important to remember to keep some faith in science and have open discourse about it as we move forward in dairy science and as a society. Dr. LeBlanc reminds the audience that even if listeners are not in the business of designing, conducting, and analyzing their experiments, they do not need to feel powerless as consumers of scientific information. It can and should be something they can engage with and use to answer questions in their day-to-day jobs. (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.

This Real Science Exchange podcast episode was recorded during a webinar from Balchem's Real Science Lecture Series. The primary goal of a replacement program is to raise the highest quality heifer that can maximize profits when she enters the lactating herd. She carries no limitations that would detract from her ability to produce milk under the farm's management system. Ideally, one would wish to optimize profits by obtaining the highest quality heifer at the lowest possible cost, usually in the least amount of time. Dr. Van Amburgh presents a snapshot evaluation of benchmarks to assess the potential quality of replacements. (3:47)When does the process of creating a quality heifer start? Probably before conception. In non-pasture herds, the first lactation cows giving birth to heifers produced about 1000 pounds more milk in the first two lactations. Heifers whose dams were supplemented with choline during the pre-fresh period had higher birth-to-yearling average daily gains and improved immunity. Choline also appears to enhance the quality of colostrum via increased absorption of IgG. This implies that maternal programming extends beyond the uterine environment via ingestion of milk-borne factors, known as the lactocrine hypothesis (14:29)After the calf is born, the goal is anabolism or growth. The dam communicates with the calf via colostrum to direct calf development after birth. Not only does colostrum provide immunoglobulins, but it also contains a large amount of nutrients and non-nutrient factors that support gut maturation. In particular, IGF-1 and insulin may act on receptors in the gut to stimulate cell proliferation, cell differentiation, and protein synthesis. Dr. Van Amburgh summarizes several studies that showed increased colostrum feeding improved pre- and post-weaning growth and development. While the immunoglobulin content of colostrum is essential for passive immunity, the other components in colostrum are responsible for the increased growth performance. (27:39)The hormones and growth factors in colostrum enhance protein synthesis, enzyme expression, and gastrointestinal tract development. This implies that the gut is now an even stronger barrier to infection, with more surface area for digestion and absorption, with an increased capacity to digest nutrients due to higher enzyme excretion. (36:33)To investigate the impact of non-nutrient factors in colostrum, studies were designed where calves were fed either colostrum or milk replacer with the same nutrient content. Glucose uptake was increased for colostrum calves even though both groups received similar nutrient content. Plasma glucagon was higher in colostrum calves, indicating better glucose status and higher reserve capacity. Plasma protein levels were higher in colostrum calves, suggesting more amino acids available for growth and protein synthesis. Plasma urea nitrogen was lower for colostrum calves, indicating fewer amino acids were used for gluconeogenesis leading to more efficient growth. (46:55)What happens to immune cells in colostrum? Leukocytes and other immune-related cells in colostrum are trafficked into the circulation of the calf. Maternal leukocytes can be detected in the calf by 12 hours, peak at 24 hours, and disappear by 48 hours. Long term, there appears to be greater cellular immunity in calves that received whole colostrum compared to cell-free colostrum. Uptake of cells from colostrum enhances cellular immunity in calves by providing, mature, programmed cells from the dam. (52:24)The take-home message for colostrum management is to feed colostrum for four days. Give first-milking colostrum within six hours of birth and again at 12 hours. Give second-milking colostrum for day two feeding and third- and fourth-milking colostrum for days three and four. (56:04)Dr. Van Amburgh answers a few questions from the webinar audience about dry cow management for colostrum quality and quantity, the impacts of pasteurization of colostrum on components, and the efficacy of colostrum replacers. Watch the full webinar at balchem.com/realscience. (58:25)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. Mitloehner recently presented a Real Science Lecture series webinar on September 11, 2024. You can find the link at balchem.com/realscience.Dr. Mitloehner begins by sharing about the Clarity and Leadership for Environmental Awareness and Research (CLEAR) Center at UC Davis. He established this research and communications center to combat misinformation about sustainability in animal agriculture. One unique aspect of the center is a diverse communications department composed of journalists, filmmakers, and social media experts to help scientists communicate with the public. (6:04)In his webinar, Dr. Mitloehner focused on animal agriculture's impact on the climate, particularly via methane. Unlike other greenhouse gasses, methane is not only naturally produced, but it is naturally destroyed. It remains in the atmosphere for about a decade before it's gone. Thus, if mitigation methods are used to reduce methane production, warming will also be reduced. (8:10)Dr. Mitloehner urges continued research into improving efficiency in food production and encourages animal agriculture to take the public along with them. Stop portraying a romanticized, Old McDonald's version of animal agriculture and show what happens. There is nothing to be ashamed of, and we should be proud of the improved efficiencies and sustainability of livestock production. (13:00)What methods or strategies exist for reducing methane? Improved ration development and feed additives to reduce enteric methane are two examples. Methane production is a heritable trait, and genomic tests are available to identify low and high methane producers. There are also ways to reduce methane loss from animal manure, including capping lagoons with anaerobic digesters to capture the gas and turn it into fuel. Dr. Mitloeher encourages voluntary, incentive-based adoption policies for these practices. (16:03)Dr. Nichols describes her work in the Netherlands on reducing nitrogen losses. Improving protein efficiencies in livestock in the Netherlands is motivated first by environmental concerns and then by cost. Dr. Nichols expects increasing pressure in the United States regarding nitrogen load, particularly in intensively farmed portions of the country. At UC Davis, she plans to continue researching protein efficiency in dairy cows with a particular interest in optimal digestible amino acid profiles for efficient milk production.  (24:00)Reducing crude protein in the diet decreases the amount of nitrogen excreted. As protein concentrations become more marginal, that's when the composition of protein and amino acid in the diet becomes more critical. Dr. Nichols has found in infusion studies that the closer the digestible amino acid profile is to the essential amino acids in casein, the more efficiently dietary protein is incorporated into milk protein. (32:20)Dr. Mitloehner gives some examples of some of the incentives available to farms in California, as well as what he sees for the future in this regard. Many of the incentives are based on improvement, which discourages early adoption and Dr. Mitloehner feels this is nonsensical. Dr. Nichols chimes in with some of the incentive-type structures in Europe. (36:21)An additional challenge in the greenhouse gas arena is that there is no standardized protocol or measurement technique to quantify emissions. There is some effort from the United Nations and FAO to standardize some of these measures. Panelists agree that farmers are well served to document what they do and record benchmarks for things where measurements are standardized.  (44:49)Conor's big takeaway from this discussion is that research is ongoing to create a low emission sustainable future for animal agriculture that will take collaboration between science and policy to implement widely. Dr. Nichols reminds the audience that nitrogen should absolutely be on the minds of farmers and nutritionists, not only from an economic perspective of your ration, but also because of its environmental impact. Nitrogen mitigation is far more complicated than methane mitigation. She encourages listeners to take a look at the composition of the protein in their rations, keep good records, and see what kind of marginal changes you can make. Dr. Mitloehner encourages the audience to remember that environmental issues are intertwined with animal health and the profitability of an operation. We should not ignore emissions, we should become part of a solution. Lastly, we must find ways to effectively communicate about animal agriculture to the public. (55:31)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. Arshad begins by reviewing the inclusion criteria in the meta-analysis he conducted. He wished only to look at studies where lysine was supplemented in a rumen-protected form. The meta-analysis did not include studies that infused lysine into the abomasum or intestine. In addition, only completely randomized design or randomized complete block design studies were included. Feed ingredients and chemical composition of diets for each experiment were run through NASEM to predict the metabolizable lysine content using the same model so all studies were on the same scale. (6:04)The bioavailability of the different rumen-protected lysine products used in the studies ranged from 22 to 90 percent. If the paper's authors reported bioavailability values, they were used in the meta-analysis. If the paper did not provide bioavailability values, Dr. Arshad contacted authors or lysine product manufacturers to offer them. (13:53)Dr. Arshad discusses the percentage of lysine as a percent of metabolizable protein in the diets as well as differences among the prediction of the flow of amino acids to the small intestine from NASEM, NRC, and CNCPS models. (16:45) Around 40% of the meta-analysis dataset was from early lactation cows where rumen-protected lysine was supplemented starting from 20 days in milk. The rest of the dataset came from mid-lactation cows. The duration of lysine supplementation also varied. Cows supplemented with rumen-protected lysine for more than 70 days In early lactation produced 1.5 kilograms more milk than control cows. Mid-lactation cows supplemented for less than 70 days produced 0.8 kilograms more milk than control cows. Increasing lysine as a percentage of metabolizable protein linearly increased milk and component yield. (20:11)During the transition period, cows not only experience negative energy balance but also negative protein balance, estimated at one kilogram of protein loss from skeletal muscle during that time. Plasma lysine starts to decrease around 21 days before calving but bounces back after seven days in milk. This suggests that lysine utilization by the mammary gland and other tissues is high during the prepartum period. Supplementing lysine before calving and during early lactation should improve the efficiency of protein synthesis and may explain the difference between early and mid-lactation responses observed in the meta-analysis. (24:10)Lysine supplementation improved feed efficiency. Dr. Arshad discusses potential reasons for this and also points out that somatic cell counts were lower for lysine-supplemented cows, suggesting that this amino acid may be important for mammary gland health. He also discusses some of the interactions with methionine found in the meta-analysis. Dr. Zimmerman and Dr. Arshad also hypothesize about the mechanism of action of supplemental lysine increasing milk fat percentage. (30:44)Dr. Arshad describes how he would design the next rumen-protected lysine study given what he learned from the different studies in the meta-analysis. In particular, he would like to see more work with primiparous cows, and dose-titration studies to pinpoint the optimal amount of lysine to supplement and to further explore the impact of lysine on immune function. (42:42)The base diet and bioavailability of the rumen-protected lysine product are critical components to determine the supplementation rate for a particular group of cows. Dr. Arshad details the differences between this meta-analysis and previous meta-analyses regarding lysine supplementation. (46:40) In closing, Dr. Zimmerman was excited to see this meta-analysis and it validated observations from the field. Dr. Weiss underlines the strict inclusion criteria and regression analysis as particularly strong points in the paper. Finally, Dr. Arshad reminds the audience that creating a balanced ration should include essential and non-essential amino acids. He again emphasizes the importance of having an understanding of the bioavailability of rumen-protected products before conducting research projects with them. Lastly, he identifies a research gap regarding lysine supplementation of primiparous cows, which make up 30-35% of herd dynamics. (52:43)You can find this episode's journal club paper from the Journal of Dairy Science here: https://www.journalofdairyscience.org/article/S0022-0302(24)00499-5/fulltextPlease 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.

