Dairy Science Digest
47 episodes - English - Latest episode: 26 days ago -Dairy Science Digest - a podcast developed to share the MOST current research published in the Journal of Dairy science. Hear directly from the research authors on how their results can impact your herd’s profitability. Science you can base your management decisions around.
Designed to rarely exceed 30 minutes, this podcast provides ONLY the ”need to know” info for dairy producers.
Keywords: dairy, science, reproduction, production, extension, cattle, MIZZOU, MU, Dairy Team, #2xAg2030
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Episodes
DSD 5.4 | Reconsider Choline for lasting returns
April 20, 2024 01:39 - 36 minutes - 24.5 MBCholine, a pseudovitamin, is required by all mammals including the dairy cow for many essential functions. Research in supplementing rumen protected choline really took off about twenty years ago, however continues today to best understand how this feed through additive can positively influence profitability. Dr. Usman Arshad joins the conversation for this episode to highlight his comprehensive summary of all the peer reviewed, published research completed on Choline. Listen in to best un...
DSD 5.3 | Slight modifications of CIDR Sync - help or hinder?
March 15, 2024 21:18 - 27 minutes - 19.2 MBDSD 5.3 | Slight modifications of CIDR Sync - help or hinder? In this time of heifer inventory shortage – getting heifers pregnant (in a timely fashion) is even more important than ever. Contract heifer growers in California sought the help of Dr. Fabio Lima and his team at UC Davis to best understand the use of a 6-day CIDR sync with variable rates of GnRH could increase pregnancies when bred to sexed semen. The findings we discuss are published in the recently released Journal of Dairy...
DSD 5.2 | Stop fresh cow subclinical mastitis in its tracks without withhold
February 16, 2024 04:34 - 24 minutes - 18.5 MBGetting the fresh cow off to a strong start has ripple effects for her entire lactation. Subclinical mastitis rarely gets treated due to an unawareness or a lack of interest in pulling her from the tank. Nisin is a naturally occurring antimicrobial that’s been used widely as a food preservative. Dr. Zelmar Rodriguez and his team from Michigan State University looked at using this familiar antimicrobial to treat subclinical mastitis. The result, reduced clinical cases of mastitis. Listen in ...
DSD 5.1 | Energy saved is energy earned
January 16, 2024 04:50 - 19 minutes - 14.2 MBEfficient production is the name of the game, and the key to an efficient cow is her rumen microbiome. The highlighted research this month focuses in on the intersection of Genome of the host cow, Microbiome within the rumen and the Intersection of the two. To best understand the rumen efficiency story we talk this month with Dr. Guillermo Martinez Boggio from University of Wisconsin, about his recently released paper titled: Host and rumen microbiome contributions to feed efficiency traits...
DSD 4.12 | Mature mamas sail through transition with beef cross calves
December 15, 2023 20:49 - 25 minutes - 17.8 MBBeef on dairy is here to stay. These cross animals generate a revenue stream for dairies as it lubricates the parallel industry of beef production. Much research is being poured into this topic to ensure producers can make wise breeding choices going forward. This month we talk with Bailey Basiel from Penn State University, about their recently released paper titled: The impact of beef sire breed on dystocia, still birth, gestation length, health, and lactation performance of cows that carry...
DSD 4.11 | Reproduction Revolution
November 16, 2023 03:29 - 37 minutes - 26.1 MBOver 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 synchro...
DSD 4.10 | Prevent Early Embryonic Losses
October 16, 2023 03:20 - 30 minutes - 20.5 MBPregnancy 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. T...
DSD 4.9 | Is your starch locked up by Zein proteins?
September 19, 2023 03:44 - 28 minutes - 20.5 MBCorn 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 co...
DSD 4.8 | How does grass-based milk impact human nutrition?
August 16, 2023 01:29 - 37 minutes - 25.9 MBResearch 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 te...
DSD 4.7 | Ketosis and Antioxidant ability - Chicken or the egg?
July 16, 2023 04:59 - 20 minutes - 15.4 MBDSD 4.7 | Is there a relationship between Ketosis and antioxidant ability For 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 ...
DSD 4.6 | Accounting for accelerated genetic improvement
June 15, 2023 23:43 - 26 minutes - 18.2 MBProducers 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...
