Dairy Science Digest

All Episodes (42)

From new to old

From new to old From old to new

1. 

   1. DSD 4.11 | Reproduction Revolution

   Over the past 30 years the reproduction status of dairy has improved substantially, largely due to research around reproduction synchronization. This month we talk to Dr. Paul Fricke and Megan Lauber from the University of Wisconsin, about their recently released paper titled: Effect of postpartum body condition score change on the pregnancy outcomes of lactating Jersey cows inseminated at first service with sexed Jersey or conventional beef semen after a synchronized estrus versus a synchronize

   Nov 16,2023 37:01
2. 

   2. DSD 4.10 | Prevent Early Embryonic Losses

   Pregnancy is the key to profitability, ensuring your herd remains in the most profitable phase of production. However, these early embryos are delicate and often are not carried out through the entire 283 days of gestation. This month we talk with Dr. Stephen LaBlanc, from the University of Guelph about quantifying the frequency of early pregnancy loss in healthy animal and his team’s quest to determine the impact of a failed transition on the cow’s ability to carry the pregnancy to term.Through

   Oct 16,2023 30:33
3. 

   3. DSD 4.9 | Is your starch locked up by Zein proteins?

   Corn silage is such piece in your ration. Much work has been done by corn breeders to create the most ideal plant with high yields, digestible forage AND starch to support lactation. This month we talk with Dr. José Varela and feature a foundational silage project he and his team worked on at the University of Wisconsin to better understand specifically how zein proteins around corn starch particles change overtime when fermented.Corn breeders throughout the Land Grant University system collabor

   Sep 19,2023 28:48
4. 

   4. DSD 4.8 | How does grass-based milk impact human nutrition?

   Research in Ireland is focused around better understanding the intersection of management and cattle nutrition on the quality of the milk produced within a system. This month we talk specifically about three different feeding strategies – TMR, PMR or grass based investigated for an entire lactation.The vast majority of Irish dairymen attempt to maximize use of grass as the primary feed source for their nation’s dairy herd. Therefore food scientists Dr. André Brodkorb and Mark Timlin and team at

   Aug 16,2023 37:37
5. 

   5. DSD 4.7 | Ketosis and Antioxidant ability - Chicken or the egg?

   DSD 4.7 | Is there a relationship between Ketosis and antioxidant abilityFor years, dairy producers have worked towards best understanding all the challenges a cow experiences as she transitions from dry into lactation. If we can best identify the animals who take this transition in stride, we can work towards improving the single most challenging part of dairy production. This month, we are joined by two Belgium researchers looking to examine the relationship between antioxidant activity and ke

   Jul 16,2023 20:19
6. 

   6. DSD 4.6 | Accounting for accelerated genetic improvement

   Producers are becoming increasingly willing to make strides in the herd’s genetic progress through using embryo transfer (ET). We’ve seen a 12% increase in this management practice. Dr. Asha Miles, a Research Geneticist from USDA, talks with us about the sire evaluation program and specifically about the impact of on farm reporting of embryo transfer on the data set.Dr. Miles describes a dataset, updated 3x/year, available to all - accessible through the US Council on Dairy Cattle Breeding porta

   Jun 15,2023 26:08
7. 

   7. DSD 4.5 | Achieve Efficiency with Low N Rations

   Protein is expensive. Farms decreasing protein to save cost or save the environment creates a need to tweak a few things to keep your herd’s rumen running smooth. A rumen starved of protein will result in less branch chained volatile fatty acids (BCVFA) production in the rumen. These BCVFAs help fuel fiber degrading bacteria, and when concentrations are right, digestive efficiency improves – unlocking home-grown, fibrous energy for your herd.This month we talk with Ohio State’s Dr. Jeffrey Firki

   May 16,2023 21:03
8. 

   8. DSD 4.4 | Early Estrus Settles Cows

   What if you were able to tell within the first 10-14 days of lactation, if a cow would settle to first service – two months later? What tools are being developed to help answer that question?This month we talk with Dr. Stefan Borchardt about work his research team recently completed using AMS (activity monitoring systems) to track the impact of transition, on estrus expression and corelate that to reproductive success or failure.Understanding the correlations described in this month’s feature ar

   Apr 16,2023 24:21
9. 