Hello there!In this episode of The Dairy Podcast Show, Ryan Sterry from UW Extension shares his insights on the evolving intersection of beef and dairy cattle management. As a regional dairy educator, Ryan discusses the growing trend of beef-on-dairy crosses, market dynamics, and the practical challenges dairy producers face. Tune in to explore the future of dairy and beef integration, available on all major platforms."We need to keep learning how to communicate with each other. The dairy and beef industries are intertwined, and collaboration is essential." Meet the guest: Ryan Sterry is a Regional Dairy Educator with the University of Wisconsin-Madison Division of Extension. He has over 18 years of experience in dairy cattle management. With a Master's degree in Dairy Science from UW-Madison and a Bachelor's in Dairy Science from UW-River Falls, Ryan has led numerous educational initiatives, including Beef Cow/Calf seminars and dairy farm financial analysis.What you'll learn:(00:00) Highlight(01:58) Introduction(05:50) Beef on dairy integration(10:32) Market trends impact(13:27) Survey insights on beef x dairy(16:11) Early-life calf care(20:31) Future of dairy reproduction(28:26) Guiding producers in decision-making(36:13) Final three questionsThe Dairy Podcast Show is trusted and supported by innovative companies like:* Adisseo- Trouw Nutrition- Protekta- dsm-firmenich- Natural Biologics- Berg + Schmidt- ICC- Diamond V- Volac- SmaXtec- AcepsisAre you ready to unleash the podcasting potential of your company?

