Division of Extension
Hot summer weather can be hard on feed ingredients and total mixed rations (TMRs). It is vital that feed quality and aerobic stability be maintained during this challenging season. Doing so will minimize nutrient losses while optimizing cow intakes which are often compromised due to heat stress challenges.
To minimize heat stress, there are three key things farmers can do to help cows on pasture stay healthy, productive, and comfortable during hot spells.
Dairy cattle are susceptible to heat stress during much of the summer. Dietary adjustments can help maintain nutrient intake and production.
With changes taking place in feed testing in commercial labs, Randy Shaver & Luiz Ferraretto help make sense of what’s showing up on the reports that nutritionists and farmers are looking at.
In this presentation, Dr. Kent Weigel discusses genomic selection for feed efficiency in dairy cows.
If we understand and use the biology and physics of forage drying properly, not only does the hay dry faster and have less chance of being rained on, but the total digestible nutrients (TDN) of the harvested forage are higher.
