FEED & NUTRITION

Although some dairy herds do have excellent reproductive performance, the average Canadian herd is still showing unsatisfactory performance with an insemination rate of 44.1 percent, pregnancy rate of 17.6 percent and conception rate of 40.5 percent; those performances were shown to be similar in other countries.

Kernel milkline (starch deposition) should drive the time to start harvesting corn silage, not plant dry matter. For some, this statement may be puzzling, as in the past using plant dry matter was a key tool for harvest timing.

Forage harvest and quality can be like a wedding. This may seem comical at first read, but stick with me and understand how. With both harvest and a wedding, we start with great expectations, but in some cases those expectations are not met.

Summer months, and the stress that comes with them, can take a substantial toll on herd health and productivity. Understanding heat stress is critical for producers managing herds in warm, humid climates.

As we get into the warmer weather, dairy producers and their consultants should be on the lookout for subtle changes in cow behaviour, along with changes in forage and feedbunk stability.

Corn silage is an excellent source of high-yielding and consistent feed that some consider the most important crop for cows. This makes it important to understand how silage performance is affected by agronomic practices such as plant density.