This episode of the Real Science Exchange podcast was recorded during a webinar from Balchem's Real Science Lecture Series. Choline was discovered in 1862 in pig and ox bile (“chole” in Greek). It is a simple nutrient containing five carbons and a nitrogen. Choline is considered a quasi-vitamin since its requirements and de novo synthesis are both higher than the B vitamins it's similar to. Pigs can synthesize more choline than chickens. Choline is considered to be a conditionally essential nutrient depending on the physiological stage and choline production ability of the species being considered. (3:29)Choline is involved in cellular maintenance and growth at all life stages. In particular, it's involved in neurotransmission as a component of both sphingomyelin and acetylcholine. Phosphatidylcholine is a major component of cellular and organelle membranes and is involved in lipoprotein synthesis for the transport of lipids. Choline is converted to betaine upon oxidation, and betaine plays an important role in one-carbon metabolism as a methyl group donor. (8:43)Dietary-free choline is preferentially used for acetylcholine and phosphatidylcholine synthesis. Phosphatidylcholine is the most abundant form of choline in the body. In general, water-soluble forms of choline are absorbed faster and have a higher tissue incorporation rate than lipid-soluble forms. (14:58) Clinical signs of choline deficiency include reduced growth and reproductive performance. In pigs and chickens, choline-deficient diets lead to lipid accumulation in the liver. In broiler chickens, perosis is a classic choline deficiency sign and may progress to slipped tendons. From human studies, we know that insufficient methylation capacity during early development increases the risk of neural tube defects and impaired cognitive function. (16:44)As animals age, their dietary source of choline transitions from water-soluble forms to lipid-soluble forms. Mammalian young receive water-soluble choline from milk, and avian species from the egg yolk. After weaning in pigs and at the hatch in chickens, the dietary choline source transitions to lipid-soluble forms found in oilseed meals. Dr. Dilger goes on to describe choline concentrations in common feedstuffs and supplements. Feedstuff type and processing methods have a profound influence on bioavailable choline content. (19:16)Dr. Dilger details some of his work with choline and betaine in poultry diets. The requirement for preformed choline is relatively high for poultry because they lack capacity in a particular methyl transferase enzyme responsible for de novo synthesis. They also have relatively high choline oxidase activity which favors the formation of betaine from choline. Betaine is critical as a buffer to counteract the toxic effects of uric acid in the avian kidney. Dr. Dilger describes choline dietary requirements for avian species. (27:38)Pigs have more efficient methyl transferase activity for de novo synthesis of choline. Sufficient choline is provided by milk and practical diets. For growing pigs consuming corn-soybean meal diets where methionine can completely spare choline, there is little benefit of choline supplementation for growth. Choline requirements increase for gestating and lactating sows. Swine requirements for choline were set in the 1940s and 1950s. Dr. Dilger believes these requirements need a second look given the great changes in pig and crop genetics since the requirements were originally established. To that end, work in his lab has shown that choline intake during gestation and lactation influences sow milk composition, body choline concentrations and forms, metabolomic profiles and brain development of pigs. (35:18)In conclusion, Dr. Dilger considers choline a pervasive nutrient due to its crucial metabolic roles. Species-specific idiosyncrasies drive choline requirements, and analytical data for choline-related compounds is lacking. Different forms of choline have different metabolic kinetics and the potential for choline deficiency remains a practical issue. (46:15)In closing, Dr. Dilger answers an extensive set of questions from the audience. Watch the full webinar at balchem.com/realscience. (48:32)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.

Chegou o momento do já tradicional episódio duplo sobre o IgNobel, que tem como missão "honrar estudos e experiências que primeiro fazem as pessoas rir e depois pensar", com as descobertas científicas mais estranhas do ano.Esta é a primeira de duas partes sobre a edição 2024 do prêmio, que teve como tema a "Lei de Murphy", com as categorias Biologia, Botânica, Anatomia, Medicina e Física.Confira no papo entre o leigo curioso, Ken Fujioka, e o cientista PhD, Altay de Souza.> OUÇA (38min 13s)*Naruhodo! é o podcast pra quem tem fome de aprender. Ciência, senso comum, curiosidades, desafios e muito mais. Com o leigo curioso, Ken Fujioka, e o cientista PhD, Altay de Souza.Edição: Reginaldo Cursino.http://naruhodo.b9.com.br*REFERÊNCIASPRÊMIO DE BIOLOGIA [EUA]Fordyce Ely e William E. Petersen, por explodir um saco de papel ao lado de um gato que está em cima de uma vaca, para explorar como e quando as vacas expeliam seu leite.REFERÊNCIA: “Factors Involved in the Ejection of Milk,” Fordyce Ely e W.E. Petersen, Journal of Dairy Science, vol. 3, 1941.QUEM FOI À CERIMÔNIA: A filha de Fordyce Ely, Jane Ely Wells, e o neto Matt Wells.https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0022030241954061/pdf?md5=abe9056326262861c49e6b9da0575ebd&pid=1-s2.0-S0022030241954061-main.pdfPRÊMIO DE BOTÂNICA [ALEMANHA, BRASIL, EUA]Jacob White e Felipe Yamashita, por encontrarem evidências de que algumas plantas reais imitam as formas de plantas artificiais de plástico próximas.REFERÊNCIA: “Boquila trifoliolata Mimics Leaves of an Artificial Plastic Host Plant,” Jacob White e Felipe Yamashita, Plant Signaling and Behavior, vol. 17, nº 1, 2022.QUEM FOI À CERIMÔNIA: Felipe Yamashita.https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8903786/Artigo extra: Vision in Plants via Plant-Specific Ocelli?https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1360138516300930PRÊMIO DE ANATOMIA [FRANÇA, CHILE]Marjolaine Willems, Quentin Hennocq, Sara Tunon de Lara, Nicolas Kogane, Vincent Fleury, Romy Rayssiguier, Juan José Cortés Santander, Roberto Requena, Julien Stirnemann e Roman Hossein Khonsari, por estudar se o cabelo na cabeça da maioria das pessoas no hemisfério norte gira na mesma direção (horário ou anti-horário?) que o cabelo na cabeça da maioria das pessoas no hemisfério sul.REFERÊNCIA: “Genetic Determinism and Hemispheric Influence in Hair Whorl Formation,” Marjolaine Willems et al., Journal of Stomatology, Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, vol. 125, nº 2, abril de 2024.QUEM FOI À CERIMÔNIA: Marjolaine Willems e Roman Khonsari.https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S2468785523002859Naruhodo #231 - Gêmeos têm a mesma impressão digital?https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AH5LQPW4lbINaruhodo #113 - Por que as pessoas são destras ou canhotas?https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=spZjtr9FOmkPRÊMIO DE MEDICINA [SUÍÇA, ALEMANHA, BÉLGICA]Lieven A. Schenk, Tahmine Fadai e Christian Büchel, por demonstrar que medicamentos falsos que causam efeitos colaterais dolorosos podem ser mais eficazes do que medicamentos falsos que não causam efeitos colaterais dolorosos.REFERÊNCIA: “How Side Effects Can Improve Treatment Efficacy: A Randomized Trial,” Lieven A. Schenk et al., Brain, vol. 147, nº 8, agosto de 2024.QUEM FOI À CERIMÔNIA: Lieven Schenk.https://academic.oup.com/brain/article-abstract/147/8/2643/7664309?redirectedFrom=fulltextNaruhodo #309 - Por que sentimos medo? - Parte 1 de 2https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xNwl26ZbVD8Naruhodo #310 - Por que sentimos medo? - Parte 2 de 2https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cqkh5IdfQQMPRÊMIO DE FÍSICA [EUA]James C. Liao, por demonstrar e explicar as habilidades de natação de uma truta morta.REFERÊNCIAS: “Neuromuscular Control of Trout Swimming in a Vortex Street,” James C. Liao, The Journal of Experimental Biology, vol. 207, 2004;https://journals.biologists.com/jeb/article/207/20/3495/14915/Neuromuscular-control-of-trout-swimming-in-a“Passive Propulsion in Vortex Wakes,” David N. Beal et al., Journal of Fluid Mechanics, vol. 549, 2006.https://liaolab.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/2006Beal_etal.pdfQUEM FOI À CERIMÔNIA: James C. (“Jimmy”) Liao.Naruhodo #297 - Balançar de um lado para o outro ajuda a dormir melhor?https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LvuqqtayK60*APOIE O NARUHODO PELA PLATAFORMA ORELO!Um aviso importantíssimo: o podcast Naruhodo agora está no Orelo: https://bit.ly/naruhodo-no-oreloE é por meio dessa plataforma de apoio aos criadores de conteúdo que você ajuda o Naruhodo a se manter no ar.Você escolhe um valor de contribuição mensal e tem acesso a conteúdos exclusivos, conteúdos antecipados e vantagens especiais.Além disso, você pode ter acesso ao nosso grupo fechado no Telegram, e conversar comigo, com o Altay e com outros apoiadores.E não é só isso: toda vez que você ouvir ou fizer download de um episódio pelo Orelo, vai também estar pingando uns trocadinhos para o nosso projeto.Então, baixe agora mesmo o app Orelo no endereço Orelo.CC ou na sua loja de aplicativos e ajude a fortalecer o conhecimento científico.https://bit.ly/naruhodo-no-orelo

