Translating calculations into ration formulation can be challenging, and a new tool from Arm & Hammer Animal Nutrition is taking the guessing game out of Dietary Cation-Anion Difference (DCAD) balancing. The DCAD calculator – a web-based tool hosted on AHDairy.com – is helping nutritionists and producers translate their feed and forage analyses into useable, on-farm knowledge.
“While the actual DCAD equation can be easy to solve, taking the information and putting it into practice can be more difficult for dairy nutritionists and their producer clients,” explains Senior Manager, Technology, Arm & Hammer Animal Nutrition, Dr. Elliot Block. “The new DCAD calculator helps to turn a feed analysis into applicable information to help make accurate ration formulation decisions.”
The DCAD calculator allows users to input the levels of four macrominerals – sodium, potassium, chloride and sulfur – which are commonly found in feeds and used to calculate ration DCAD.
“The purpose of the DCAD calculator is to help identify current ration DCAD levels and provide a better understanding of why certain levels are critical during each stage of lactation,” Block explains. “Since the nutrients of feeds and forages can change from one load of feed to the next, routinely calculating ration DCAD can help ensure cows remain healthy and perform to their potential.”
—From Arm & Hammer Animal Nutrition news release
