There have been some concerns lately in the dairy industry about low milk fat levels, something that has left many dairy nutritionists scratching their heads. Dr. Scott Bascom, a nutritionist with Cooperative Plus in Wisconsin, says 2009 was one of the worst years he has seen for milk fat tests, which had a significant financial impact on some of his … Read More
Optimism at World Dairy Expo
The sunny skies on opening day of World Dairy Expo were reflective of renewed optimism in the industry. “We’re seeing a lot of optimism out there, both on the company side and the producers already here on the floor,” said expo sales manager John Rozum. There are 770 companies from 26 countries represented at the expo this year, with 135 … Read More
Fabulous Farm Babe at World Dairy Expo
It’s a fabulous day in Madison, Wisconsin for the start of the 44th annual World Dairy Expo. On this fabulous day, it was only appropriate that the first person I saw when I walked in to the exhibit hall this morning was my good friend and farm broadcaster Pam Jahnke, aka the Fabulous Farm Babe. Pam is a past president … Read More
Feeding New Silage
On this edition of Forage Forum, Pioneer Hi-Bred dairy specialist Kevin Putnam discusses feeding the newly harvested silage crop. Letting the new crop ferment three to four months allows starch availability to increase. This year, Putnam says the crop should have a nice grain-to-stock ratio, which makes for high-energy, highly digestible feedstuffs. Listen to the podcast here: To see all … Read More
Milking Parlor: New Dairy Research Institute Unveiled
As we told you in the previous post, the dairy industry gets a new tool to help it better research and market its products. Dairy Management Incorporated and the Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy have announced the formation of the Dairy Research Institute, a non-profit group designed to strengthen the dairy industry’s access to and investment in the technical research … Read More
Growing Conditions and Corn Silage
Jim Smith, Pioneer livestock information manager in Minnesota, discusses the impact of growing conditions on corn for silage. Moisture and heat, depending on stage of growth, have a multitude of effects on nutritional value and readiness of the corn for harvest. Smith also talks about conditions in the northern Corn Belt. Listen to the podcast here: To see all archived … Read More
Silage Chopping Time
As the choppers start to roll across the country, Pioneer Hi-Bred dairy specialist Kevin Putnam discusses some management considerations for chopping corn silage. Corn heat units in many areas are ahead of schedule, triggering harvest. Putman discusses proper chopper set up, inoculant options and other factors for achieving optimum quality. Listen to the podcast here: To see all archived Pioneer … Read More
Podcast on Dairy Science Meeting and Novus
2010 JAM, the joint meeting of the American Dairy Science Association (ADSA), Poultry Science Association (PSA), Asociación Mexicana de Producción Animal (AMPA), Canadian Society of Animal Science (CSAS), American Society of Animal Science (ASAS), and ASAS Western Section (WSASAS) was held earlier this month in Denver, Colorado. This month’s “Milking Parlor” podcast features Gary Winter with Novus International talking about … Read More
International Participation at Dairy Solutions Symposium
Instead of listening to presenters from the Dairy Solutions Symposium, sponsored by Alltech, let’s hear from some of the participants. I spoke with many of them but only interviewed four. I think they give you a pretty good sense of how international this conference is. Let’s start with Georgios Valergakis, Greece. He attended since he thinks we live in an … Read More
Dealing With Corn Ear Mold
Last year many growers encountered a wet growing season which led to some concerns with ear molds. Bill Seglar, Pioneer nutritional sciences veterinarian, discusses conditions conducive to ear molds and the impact it has on nutritional value. Listen to the podcast here: To see all archived Pioneer Forage Forum podcasts, click here. Subscribe to Forage Forum here.