Dr. Kononoff's lab evaluated retrospective feed mixing records collected from eight commercial dairy farms. Data was divided into 28-day periods. Daily TMR nutrient deviation was automatically calculated from feed mixer data as the actual amount of a nutrient fed minus the target amount from the original diet formulation, divided by the target amount. (5:43)Crude protein, NDF, fat, and starch were the nutrients evaluated in the study. (13:40)Variation was positive for every nutrient on the vast majority of days. Dr. Kononoff attributes that to more feed being delivered than the diet formulation predicted animals would consume. Dry matter intake decreased with increasing positive deviation days in starch and increased with increasing positive deviation days in crude protein. NDF deviation did not impact dry matter intake. A narrow range of diets was used in the dataset and the main byproduct feed was high in NDF, so Dr. Kononoff speculates that there was not a wide enough range in NDF to have an impact on intakes. (17:04)Milk yield increased with increased positive deviation days in starch and decreased with increased positive deviation days in NDF. The pregnancy rate increased with increasing positive deviation days in fat and decreased with increasing positive deviation days in crude protein. Unfortunately, milk urea nitrogen data was not available in the dataset to further investigate the crude protein/pregnancy rate relationship. (20:44)There was little farm-to-farm variation in the data. (25:08)As positive deviation days for starch increased, so did feed conversion. The opposite effect was noted for NDF. As positive deviation days for fat increased, feed conversion decreased. This result was a little surprising, as delivering more energy usually improves feed conversion. However, the dataset did not specify the source of fat or fatty acid profile, so there may have been some rumen fermentation interference from fat. (27:08)Dr. Kononoff thinks it would be interesting to track individual cows through lactation and collect nutrient variation data. Dr. Weiss asks if the correlation between daily farm milk yield and nutrient variation was evaluated; it was not. Dr. Kononoff agrees that there may be some additional correlations that would be interesting to run. (33:22)In closing, Dr. Zimmerman commends Dr. Kononoff's work in tackling such a large dataset and looks forward to follow-up research. Dr. Weiss agrees and encourages more data extraction from the dataset. He was also very surprised at the low farm-to-farm variation observed and speculated if that would hold up if there were more variation in diets. Dr. Kononoff reminds the audience that taking a look at the TMR beyond the paper ration and digging into mixing techniques and TMR consistency is as important as evaluating bulk tank information or the amount of milk shipped. (37:20)You can find this episode's journal club paper from the Journal of Dairy Science Communications here: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666910224000760Please 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.

Balchem sponsored several abstracts presented at the 2024 ADSA Annual Meeting. This episode consists of five segments, each focused on an abstract.Segment 1: Evaluating the total mixed ration stability of rumen-protected lysine products.Guests: Kari Estes, Balchem; Dr. Mark Hanigan, Virginia TechThis research compared the TMR stability of a Balchem prototype, several commercially available rumen-protected lysine products and a positive control of unprotected lysine. (3:39)A sample of TMR and the equivalent of one gram of lysine from each product were mixed and placed in a  plastic zip bag for 0, 6, 12, or 24 hours. After each time point, the sample was placed in a strainer bag, dipped in distilled water, and drip-dried. The solution was collected and analyzed for free lysine content. (5:28)About 85% of the unprotected lysine was recovered at 0 hours. After 24 hours, around 50% was recovered. The rumen-protected lysine products varied widely; one product released nearly 87% of its lysine in 24 hours, while another only released 9%. TMR stability should be taken into account when determining feeding rates and handling of rumen-protected lysine products. (7:19)Segment 2: Evaluating the total mixed ration stability of rumen-protected choline products.Guests: Kari Estes, Balchem; Dr. Mark Hanigan, Virginia TechIn this experiment, Kari evaluated TMR stability of five commercially available rumen-protected choline products, along with a positive control treatment of unprotected choline chloride. (14:04)At 0 hours, about 80% of the unprotected choline was recovered and 50% was recovered at 24 hours. Results for the rumen-protected choline products were highly variable, ranging from 5% release to 100% release at 24 hours. Rumen-protected choline products should be evaluated for TMR stability in addition to rumen stability and intestinal release. (17:25)Segment 3: Effect of dry period heat stress and rumen-protected choline on productivity of Holstein cows. Guests: Maria Torres de Barri and Dr. Geoff Dahl, University of FloridaThe experiment had four treatments: heat stress with and without rumen-protected choline, and cooling with and without rumen-protected choline. Cows in the cooling treatment were provided shade, soakers, and fans, while cows in the heat stress treatment were only provided shade. (24:45)Heat-stress cows had higher rectal temperatures and respiration rates than cooled cows. Heat-stress cows also had lower dry matter intakes, shorter gestation length, lighter calves, and produced less milk. (29:36)For cows in the cooling group, choline supplementation increased milk production. However, cows in the heat stress group supplemented with choline produced less milk than cows who did not receive choline. (31:04)Dr. Dahl suggests that not cooling cows in heat-stress environments when they're receiving choline will not result in optimal results. (33:49)Segment 4: Effects of dietary rumen-protected, ruminal-infused, or abomasal-infused choline chloride on milk, urine, and fecal choline and choline metabolite yields in lactating cows. Guests: Mingyang (Charlie) You and Dr. Joe McFadden, Cornell UniversityThis experiment evaluated early and late lactation cows supplemented with choline via three different methods. Each treatment had 12.5 grams of choline ion provided daily: fed in rumen-protected form, continuously infused into the rumen, or continuously infused into the abomasum. (36:29)Choline bioavailability was influenced by the delivery method of choline. Fecal and milk choline concentration was only observed in early lactating cows with abomasal infusion. Abomasal infusion increases the choline metabolite betaine in feces and urine. These results suggest there is potential saturation of choline metabolism in the lactating cow. (40:53)Segment 5: The metabolic fate of deuterium-labeled choline in gestating and lactating Holstein dairy cows. Guests: Dr. Tanya France, University of Wisconsin; Dr. Joe McFadden, Cornell UniversityDr. France explains that choline can be metabolized via two different pathways. Using deuterium-labeled choline (D-9 choline) allows researchers to know which pathway is used. If D-3 or D-6 choline is measured, the methionine cycle is used, and if D-9 choline is measured, the CDP choline pathway is used. The hypothesis was that the physiological stage (late gestation vs early lactation) would influence choline metabolism. (51:06)Dr. France found that both choline metabolism pathways were used in both physiological stages. This experiment also confirmed that choline is a methyl donor and that choline recycling can occur. The research also evaluated the relative amounts of choline and choline metabolites in each pool. (53:40)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. 

