Dear Editor, In the July 17, 2013 issue of Progressive Dairyman there was an article titled “Getting more ration value from commodity, byproduct feeds” by Dr. John Goeser.
The author refers to two studies by UC – Davis researchers who evaluated various byproduct feeds commonly fed in California.
As president of the California Chapter of the American Registry of Professional Animal Scientists (ARPAS), I want to convey that our chapter members were extremely disappointed that no reference was made to the fact that the study was supported financially by our California chapter.
Studies such as the ones the author referenced are extremely expensive to conduct, and our chapter felt such studies were important so as to aid the practicing livestock nutritionist.
In addition, the dairy industry needs to be made aware of the contributions that members of ARPAS are making to support their industry.
Mentioning that California ARPAS was involved in the aforementioned studies would not only aid our local chapter in being more visible, but it would also aid ARPAS members nationwide due to the excellent coverage of Progressive Dairyman.
We are appreciative that the studies mentioned warranted referencing, but more supportive documentation could have been added.
Thank you for your time, and thank you for making Progressive Dairyman a very useful source of information. PD
—Gerald E. Higginbotham, Ph.D., PAS
Western Ruminant Business Manager
Micronutrients