   9. DSD 4.3 | Financial thresholds of successful dairies in NY

   The dairy industry is capital intensive. Maintaining strong relationships with your lender, based on YOUR farm’s financial data, will help navigate through all the different market conditions. Specifically, using financial thresholds and benchmarking against similar farms will help your farm’s financial resiliency over time.  This month Dr. Chris Wolf joins us from Cornell to discuss the article is titled, “Financial risk and resiliency on US dairy farms: Measures, thresholds, and management imp

   Mar 16,2023 35:27
10. 

    10. DSD 4.2 | How to anticipate colostrum changes

    Colostrum: the liquid gold of life for newborn dairy calves. While it’s fairly universally understood how important colostrum is, we occasionally encounter the bizarre situation when a cow comes in with very little or no colostrum. Then, shortly later another cow comes in and nearly overflows the bucket. This situation intrigued researchers out of New York to closely study 19 Holstein herds in attempt to find associations of management to colostrum yield and quantity.Listen in to Trent Westhoff

    Feb 15,2023 29:12
11. 

    11. DSD 4.1 | Fueling the appetite of your herd

    A good rule of thumb many nutritionists work by; when the cow increases intake - every 1 pound of feed increase will result in 2.5 additional pounds of milk. Capturing this “marginal milk” helps increase profits for dairy producers who are already covering all the fixed costs of the herd. For years, Dr. Mike Allen and others have studied the mechanisms that control intake so we can learn how to tweak our diet to maximize intake. This month Dr. Barry Bradford joins us from Michigan State Universi

    Jan 15,2023 20:29
12. 

    12. DSD 3.12 | One minute delay is costing you

    On-farm data mining from your parlor equipment could help you identify bimodality in your herd. Bimodality refers to delayed milk ejection during the early phase of the milking. Previous research and repeated work by M. Wieland’s team has shown that a delay in milk let down can result in a significant loss of milk. Equipped with this information our guest this month, Dr. Matthias Wieland, would take a sophisticated tool on farms to test parlor efficiency and effectiveness in milkout.One trip he

    Dec 16,2022 23:18
13. 

    13. DSD 3.11 | Ultrasound assessment of pneumonia

    Bovine respiratory disease (BRD) is a costly concern primarily during the calf phase production. This is especially relevant to veal production, when young and venerable calves are commingled from many farms. However, BVD breakouts can also occur on calf ranches raising dairy x beef calves or even individual dairy farms.This month Dr. Stan Jourquin joins us from Ghent University in Belgium to discuss his article is titled, “Dynamics of subclinical pneumonia in male dairy calves in relation to an

    Nov 15,2022 26:02
14. 

    14. DSD 3.10| Fetal programming effects of Choline

    Fetal programming is an emerging topic. This month listen in to learn more about how feeding Choline to your transition pen could transform the metabolism and next generation of the herd. Researcher Dr. Tucker Swartz at the Michigan State University and his team in Bradford’s lab fed choline 24 days prior to freshening and measured the impact on the calf's success through the preweaning phase. These results are in press in the Journal of Dairy Science titled, “Effects of prenatal dietary rumen-p

    Oct 16,2022 13:55
15. 

    15. DSD 3.9| Turn methane from a liability into an asset

    While it is a fairly unpopular topic among most dairymen, the carbon neutrality goal for 2050 has been declared by leaders of the dairy industry to ensure we are meeting the desires of consumers. This month Dr. Frank Mitloehner joins us from UC Davis to discuss his article is titled, “Defining a pathway to climate neutrality for US dairy cattle production”. Listen in to learn how this goal can become an asset to your balance sheet, through carbon credits on the open market.We discuss the State o

    Sep 16,2022 23:38
16. 

    16. DSD 3.8 | The high fertility cycle

    This month Drs. Keith E. Latham and J. Richard Pursley join us from Michigan State University to discuss their research comparing cows that maintained body condition versus those who lost during the first month of lactation, and the impact that has on reproductive success.Dairy producers are familiar with the struggles cows have when the transition period fails and cows thin down. Turns out these researchers identified part of the reproductive puzzle, a molecular change on the oocyte which poten

    Aug 16,2022 22:28
17. 