Hello there!In this special rerun episode of The Dairy Nutrition Blackbelt Podcast, we revisit a conversation with Dr. Paul Kononoff, Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Dairy Science. He discusses the vital importance of Neutral Detergent Fiber (NDF) in dairy cattle nutrition, offering insights on how to assess the energy value of NDF. Dr. Kononoff highlights that research in this field is key for the dairy industry to create more effective and customized feeds. Don't miss the opportunity to catch this important discussion—tune in now on your favorite podcast platform!"We did expect some variation depending on the composition of that NDF, and in those feeds high in lignin, we expected the heat of combustion to be higher."Meet the guest: Dr. Paul Kononoff earned his M.S. from the University of Saskatchewan and his Ph.D. in Dairy and Animal Science from Pennsylvania State University. After completing his doctorate, he joined the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, where he serves as a professor and extension specialist. Dr. Kononoff also holds the position of Editor-in-Chief at the Journal of Dairy Science. His research has impacted the dairy industry by improving the nutritional knowledge of dairy producers and nutritionists to allow the formulation of more effective and efficient diets.What will you learn: (00:00) Highlight(01:13) Introduction(01:27) Energy value of NDF(03:37) Analyzing feed samples(06:24) Heat of combustion variation(07:58) Implications for dairy nutrition(08:58) Future research plans(10:11) Closing thoughtsThe Dairy Nutrition Blackbelt Podcast is trusted and supported by the innovative companies:* Adisseo- Volac- Virtus Nutrition- Evonik

Hello there!In this episode of The Dairy Podcast Show, Dr. Mark Hanigan from Virginia Tech discusses the latest advancements in protein nutrition for dairy cattle, with a particular focus on amino acid requirements and the evolving understanding of optimal feeding strategies. Dr. Hanigan explains the significance of balancing amino acids to improve milk production efficiency and address environmental concerns. Tune in for more insights into how these practices can be implemented effectively on dairy farms. "Strategic amino acid supplementation is not just about cost, but about achieving the right balance for both productivity and environmental stewardship."Meet the guest: Dr. Mark Hanigan, a professor at Virginia Tech, has over 19 years of experience in the field of dairy science. He earned his Ph.D. in Animal Nutrition and an M.S. in Animal Science from UC-Davis, following a B.S. in Dairy Science from Iowa State University. Dr. Hanigan's extensive research focuses on optimizing dairy cattle nutrition, particularly in protein metabolism and amino acid requirements, making significant contributions to academic research and practical applications in the dairy industry.What you'll learn:(00:00) Highlight(01:57) Introduction  (06:18) Protein nutrition  (07:11) Amino acids  (10:19) First limiting amino acid  (16:27) Rumen-protected amino acids  (22:26) Cost-effectiveness of amino acids  (27:01) Final three questionsThe Dairy Podcast Show is trusted and supported by innovative companies like:* Adisseo- ICC- Diamond V- Acepsis- SmaXtec- Trouw Nutrition- Protekta- Volac- dsm-firmenich- Natural Biologics- Berg + SchmidtAre you ready to unleash the podcasting potential of your company?

Dr. Overton presented on this topic in a Real Science Lecture series webinar on July 10, 2024. You can find it at www.balchem.com/realscience. This episode takes a deeper dive into the conversation.Dr. Overton begins by reminding listeners of the vast number of changes occurring in the fresh cow during the first two to three weeks after calving. Body fat and protein mobilization, some systemic inflammation, the potential for elevated NEFAs and ketones, and calcium dynamics all play a role in how the fresh cow starts her lactation period. (7:31)When consulting with clients, Dr. Faldet uses research to guide his decisions. He likes to implement a 14-day pen for fresh cows, ranging from 10-17 days. He evaluates things like stocking rates, lockup times, and cow comfort, along with fine-tuning a diet for each individual farm setting. (9:14)The panel discusses the importance of increasing effective fiber along with starch in fresh cow diets. Without adequate effective fiber in the diet, the risk of acidosis increases, resulting in cows going off feed. There is no silver bullet; each farm's fresh cow diet is going to be different due to different forage bases and timing in the fresh cow group. (13:02)Both Dr. Faldet and Dr. Overton stressed the diet is only one component of a successful fresh cow program. Other critical pieces include stocking rate, availability of feed, water quantity and quality, and cow comfort. Dr. Faldet suggests that if you do all these non-diet factors right, you could probably maneuver closeup and fresh pens a little differently and make the diet work with the ingredients you have. Dr. Overton's group is conducting survey work evaluating the variability in particle size in closeup diets. A pilot study showed that as particle size variability increased, so did fresh cow health issues and poor postpartum metabolic status. (19:10)Protein requirements of the fresh cow were another topic of Dr. Overton's webinar. He described a recent experiment evaluating standard and high metabolizable protein concentrations in the diet for closeup and fresh cows. The postpartum MP gave a big milk response, around 15-16 pounds per day for the first 21 days after calving, with a carryover effect of 11-12 pounds of milk for the next 20 days after all cows went back on the same diet. It's important to note that lysine and methionine were fixed regardless of treatment, so it seems that other amino acids are probably involved in the mechanism of action. (23:06)Dr. Overton described an experiment designed to evaluate starch and fiber in fresh cow diets where higher fiber digestibility and increased corn in silage resulted in less fiber and more starch than anticipated in the diet. Fresh cows were a bit of a trainwreck, but the problem was resolved once another couple of pounds of straw were added to the diet. On the other hand, you can go too far with increased fiber in fresh cow diets, which results in ketosis, lower intakes, and less milk production. (35:19)The panel then discusses far-off programs, fat supplementation in fresh cow diets, and vitamin and mineral concentrations for fresh cows. (42:37)In summary, each panelist shares their takeaways. Dr. Elliott reminds listeners that we should think about starch, fat, fiber, and protein together and how they influence each other rather than considering them individually. Dr. Faldet's take-home message is to know what your targets and bookends are and really hone in and implement your fresh cow diets accordingly. Dr. Overton suggests that the industry will shift to evaluating fresh cow diets as their own thing rather than trying to tweak a few things from your high cow diet. Implementing fresh cow diets consistently and well is going to be important. (53:30)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 of the Real Science Exchange podcast was recorded during a webinar from Balchem's Real Science Lecture Series.Dr. Goff sees three main challenges for transition cows: negative energy and protein balance, immune suppression, and hypocalcemia. About half of all older cows experience hypocalcemia, and around 3% will experience milk fever. Cows develop hypocalcemia if they are unable to replace the calcium lost in milk from either their bone or diet. Compared to the day before calving, a cow needs around 32 extra grams of protein the day of calving to meet her increased requirements. (2:00)Dr. Goff reviews the pathways of calcium homeostasis and the actions of parathyroid hormone (PTH). Aged cows may have a harder time maintaining calcium homeostasis due to the loss of vitamin D receptors in the intestine with age and fewer sites of active bone resorption capable of responding quickly to PTH once they have finished growing. Blood pH plays a role in calcium homeostasis: when blood pH becomes alkaline, animals become less responsive to PTH. Dr. Goff reviews the impacts of high vs low DCAD diets and reviews the amount of time it takes for the kidney and bone to respond to PTH. (4:20)There are several strategies to reduce the risk of hypocalcemia. One is to reduce dietary potassium so the cow is not as alkaline. Using forages from fields that have not had manure applied to them is one way to accomplish this. In addition, warm-season grasses (corn) accumulate less potassium than cool-season grasses, and all grasses contain less potassium as they mature (straw). A second strategy is to add anions such as chloride or sulfate to the diet to acidify the blood to improve bone and kidney response to  PTH. Research has shown that sulfate salts acidify about 60% as well as chloride salts. The palatability of anionic diets has led to commercial products such as Soychlor. (13:06)Dr. Goff then discusses the over- and under-acidification of diets and gives his opinion on the appropriate range of urine pH for proper DCAD diet management, including a new proposed DCAD equation to account for alkalizing and acidifying components of the diet. He also gives some options for pH test strips to use for urine pH data collection. (18:30)Dr. Goff's lab has found that as prepartum urine pH increases, the calcium nadir decreases. The inflection point is right around pH 7.5, where above 7.5 indicates a higher risk of hypocalcemia. Data from other researchers suggests that urine pH lower than 6.0 may result in lower blood calcium, indicating an overall curvilinear response. Low urine pH (under 6.0) has also been associated with a higher incidence of left-displaced abomasum. (29:02)Moving on to other minerals, Dr. Goff discusses phosphate homeostasis and how that interacts with calcium in the close-up cow. Feeding too much phosphorus can decrease calcium absorption and feeding low phosphorus diets before calving can improve blood levels of calcium. He recommends less than 0.35% phosphorus in close-up cow diets. For magnesium,he recommends 0.4% prepartum and immediately postpartum to take advantage of passive absorption across the rumen wall. (31:08)Another strategy to reduce milk fever risk is to reduce dietary calcium prior to calving to stimulate parathyroid hormone release well before calving. A zeolite product that binds calcium is now available and may make this much easier to achieve. (42:59)In closing, Dr. Goff reminds the audience that some level of hypocalcemia post-calving is normal and in fact, is associated with higher milk production. The key is making sure that the cow's blood calcium levels can bounce back to normal by day two after calving. (51:23)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.

