FEED & NUTRITION

Dairy producers are in a continuous tug of war, trying to create consistency in an exceedingly inconsistent world. The goal is to create a steady environment for cows even as outside factors are destined to disrupt the calm.

One of my fond childhood memories is of my dad placing me on Nina’s back as she walked into the barn to be milked. Nina was truly a great cow by all accounts – highly productive, great conformation and highly prolific thanks to my dad’s forays into embryo transfer (ET) work in the early ’80s.

Change is hard – especially for cows, who are creatures of habit even more than we are. Any changes in a cow’s routine can quickly add up to compromise its health and performance.

Cereal crops are best known as primary ingredients for flour and beverages like beer. However, they are also an important source of nutrients for livestock.

A research project was carried out to determine interest in using more digestible alfalfa under local agroclimate conditions to obtain an objective opinion on the performance of these alfalfa varieties in Quebec.

Who knew cow farts would feature so prominently in the controversy and critiques aimed at the livestock industry? Besides the fact this points a misguided finger at the source of enteric methane emissions produced by cattle (99% of enteric methane emitted by cows is released through their mouth and nostrils), it tends to oversimplify a complex sustainability issue.