News + Insights
Understanding Vaccines
KEY TAKEAWAYS IN THIS ISSUE OF TECHNICAL TOPICS: Vaccines help develop immunity by imitating a natural infection without illness. Vaccines greatly reduce the risk of outbreaks, but if problems do occur cases will be mild and recover faster. There are different vaccine types and new technology, know the pros and cons.
Cows Are the Ultimate Upcyclers, Mesa Dairy Farm Shows
Coulee Flats Dairy, in Mesa, Wash., uses leftover human food to feed their dairy cows. Standard Dairy Consultants works with the team to promote herd longevity and health. Hear Judd Higgins talk about it in this video.
Feed management software is critical to improving profitability, productivity and efficiency
In today’s world of low margins and volatility, we must utilize every tool available to optimize feed ingredients. By utilizing feed management software, producers can improve overall feeding performance, track inventory, individualize feeder incentives, and monitor financial metrics and feed efficiencies.
(Don’t) Stop the Count! Inventory Tracking and Management
KEY TAKEAWAYS IN THIS ISSUE OF TECHNICAL TOPICS: Tracking forage inventory informs ration decisions, feed purchases, and next year’s crop plan. Measure or estimate forage inventory post-harvest. What went into the storage structure and what remains from the prior year?
Evaluating financial metrics: Income over feed cost—IOFC
The dairy industry is known for using a lot of metrics. There are reproductive metrics, financial metrics, production metrics and nutrition metrics. In the best cases, metrics help us make decisions and justify the decisions we make…
Harvesting haylage: A tricky endeavor and considerations for the future
KEY TAKEAWAYS IN THIS ISSUE OF TECHNICAL TOPICS: High quality haylage can reduce out of pocket feed cost. Use a PEAQ stick and growth stage of plant to help monitor when to cut your haylage. Quick dry…
Make better nutritional and management decisions by understanding milk fatty acids
Dairymen, nutritionists and processors all seem to be paying more attention to fat and protein these days, particularly due to their impact on the price of a hundredweight (cwt) of milk…
Why Water Is The Most Critical (and Overlooked) Nutrient For Dairy Cows
Water drives feed intake, milk production, and herd health, yet water quality and availability can be taken for granted on dairy farms. Understanding how intake, mineral content, and management influence water consumption is a critical step in identifying hidden performance limitations. Here’s our take on what to evaluate, why it matters, and when water should move to the top of your troubleshooting checklist.
Feed inventory management: It’s not a game, but it can feel like one
Planning and managing forage inventory on the dairy can sometimes feel like playing Tetris. Like Tetris, we see things begin to pile up or disappear faster than our feed center is prepared for, with consequences…