Hello there!In this episode of The Dairy Podcast Show, Dr. Sebastian Apelo explores the intricacies of nitrogen losses in dairy cattle and the evolving understanding of amino acid metabolism. Dr. Apelo presents new research findings on amino acid efficiency and nitrogen utilization. Listen now to gain valuable insights on enhancing dairy production sustainably while addressing environmental concerns."By balancing amino acids correctly, we can significantly reduce the environmental impact of dairy farming."Meet the guest: Dr. Sebastian Arriola Apelo is an Assistant Professor of Metabolism at the University of Wisconsin-Madison's Department of Animal and Dairy Sciences. With a Ph.D. in Dairy Science and an M.S. in Crop and Soil Environmental Sciences from Virginia Tech, Dr. Apelo has extensive experience in amino acid, energy metabolism, and ruminant digestion. His work focuses on improving dairy cows' nitrogen efficiency and amino acid utilization. Dr. Apelo has also completed postdoctoral research at UW-Madison School of Medicine and Public Health and Virginia Tech.What you'll learn:(00:00) Highlight(02:01) Introduction(05:32) Limiting amino acid theory(10:51) Importance of nitrogen efficiency(13:17) Impact of nitrogen loss on the environment(15:41) Nitrogen excretion and concerns(18:31) Future of amino acid metabolism research(24:14) Final three questionsThe Dairy Podcast Show is trusted and supported by innovative companies like:* Adisseo- Protekta- Trouw Nutrition- dsm-firmenich- Volac- Natural Biologics- Berg + Schmidt- ICC- Diamond V- Acepsis- SmaXtecAre you ready to unleash the podcasting potential of your company?

Hello there!In this episode of The Dairy Podcast Show, Dr. Melissa Cantor from Penn State University explores innovative research and practical solutions to improve calf health and housing in the dairy cattle industry. Dr. Cantor shares insights on pair housing, automated calf feeders, and the potential benefits of colostrum supplementation. Discover how these advancements can enhance calf welfare and productivity on dairy farm. "Behavioral aspects of calf feeding are crucial; improper meal sizes can lead to increased cross-suckling."What you'll learn:(00:00) Highlight(01:37) Introduction(05:07) Pair housing and calf health(09:39) Benefits of automated calf feeders(13:43) Behavioral aspects of calf feeding(19:57) Disease prediction with feeder data(31:55) Precision dairy technology(39:45) Final three questionsMeet the guest: Dr. Melissa Cantor is an Assistant Professor at Penn State University specializing in Precision Dairy Science. With a Ph.D. in Dairy Science from the University of Kentucky and a postdoctoral research stint at the University of Guelph, Dr. Cantor focuses on dairy calf and heifer management, calf nutrition, and precision livestock farming. Her extensive research aims to improve calf health and performance through innovative strategies.The Dairy Podcast Show is trusted and supported by innovative companies like:* Adisseo- SmaXtec- Protekta- Trouw Nutrition- dsm-firmenich- Volac- Natural Biologics- Berg + Schmidt- ICC- Diamond V- AcepsisAre you ready to unleash the podcasting potential of your company?

