SPRING PASTURE NUTRITION: ARE YOUR COWS GETTING ENOUGH?
Plenty of grass, but are your cows getting what they need? It’s easy to look over a lush spring paddock and assume cows are getting
Plenty of grass, but are your cows getting what they need? It’s easy to look over a lush spring paddock and assume cows are getting
Ruminants are unique in the animal kingdom because the rumen is designed to digest fibrous plant matter in very high volumes, in order to release
Acetate and propionate are two dominant volatile fatty acids, or VFAs, produced by rumen microbes during fermentation. Both are important, but they support different outcomes
Transitioning from late pregnancy into early lactation puts cows under major strain. Energy demand is increasing just when the appetite drops right at calving time.
Reproduction isn’t driven solely by mating or body condition; rumen instability is a variable that can compromise cycling, conception, and embryo survival. Sub‑acute ruminal acidosis
Rumen instability isn’t just a digestion issue, it’s also linked to lameness and white line disease. Low rumen pH, repeated acid challenges and inflammation reduce
When you feed a cow, you are really feeding the rumen microbes first. Fibre digestion depends on a stable population of fibre-digesting bacteria and fungi
Most dairy goat farmers focus on getting energy, protein, and fibre right, and fair enough – feed drives milk. But even the best ration won’t
Farm technology is an exciting frontier, and it’s changing how we manage herds. From collars to boluses, apps and dashboards, farmers are promised real-time insights
We’ve come a long way in dairy farming over the past couple of decades. Genetics are better, sheds are more modern and we have more