    17. DSD 3.7 | Is She Settled?

    How much would you value knowing that she’s bred earlier than convention? Canadian researcher Dr. Jean Durocher and his team at DHI was approached by dairy producers to determine the feasibility of weekly milk PAG testing all the way down to 23 days post insemination, potentially helping resync and rebreed her a week earlier.The cost of days open can range from $3.00-$5.50/cow/day. Knowing her status sooner will assist in decreasing these costs.This month’s feature article “Bayesian estimation o

    Jul 14,2022 19:20
18. 

    18. DSD 3.6 | Not your Grandfathers Sorghum

    This timely edition addresses questions about the feasibility of Forage Sorghum and Sorghum Sudangrass for your lactating herd. There have been numerous advances to these forages over time resulting in hybrids. Dr. Luis Ferraretto, from the University of Wisconsin, is featured for this June addition to discuss a retroactive study predicting dry matter intake, milk production, and production’s impact on intake using 11 years of sorghum plot data from Central FL.  Listen in to better understand th

    Jun 16,2022 25:44
19. 

    19. DSD 3.5 | Modeling biometrics benchmarks for a successful transition cow management

    The transition period has been investigated for nearly 4 decades. Over this time, much has changed in dairy industry including herd management and genetics. Dr. Kerwin, from Cornell, joins us today to discuss the robust observational project documenting the management of 72 successful herds in NY and VT. The project involved tracking the same cohort of cows on each farm for 11 weeks to capture the far off, close up, fresh and peak lactation cow over time. Part 1 of the paper focuses on the manag

    May 16,2022 42:34
20. 

    20. DSD 3.4 | Under the hood

    The final frontier for ruminant nutritionists - understanding all the intricacies and nuances of the microorganisms in the rumen. We know the rumen is adaptable and must anticipate these changes to better manage our herd. This month we talk with Dr. Mary Beth Hall, US Dairy Forage Research center, who investigated the relationship of non-fibrous carbohydrates and rumen degradable protein in the rumen and on production.In 2022, we anticipate nutritionists will try out a variety of different energ

    Apr 15,2022 28:28
21. 

    21. DSD 3.3 | Financial Resilience – the individual cow effect

    Positive Profit. Every herd is chasing financial resilience. It is especially relevant on our minds having just completed our schedule Fs and planning for 2022 planting season.Have you ever wondered the lifetime profit of a cow in your herd? How about the average break even for each cow in the herd? Dr. Hadrich was raised on a dairy and questioned the impact of these individual cow differences. To answer these questions, she and her team took on-farm quickbook financials and merged them with ind

    Mar 21,2022 22:30
22. 

    22. DSD 3.2 | Unleashed Energy

    The hurdles of the transition period were first identified nearly 3 decades ago. Since then, researchers have been working towards improved understanding of adipose tissue metabolism to fuel the dairy cow during this window of time.This month we interview the author of the Symposium Review titled: The role of adipose tissue in transition dairy cows: current knowledge and future opportunities, Dr. Sabine Mann, DVM from Cornell University.We discuss the effects of and how to monitor circulating NE

    Feb 15,2022 24:19
23. 

    23. DSD 3.1 | Don’t waste your GnRH

    Settling the problem breeder is an achievement every dairy manager wants to better understand. This month’s topic focuses in on the role of GnRH injections and the relationship with the cow’s activity. Listen in as Dr. Tracy Burnett, from the University of British Columbia in Vancouver Canada, studied this topic and has added to our conventional wisdom about GnRH’s role.  Her work was recently published @JournalofDairyScience is titled: Impact of GnRH administration at the time of Artificial ins

    Jan 16,2022 18:34
24. 

    24. DSD 2.12 | New Rx for Dehorning?

    Dehorning, the task no one loves. This month pain expert Dr. Michael D. Kleinhenz, from Kansas State, describes research his team conducted to test the effectiveness of long-acting bupivacaine for pain relief during and following disbudding. Listen in to learn about a novel approach to measure pain levels, to determine the effectiveness of Bupivacaine for FDA approval.The article highlighted from the @JournalofDairyScience is titled: Effect of bupivacaine liposome suspension administered as a co

    Dec 16,2021 25:18
25. 

    25. 2.11 | Measuring Fat During the Transition Period

    As the dairy cow transitions from dry to lactating, she experiences numerous changes. This month we learn more about the biological details of fat metabolism. Dr. Contreras, from Michigan State University, guides us through a discussion around the project specifically focusing in on what occurs to the fat, at a cellular level, of a cow challenged by disease – specifically ketosis.Listen in to better understand the 3 major mechanisms to control fat mobilization in your fresh cow pen. This “bencht

    Nov 15,2021 18:18
26. 