Hello there!In this episode of The Dairy Podcast Show, Dr. Mike Van Amburgh explores the effects of differing dietary starch and digestible amino acid supplies on dairy production. Dr. Van Amburgh shares insights on essential metrics for evaluating productivity and how these dietary components impact feed efficiency, component yields, and overall cow productivity. Tune in to gain expert advice on optimizing dairy nutrition and production."The key metrics for evaluating productivity are feed efficiency and the daily production of fat, protein, or energy-corrected milk, all while ensuring getting your cows pregnant."What you'll learn:(00:00) Highlight(01:48) Introduction (03:28) Dairy Challenge Program(05:35) Nutrition and component yields(08:34) Importance of digestible forages(16:27) Energetic efficiency and amino acids(23:48) Common management bottlenecks(27:11) Final three questionsMeet the guest: Dr. Mike Van Amburgh is a professor at Cornell University and has been a faculty member since 1995. With a Ph.D. in Animal Science from Cornell and a BS in Dairy Science from The Ohio State University, Dr. Van Amburgh specializes in dairy cattle nutrition and management. He is renowned for his work on the Cornell Net Carbohydrate and Protein System and his leadership in the Cornell Dairy Fellows program. The Dairy Podcast Show is trusted and supported by innovative companies like:* Adisseo- Volac- Diamond V- Berg + Schmidt- Natural Biologics- ICC- Acepsis- SmaXtec- Protekta- Trouw Nutrition- dsm-firmenichAre you ready to unleash the podcasting potential of your company? wisenetix.co/custom-podcast

Hello there!In this episode of The Dairy Nutrition Blackbelt Podcast, Renee Smith, Western Sales Manager at Virtus Nutrition, explores the importance of omega-3 fatty acids, their impact on reproduction and immune function, and how proper supplementation can significantly reduce pregnancy loss in dairy cows. Listen now on all major platforms!"Omega-3 fatty acids, including EPA and DHA, have significant effects on reproduction and immune function in dairy cows." Meet the guest: Renee Smith, the Western Sales Manager and US Marketing Director at Virtus Nutrition brings over 15 years of experience in the dairy nutrition industry. She holds a Bachelor's degree in Dairy Science and Agricultural Journalism from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and an MBA in Marketing from Walden University. At Virtus Nutrition, Renee focuses on advancing fatty acid technology to enhance dairy cow health, reproduction, and production efficiency.What will you learn: (00:00) Highlight(01:04) Introduction (02:46) Omega-3 in dairy nutrition(03:40) Omega-3 conversion(06:04) Omega-3 and reproduction(09:34) Practical applications (11:44) Immune function and inflammation(12:10) Closing thoughtsThe Dairy Nutrition Blackbelt Podcast is trusted and supported by the innovative companies: Virtus Nutrition* Adisseo- Volac

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. 

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 “Major Accomplishments in Calf Nutrition and Growth” from the conference proceedings.Accelerated milk feeding of calves results in about a thousand-pound first lactation production increase. The mechanism is unclear: it could be isolated to the mammary gland or related to the functional ability of the digestive tract and liver to support lactation. Economic analyses have shown an advantage of $205 per calf. (6:04)Regarding amino acid requirements of dairy calves, whey-based milk replacers require additional methionine; lysine is also common. Threonine can be limiting in soy-based milk replacers. Establishing amino acid requirements was beyond the scope of what the NASEM committee could do, and more data is probably needed for calves. However, CNCPS has amino acid requirements defined, so it's possible to get in the ballpark for amino acids. (12:00)What about feeding hay to young calves? The latest research has shown calves only over-consume alfalfa out of all the common forages. A study in Spain showed when offered alfalfa, calves consumed 14% of their total dry matter from alfalfa, decreasing the amount of starter they consumed. When offered grass hay or straw, calves only consumed 4-5% forage and they actually boosted starter intake and overall feed efficiency. Dr. Drackley recommends starting grass hay, wheat straw, or similar forages at 2-3 weeks of age. It should be just a sprinkling top dressed on their starter, or about 5% of the total if you're feeding a mixed diet. (15:08)Dr. Drackley covers five major accomplishments in this paper. (18:06)Knowledge of colostrum, highlighting the establishment of different categories for passive transfer (excellent, good, fair, and poor) rather than just a yes or no. The four categories relate very well to the mortality and morbidity associated with young calves. Feeding more milk to young calves, highlighting a 2001 paper from Dr. Mike Van Amburgh's lab that was the eye opener for the industry. The publication of the NRC in 2001, which had a separate chapter for calves, was perhaps the first time people started to think seriously about calves.Major growth in behavior research, particularly related to feeding behavior, shows calves fed conventional, limited amounts of milk are hungry as demonstrated by vocalization and increased restlessness.Publication of NASEM 2021.From a welfare research perspective, Dr. Drackley thinks cow-calf separation and group vs hutch housing will continue to be issues of concern for consumers. In Europe, there's demonstration research keeping calves with cows during the milk-feeding period. (20:44)What about the post-weaning slump? The big issue is weaning too early before starter intake has increased adequately. Weaning at eight weeks instead of six weeks results in an improvement in total nutrient intake. A gradual step down in the amount of milk provided will also stimulate starter intake. Starter quality and composition is critical, and water availability can be an issue for many farms. (23:29) Concerning colostrum, a big advancement has been a better understanding of what colostrum does in addition to establishing passive immunity. The nutrition aspects of high protein, vitamins, minerals, and growth-promoting ingredients like hormones, growth factors, and cytokines all play a major role in calf health and development. Measuring colostrum quality is better and easier with the use of refractometers. Recent emphasis on how easily colostrum can be contaminated and how that negatively affects the calf has also been crucial. As much as we know about milk synthesis, we know very little about colostrum synthesis. Adequate metabolizable protein is important for quality and quantity, and immune-related vitamins and minerals are important. Beyond that, we do not have a good understanding of what regulates colostrum, particularly volume. (25:50)What's next in calf nutrition? Establishing a good amino acid model and trying to minimize both costs and nitrogen excretion, colostrum quality and quantity from the cow side, continued research into workable systems for accelerated milk feeding with a smooth weaning transition, and post-weaning feeding programs are areas where Dr. Drackley predicts fruitful research opportunities. (31:36)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.

Hello there!In this episode of The Dairy Nutrition Blackbelt Podcast, Addison Carroll, a PhD student, explores the intricate dynamics of energy and nitrogen metabolism in dairy cattle. Addison discusses a recent complex study published in the Journal of Dairy Science, focusing on a new corn byproduct and its implications for dairy nutrition. Tune in on major platforms to deepen your understanding of dairy cattle nutrition.“The pre-formed fatty acids potentially were more easily incorporated into the milk fat, thus increasing some of our efficiency.” - Addison CarrollMeet the guest: Addison Carroll, a PhD student at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, specializes in ruminant nutrition, focusing on dairy cattle energy metabolism. Drawing on her upbringing on a beef cattle farm and experience at a family-owned dairy, Addison aims to advance dairy nutrition through her research on novel feed products. Her studies and professional journey highlight her dedication to enhancing producer knowledge and herd management through nutritional and technological advancements.What will you learn: (00:00) Highlight(00:45) Introduction(01:30) New Corn Byproduct Research(02:10) Protein Content in Feeds(02:51) Energy Measurement Techniques(03:53) Energy Loss in Diet Processing(04:54) Net Energy Findings(08:27) Closing ThoughtsThe Dairy Nutrition Blackbelt Podcast is trusted and supported by the innovative companies:* Adisseo- Volac

