Feed costs for the dairy cattle herd represent 50 to 60% of the total cost associated with the production of milk. In addition, properly implemented dairy cattle nutrition programs can improve milk production, health, and reproductive performance of dairy cows for both the milking herd and dry cows. In this section, articles on various aspects of dairy cow nutrition and feeding and dairy feeding management are provided. Articles pertaining to acidosis and lameness in dairy cattle, feed additives, the use of by-products in dairy cattle diets, fats, water quality, protein nutrition, minerals and vitamins, feeding management, troubleshooting nutritional problems, and forage information for dairy diets are available below.
Nutrition of Milking and Dry Cows Videos
Topics
- Acidosis and Laminitis
- Additives
- Animal Health
- Byproducts
- Carbohydrates
- Dry and Transition Cows
- Fats
- Feed Program Management
- Feedstuffs Management
- Forages
- Heat Stress
- Managing Feed Costs
- Milk Composition
- Minerals and Vitamins
- Protein
- Troubleshooting Tools
- Water
Acidosis and Laminitis
- Effective Fiber for Dairy Cows
- Feeding to Minimize Acidosis and Laminitis in Dairy Cattle
- Forage and TMR Particle Size and Effects on Rumen Fermentation of Dairy Cattle
- Issues Related to Subacute Rumen Acidosis in the Dairy Cow
- Nutrition and Claw Health
Additives
- Effect of Supplemental Biotin on Performance of Lactating Dairy Cows
- Feed Additives for Dairy Cattle
- Rumen-Protected Choline
- Use of Rumensin in Dairy Diets
Animal Health
- Body Condition Scoring as a Tool for Dairy Herd Management
- Checklist for Nutritional Aspects for Improving Reproductive Efficiency (En Español)
- Displaced Abomasum – Avoiding the Need for a Tummy Tuck in Dairy Cows
- Gossypol Intake from Cottonseed Feedstuffs – A Performance Concern for Dairy Cattle?
- Impact of Milk Fever and Hypocalcemia on Reproductive Performance of the Dairy Cow
- Minimizing Subclinical Metabolic Diseases
- Minimizing the Risk for Ketosis in Dairy Herds (En Español)
- New Developments in Understanding Ruminal Acidosis in Dairy Cows
- Prevention and Control of Nitrate Toxicity in Cattle
- Prevention of Displaced Abomasum
- Prevention of Udder Edema in Dairy Cows
- Progress in the Understanding of Hemorrhagic Bowel Syndrome
- Subclinical Hypocalcemia, or Milk Fever, in Dairy Cows — Why all the Fuss? (En Español)
- Therapeutic Nutrition for Dairy Cattle
- Understanding Fungal (Mold) Toxins (Mycotoxins)
Links
Byproducts
- Distillers Grains
- Feeding Byproducts High in Concentration of Fiber to Ruminants
- Randomness Rules: Living with Variation in the Nutrient Composition of Concentrate Feeds
- Storage of Wet Distillers Grains
Carbohydrates
- Dietary Effective Fiber, Particle Length and Sorting
- Feeding Sugar to Ruminants
- Feeding Lower-Starch Diets to Dairy Cattle
- Glycerol as a Feed Ingredient in Dairy Rations
- Optimizing Starch Concentrations in Dairy Rations
- Processing Cereal Grains Fed to Dairy Cattle
- Reaping the Most Nutrients: Working with Starch and Nonfiber Carbohydrate Digestibility
- Starch Digestibility of Corn – Silage and Grain
- Sugar in Diets for Lactating Dairy Cows
Dry and Transition Cows
- Management of Fresh Dairy Cows Critical for a Dairy’s Profitability
- Management Practices before Calving Help Prevent Fresh Dairy Cows from Becoming “Losers”
- Modified Dry Periods in Dairy Cattle: Implications for Milk Yield and the Transition Period
- Optimizing Transition Cow Diets
- Rethinking Energy for Dry Cows
Fats
Feed Program Management
- Checklist for the Top 5 Priorities for Fall/Winter Dairy Feeding Programs
- Does TMR Sampling Provide Useful Nutrient Composition Data?