    26. DSD 2.10 | Impact of on farm feed in your AMS

    To help save feed costs, many producers have turned to on farm feed as a resource. However, what is not well understood is the impact of this choice for dairies using automatic milking systems (AMS), or robots.Dr. Greg Penner and his team at the University of Saskatchewan researched the feasibility of using home grown, steam-flaked barley versus pelleted barley for guided-flow AMS barns.Listen in this month to learn what the potential impact of this management choice on your lactating herd. The

    Oct 15,2021 17:17
27. 

    27. DSD 2.9 | Educating Consumers

    This month we’re going to navigate a bit away from production practices and talk about consumers understanding of our products. By better understanding HOW consumers view the image of our industry, we can become better advocates and perhaps sell more products. Dr. Laurel Redding joins us today from the University of Pennsylvania, school of Veterinary medicine. Her Journal of dairy Science article, currently in press, is titled: Educational interventions to address misconceptions about antibiotic

    Sep 16,2021 16:36
28. 

    28. DSD 2.8 | Consider Cobalt

    Essential trace elements are “essential” because the diet is the only source. However, sometimes because they are trace, we tend to forget about the importance.Listen in this month to learn from Dr. David Casper about the importance of cobalt in energy metabolism of your lactating herd. This specific research project is discussing the difference between sources of cobalt, carbonate vs lactate.  The title of the @JournalofDairyScience: Supplementing additional cobalt as cobalt lactate in a high f

    Aug 16,2021 14:00
29. 

    29. DSD 2.7 | Timing of Prefresh Vaccination matters

    Timing is everything - by shifting your prepartum vaccination program by one week, can make big difference in the success of your transition program. Dr. Schuenemann, Ohio State’s Extension state dairy veterinarian, investigated the difference between giving prepartum vaccines at day -28 vs -21. Listen in to hear why the industry should consider the shift to 4 weeks out to improve uptake of IgG in the mammary, the site we need it.This continues our theme of: “Doesn’t cost a thing” – management c

    Jul 26,2021 24:03
30. 

    30. DSD 2.6 Doesn't cost a thing

    Heifer development, one of the most expensive enterprises on the farm, all expense with delayed return. This month, Dr. Jolet Van Niekerk summarizes a comprehensive review of heifer development in the Journal of Dairy Science, titled: New frontiers in calf and heifer nutrition—From conception to puberty. This article in press is the ADSA Foundation Scholar award recipient for its comprehensive review. While there are many things we can manage that does have cost, surprisingly the most important

    Jun 16,2021 24:10
31. 

    31. DSD 2.4 | Reproductive Success for late calving grazers

    In this edition of Dairy Science digest Dr. Matt Lucy, Editor in chief of the Journal of Dairy Science Communication and Reproduction physiologist from the University of Missouri, discusses work he and team published this month about successfully synchronizing late calvers in a seasonal calving system. Grazers represent a large portion of Missouri's dairy industry. Ensuring a tight calving window helps match cows with ideal forage growth pattern.Tune in to learn how to effectively "reset" those

    Apr 16,2021 19:46
32. 

    32. DSD 2.3 | Fresh Cow Ration - Protein Matters

    In this edition of Dairy Science digest Dr. Bill Weiss, from The Ohio State University, discusses work he and his co-author Alex Tebbes recently completed on determining the ideal amount of crude protein for your fresh cow pen. Additionally, they determined the sweet spot for forage for the recently fresh cow to ensure the highest intake  - and therefore energy corrected milk. The INVESTMENT in the first 24 days, showed carryover effects for 11 weeks in lactation - easily supporting the elevated

    Mar 16,2021 18:09
33. 

    33. DSD 2.2 - The Future of Milk testing | pregnancy, disease and efficiency

    In this edition of Dairy Science digest Professor Mike Coffey, a researcher from the Scotland, describes the advancements with inline milk sampling. He explains how improvements in technology allows us to analyze subtle changes in the milk. These subtle changes occur with pregnancy, disease, metabolic disruptions and even to differentiate efficient cattle from the less efficient.This non-invasive data collection opportunity could radically transform the information we could use to manage our her

    Feb 15,2021 17:20
34. 