AABP Executive Director Dr. Fred Gingrich is joined by Dr. Gerard Cramer, Associate Professor at the University of Minnesota and current chair of the AABP Lameness Committee. This podcast is sponsored by Boehringer Ingelheim and their 360 mastitis portfolio. What's in your cattle tool care kit? Experience the power of complete mastitis care at choose360coverage.com.  The topic of the discussion is to walk through a research project that was funded by the AABP Foundation to investigate a model for inducing sole ulcers in dairy cattle. Sole ulcers are one of the major causes of lameness in dairy cattle and yet we still have much to learn about the pathogenesis of this disease to improve prevention and treatment strategies. Cramer discusses the importance of proof-of-concept studies to benefit future research and how they approached the welfare implications of this study. Three induction model challenges were implemented in this study included lying time restriction, dry matter intake restriction and a lipopolysaccharide challenge. Cramer reviews the results of the study and the difficulties in successfully inducing sole ulcers in this group of cows.  We also discuss some of the limitations of this study and future research opportunities to improve our ability to prevent and treat sole ulcers in dairy cows which can improve the welfare of cows. The AABP Foundation supports advancements in the health, well-being and productivity of cattle through scholarship programs, educational opportunities, and applied clinical research that benefits present and future cattle veterinarians. Research projects that are funded by the AABP Foundation must be applicable to practicing cattle veterinarians, have limited opportunity for funding elsewhere, and can serve as seed money for future larger-scale projects. The AABP Foundation research projects are supported entirely by member donations. Please support this type of research by donating today at this link.  Publication: G. Cramer, E. Shepley, W. Knauer, B.A. Crooker, S. Wagner, L.S. Caixeta, An iterative approach to the development of a sole ulcer induction model in Holstein cows, Journal of Dairy Science, Volume 106, Issue 7,2023, https://doi.org/10.3168/jds.2022-22726.  

Precision nutrition is crucial for optimizing dairy herd health and milk yield. Farmers can boost feed efficiency, enhance protein use, and cut nitrogen waste by fine-tuning essential amino acids. This method promotes animal welfare and supports environmental sustainability and economic resilience in dairy farming. In this episode, Dr. Mike Van Amburgh from Cornell University unveils a model that advances precision nutrition by accounting for all ten essential amino acids. Dr. Amburgh highlights that this breakthrough can lead to more cost-effective diets, increased productivity, and a reduced environmental footprint through improved nitrogen management."Precision nutrition allows for consistent and transparent diet formulation, empowering nutritionists."Meet the guest: Dr. Mike Van Amburgh has made a transition from the industry to academia, beginning his career as a District Sales Manager at Select Sire Power, Inc., before taking on his current role as a Professor at Cornell University. With a B.Sc. in Dairy Science from Ohio State University and a Ph.D. in Animal Science from Cornell University, Dr. Van Amburgh combines practical experience with deep academic expertise to contribute significantly to the field of animal science.What you'll learn:(00:00) Highlight(01:28) Introduction(03:25) Empowering nutritionists with the new model(03:38) Benefits for dairy producers from precision nutrition(04:19) Connection to sustainability and environmental impact(04:29) Reducing environmental impact and greenhouse gases(05:19) Bigger picture of sustainability in dairy nutritionThis Dairy Podcast Show Episode is trusted and supported by:* AdisseoAre you ready to unleash the podcasting potential of your company? wisenetix.co/custom-podcast

In this episode of The Dairy Podcast Show, we approach the transformative role of artificial intelligence (AI) in the dairy industry with our guest, Kelly Jo Johnson, a seasoned dairy management advisor from smaXtec. Kelly brings to the table a lifetime of experience in dairy. This discussion navigates through the potential of AI in revolutionizing dairy farm management by enhancing disease prevention, improving lactation processes, and refining treatment approaches without relying heavily on antibiotics. This insightful episode is a must-listen for anyone connected to the dairy industry, eager to understand how AI can lead to healthier herds and more sustainable farming practices. Tune in on major platforms to catch this fascinating conversation.The services offered by smaXtec do not replace diagnosis from a veterinarian or veterinary care. smaXtec does not assume any liability for the detection of diseases or the accuracy or interpretation of the measurement results obtained. smaXtec excludes any liability that could arise in connection with the herd management."When we're sick as people, we throw different types of body temperatures, and our doctors will use those body temperatures to help diagnose us. Now we have it in cows."What you'll learn:(00:00) Highlight(01:23) Introduction to dairy AI (08:46) AI vs human intelligence (15:30) Rumen boluses role (20:35) AI tech validation (24:29) Data simplification for producers (27:21) Early disease detection (36:07) Closing thoughtsMeet the guest: Kelly Jo Johnson, with a lifelong dedication to the dairy industry and a degree in Dairy Science, brings twelve years of experience spanning AI, nutrition, and pharmaceuticals before joining smaXtec. Her role as Senior Dairy Management Advisor focuses on leveraging artificial intelligence for disease prevention and improved herd health. The Dairy Podcast Show is trusted and supported by innovative companies like:- smaXtec* Adisseo- Acepsis- Berg + Schmidt- Diamond V- Phibro- Protekta- Natural Biologics- dsm-firmenich- Evonik- ICC- Volac

In this episode of The Dairy Podcast Show, we're privileged to have Corwin Holtz, a distinguished figure in dairy consulting, touching upon the evolution of the dairy industry, ruminant nutrition, and the pivotal role of mycotoxins in dairy management. Corwin's vast experience and strategic approach toward addressing mycotoxins, coupled with his emphasis on herd health and profitability, make this episode a treasure trove of knowledge for dairy professionals. Tune in to glean valuable wisdom from Corwin's illustrious career and practical advice for navigating the complexities of dairy farming."If we see that cows are acting differently than we see in lab results, we may want to take action in some way."What you'll learn:(00:00) Highlight(00:00) Introduction(04:19) Managing mycotoxins in dairy(10:07) Strategies for mycotoxin mitigation(15:22) Discussing binders and intervention costs(20:13) Importance of cow health and immune function(25:17) Agricultural policy and public perception(30:01) Final questionsMeet the guest: Meet Corwin Holtz, the founding member and consultant at Holtz Nelson Dairy Consultants, LLC. With a rich background that spans from the Californian dairy industry to academia and commercial feed business, Corwin has dedicated his career to enhancing dairy nutrition and management. His expertise lies in maximizing cow health and productivity, emphasizing sustainable practices that benefit farm profitability and environmental stewardship. Corwin's journey from obtaining his degree in Dairy Science at Cal Poly to his impactful work in New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, and New England, showcases his commitment to the dairy sector. A key figure in dairy education and advocacy, Corwin's contributions have earned him recognition and respect within the industry, making him a true asset to the dairy community.The Dairy Podcast Show is trusted and supported by innovative companies like:- dsm-firmenich* Adisseo- Evonik- smaXtec- ICC- Berg + Schmidt- Diamond V- Phibro- Protekta- Natural Biologics