- Effect of Photoperiod on Feed Intake and Animal Performance
- Feeding and Nutrition Management for Hot Weather
- Feeding Practices for Dairy Cows Milked with Robotic Milking Systems
- Grain Supplementation to Grazing Herds
- Managing a Grazing System for a Milking Dairy Herd
- Managing Nutrition for Optimal Milk Components
- Setting Nutrient Specifications for Formulating Diets for Groups of Lactating Dairy Cows
- Targeting Dairy Feeding Programs for Less Feed Waste or Shrink
- The Feeding Behavior of Dairy Cows:Considerations to Improve Cow Welfare and Productivity
- Top Ways to Tweak Dairy Nutrition Management Programs to Improve Profitability: Part 1
- Top Ways to Tweak Dairy Nutrition Management Programs to Improve Profitability: Part 2
- Using Milk Urea Nitrogen to Improve Nitrogen Efficiency and Reduce Environmental Impact of Dairy Cows
- Using Your Feed Resources, Labor, and Dollars Wisely
- What are Your Dairy Cows Telling You about Their Nutrition Program?
Feedstuffs Management
- Bunker Silo and Drive-Over, Silage-Pile Management
- Considerations in Feed Bunk Management
- Dry Matter Determination
- Mold and Mycotoxin Issues in Dairy Cattle: Effects, Prevention, and Treatment
- New Developments in TMR Particle Size Measurement
- Silage and Dry Hay Management
Forages
- Corn Silage Considerations When Feeding Corn Milling Co-Products
- Cow Nutrition and Crop Nutrient Management
- Evaluating Corn Silage Quality for Dairy Cattle
- Feeding Dairy Cows: In Vitro NDF Digestibility
- Feeding Frosted Forages to Dairy Cattle
- Forage Evaluation: Wading Through a Sea of Numbers (en Español)
- Forage Sorghum for Dairy Cattle
- Help in Choosing an Effective Silage Inoculant
- Improving Corn Silage Nutritive Value through Harvesting Practices
- In vivo Digestibility of Forages
- Predicting Optimum Time of Alfalfa Harvest
- Proper Use of Forage Composition Data for Formulating Diets for Dairy Cows
- Ranking Corn Silage Hybrids
- Supplemental Forage Production for Dairy Cattle
Heat Stress
- Dairy Feeding and Management Considerations during Heat Stress
- Strategies to Improve Dairy Cows’ Feed Intake during Heat Stress (en Español)
Managing Feed Costs
- Checklist for the Top 5 Priorities for Fall/Winter Dairy Feeding Programs
- Controlling Feed Costs Over the Long Haul
- Managing Measures of Feed Costs: Benchmarking Physical and Economic Feed Efficiency
- Practical Approaches To Feed Efficiency and Applications on the Farm
- Strategies to Deal with Volatility and Increased Dairy Feed Costs
Milk Composition
Minerals and Vitamins
- Appropriate Methods of Diagnosing Mineral Deficiencies in Cattle
- Dairy Cows Need Adequate but Not Excessive Amounts of Trace Minerals
- Dietary Cation-Anion Difference for Dairy Rations
- Evaluation of Dairy Manure as Fertilizer: Manure N and P Supplies for Crop Production
- Excess Sulfur and Potassium can Cause Mineral Nutrition Problems with Dairy Cows
- Managing Dietary Phosphorus to Reduce Environmental Impact of Dairy Farms
- Mineral Tolerances of Animals
- Real World Vitamin Recommendations
- Selenium Sources for Dairy Cattle
- Update on Trace Mineral Requirements for Dairy Cattle
- Update on Vitamin Nutrition of Dairy Cows
- Water-Soluble Vitamins for Dairy Cattle
Protein
- Current Status of Amino Acid Requirement Models for Lactating Dairy Cows
- How Efficiently Are Your Cattle Using Ration Nitrogen?
- Low Protein Diets for Dairy Cows
- Understanding Nitrogen Utilization in Dairy Cattle
- Why Use Metabolizable Protein for Ration Balancing?
Troubleshooting Tools
- Energetics for the Practicing Nutritionist
- Feed Efficiency and Its Impact on Feed Intake
- Interpreting Milk Urea Nitrogen (MUN) Values
- Managing the Total Mixed Ration to Prevent Problems in Dairy Cows