Consistent feed composition and delivery are generally recognized as key components for optimal animal health and maximizing milk production and profitability. Equally important are accurate measurement and tracking of feed intake for determining feed efficiency of milk production and income over feed cost (IOFC) as
For beef producers, think about winter plans early allow time to make management decisions that will affect the health, productivity and profitability of the herd over the next production cycle. The following are tips and guidelines to consider.
When dealing with drought conditions it is helpful to remember that cattle do not require amounts of specific forages or others ingredients, but require nutrients, which can be provided from a multitude of sources.
Heat stress in dairy cattle causes increased water intake, rapid respiration, elevated body temperature, altered hormone profiles and more. In other words, it’s bad, and it’s often devastating effects extend beyond the period of heat stress itself
Addition of water to total mixed rations (TMRs) has become a generally accepted recommendation to reduce sorting behaviour by cattle during eating. As such, there are a number of recommendations out there concerning the “ideal” moisture content for total mixed rations (TMRs), some of which
A recent experiment in the Journal of Dairy Science by Jud Heinrich’s group at Pennsylvania State University lends support to Jaylor’s recommendations for the optimal particle size distribution of total mixed rations (TMRs) for dairy cattle.
Vertical TMR mixers primarily utilize gravity to mix ingredients by gathering them into the base of the auger, elevating them to the top of the mass in the tub, and then causing them to mix as they tumble outward and down between the auger and
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A cost-benefit analysis for adopting the use of a vertical TMR mixer on a moderately sized cow-calf operation has two segments: (1) decreased feed wastage and (2) increased animal performance.