    34. DSD S2E1 Solar Panels in your dairy system

    This episode we learn from Dr. Bradley Heins, from the University of Minnesota, all about integrating solar into your dairy grazing operation. He has learned about construction considerations, cow cleanliness and the shading effect of solar panels added to a rotational system.His research titled "Evaluation of solar photovoltic systems to shade cows in a pasture-based dairy herd", is in press in the Journal of Dairy Science volume 104.@journaldairyscience  #2xAg2030Keywords: Dairy, Solar, grazin

    Jan 15,2021 15:00
35. 

    35. DSD8: Flashmate for Heat Detection

    On this episode of Dairy Science Digest Fayth Kumro, MS Animal Sciences from the University of Missouri discusses Flashmate. This heat detection device uses touch screen technology to determine when your cows are in heat. Her research was conducted in both grazing operations and confinement. Learn more about how to affordably improve heat detection in your herd to keep your cows in the most productive phase of lactation.Read the abstract or request the article at: https://www.journalofdairyscien

    Dec 16,2020 08:44
36. 

    36. DSD7 - No magic body weight target for success

    Dairy Science Digest's Reagan Bluel interviews Dr. Chad Dechow, Geneticist from Penn St., to discuss the sweet spot in heifer development for the 7th episode of Dairy Science Digest.This 15 year research project supported that the biggest heifers aren't the most profitable for your operation. Heaviest heifers are 49% more likely to be culled at a given time.Moderate sized heifers that reach between 73-77% mature rate at first calving can produce more milk WITHOUT  sacrificing long term milk yiel

    Nov 15,2020 16:12
37. 

    37. Dairy Science Digest 6: Aspirin for dystocia

    Can a few bolus' of aspirin really make a difference? Listen here to hear the research of Dr. Adrian Barragan, of Penn State University, discussing how this simple therapy can have a huge impact on inflammation, and therefore productivity of your fresh cows. Dairy Science digest is a monthly podcast hosted by Reagan Bluel, of MU - Extension Dairy team, designed to bring the latest Dairy Science research to the ears of dairy producers. Targeted to not exceed 22 minutes, its the "need to know info

    Oct 16,2020 22:50
38. 

    38. Beef on Dairy - sire conception rate

    Dairy science digest #5 interviews Taylor McWhorter, from Georgia, to discuss considerations when selecting beef sires for your breeding program. Specifically focusing in on sire conception rates or SCR.Journal of Dairy Science, Sept 2020. Title: Investigating conception rate for beef service sires bred to dairy cows and heifers.

    Sep 15,2020 19:57
39. 

    39. Dairy Science Digest - Tricks for workforce development

    In this edition of Dairy Science Digest, Stan Moore from MI State provides us insight to what employees (both hired and family) need to feel committed to your farm. Quality relationships are easy to develop, as long as your mindful of your approach. Listen in to catch nuggets of critical information to meet your farm where you are in the stage of workforce development.

    Aug 17,2020 30:38
40. 

    40. Dairy Science Digest - Calves born to Heat stressed dams are preprogrammed for failure

    In this edition Reagan Bluel interviews Dr. Jimena Laporta, from the University of Florida, about heat stress in your dry cow herd.We've learned, from a decade of data, that heat stress on a dam during the dry period causes a change to her calf that last a lifetime and is passed down to her offspring. This change causes decreased milk production, productive life and profitability. Listen in to learn how a small investment in prevention can have a huge return.

    Jul 15,2020 26:08
41. 

    41. Dairy Science Digest-Does Repro Technologies fit in your herd?

    Dairy Science digest is a monthly podcast developed to share current research in Dairy Science. The "need to know" info to help manage your herd. This month, Dr. Richard Chebel, from the University of FL discusses the effect of bringing SCR collars into a high producing Holstein herd in FL.This research looked at using the activity collars for conventional AI, TAI and to better refine the window for your ET program. See https://doi.org/10.3168/jds.2019-17892.

    Jun 15,2020 30:08
42. 

    42. Dairy Science Digest - Perfecting the Goldilocks diet, using molasses

    Dairy Science digest is a new podcast developed to share current research published in the Journal of Dairy science. Only the "need to know" info to help you manage your herd. This edition features an interview with author, Casey Havekes, discussing the how to perfect your transition cow "Goldilocks" diet. To see the full article visit: https://www.journalofdairyscience.org/current

    May 14,2020 23:00