For many dairies, use of premixes is nothing new and they have been used in some fashion since dairying began. In many cases, however, because the practice is so common, we may tend to forget these are tools in our feeding programs that need to be reevaluated from time to time.

Understanding the impact of mineral and vitamin intake in relation to requirements and associated responses in health and performance is a very challenging aspect of beef cattle nutrition.

Until recently, there was no great way to put a numeric value to the amino acid profile of feed. With the release of the 2021 dairy NASEM, we now have a method to determine the relative value of the amino acid profile of a given feedstuff.

As the majority of the cow herds enter the late-gestation stage of production with rapidly increasing nutritional requirements, the lasting impacts of drought conditions become a priority and major influence on supplementation strategies.

Except for forage producers using hay analyses for marketing purposes, the real advantage of hay testing is not simply getting the results, but using those results to make meaningful decisions and make the hay feeding period more efficient.

Through the beginning of the fall, we continue to see this variation between milk protein and butterfat prices. Make a plan with your nutritionist and consultants to develop strategies that can and should be put in place to increase profits.