In the realm of dairy farming, a cow's daily routine plays a pivotal role in her well-being and productivity. Cows thrive on consistency, particularly when it comes to their dietary needs.

Learn how to manage forage inventories after harvest, improve average daily gain of calves and capitalize during times of tight farm margins.

The dairy industry is facing numerous challenges with a pressing need for sustainable practices that optimize resource utilization and improve profitability. Residual feed intake (RFI) provides a powerful tool for evaluating feed efficiency in dairy production.

As winter approaches in the U.S., there are measures dairy producers can take to prepare for the cold days and nights ahead. Categories to consider as the colder months get closer include housing, management and nutrition.

Over recent years, it has become obvious the dairy industry is showing increasing growth in the use of automation, robotics and artificial intelligence (AI) as solutions to many challenges on the farm, particularly as related to labor demands.

Dairy producers have waited long enough for precision ag to acclimate to their unique and varied operations. While precision farming in row crops has enjoyed exceptional growth over the past 20 years, it’s been slower to take root in hay and forage.

Marcus Hollmann, a consultant based in Wisconsin; and Steve Mayo, a consultant assistant based in Idaho, both with Standard Dairy Consultants, use drones to help their dairy clients with feed management and completing TMR audits. 

There are a few areas on a farm that don’t receive as much attention by publications, consultants and even the dairy producers themselves that can have a dramatic impact on farm profitability. 

Precision feeding is not a new concept. However, with increases in technology and information available, the ability to achieve new levels of precision feeding is growing.