DSD 4.5 | Achieve Efficiency with Low N Rations
May 16, 2023 03:02 - 21 minutes - 14.4 MBProtein 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...
DSD 4.4 | Early Estrus Settles Cows
April 16, 2023 03:57 - 24 minutes - 16.7 MBWhat 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 fe...
DSD 4.3 | Financial thresholds of successful dairies in NY
March 16, 2023 03:37 - 35 minutes - 24.4 MBThe 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 manageme...
DSD 4.2 | How to anticipate colostrum changes
February 15, 2023 22:30 - 29 minutes - 17.7 MBColostrum: 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 Wes...
DSD 4.1 | Fueling the appetite of your herd
January 15, 2023 23:42 - 20 minutes - 12.2 MBA 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 Un...
DSD 3.12 | One minute delay is costing you
December 16, 2022 00:12 - 23 minutes - 15.8 MBOn-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 tr...
DSD 3.11 | Ultrasound assessment of pneumonia
November 15, 2022 21:42 - 26 minutes - 18.4 MBBovine 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...
DSD 3.10| Fetal programming effects of Choline
October 16, 2022 01:58 - 13 minutes - 9.85 MBFetal 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 rum...
DSD 3.9| Turn methane from a liability into an asset
September 16, 2022 01:35 - 23 minutes - 15.3 MBWhile 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 S...
DSD 3.8 | The high fertility cycle
August 16, 2022 02:53 - 22 minutes - 16.1 MBThis 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...
DSD 3.7 | Is She Settled?
July 14, 2022 13:55 - 19 minutes - 11.8 MBHow 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 esti...
DSD 3.6 | Not your Grandfathers Sorghum
June 16, 2022 02:53 - 25 minutes - 18.4 MBThis 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 underst...
DSD 3.5 | Modeling biometrics benchmarks for a successful transition cow management
May 16, 2022 03:14 - 42 minutes - 29.6 MBThe 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...
DSD 3.4 | Under the hood
April 15, 2022 17:41 - 28 minutes - 20.7 MBThe 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...
DSD 3.3 | Financial Resilience – the individual cow effect
March 21, 2022 20:52 - 22 minutes - 20.9 MBPositive 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 wi...
DSD 3.2 | Unleashed Energy
February 15, 2022 21:42 - 24 minutes - 21.2 MBThe 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 circul...
DSD 3.1 | Don’t waste your GnRH
January 16, 2022 00:04 - 18 minutes - 16.7 MBSettling 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 Artifici...
DSD 2.12 | New Rx for Dehorning?
December 16, 2021 03:57 - 25 minutes - 22.3 MBDehorning, 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 a...
2.11 | Measuring Fat During the Transition Period
November 15, 2021 21:38 - 18 minutes - 16.8 MBAs 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 “...
DSD 2.10 | Impact of on farm feed in your AMS
October 15, 2021 15:11 - 17 minutes - 15 MBTo 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 he...
DSD 2.9 | Educating Consumers
September 16, 2021 01:40 - 16 minutes - 15 MBThis 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 antibi...
DSD 2.8 | Consider Cobalt
August 16, 2021 02:33 - 14 minutes - 12.6 MBEssential 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 ...
DSD 2.7 | Timing of Prefresh Vaccination matters
July 26, 2021 10:05 - 24 minutes - 20.5 MBTiming 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” – manage...
DSD 2.6 Doesn't cost a thing
June 16, 2021 00:06 - 24 minutes - 17.7 MBHeifer 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 impo...
DSD 2.4 | Reproductive Success for late calving grazers
April 16, 2021 03:18 - 19 minutes - 14.2 MBIn 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...
DSD 2.3 | Fresh Cow Ration - Protein Matters
March 16, 2021 03:23 - 18 minutes - 16.7 MBIn 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 el...
DSD 2.2 - The Future of Milk testing | pregnancy, disease and efficiency
February 15, 2021 19:20 - 17 minutes - 16 MBIn 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 o...
DSD S2E1 Solar Panels in your dairy system
January 15, 2021 03:14 - 15 minutes - 13.2 MBThis 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 #2xAg2030 Keywords: Dairy, Sol...
DSD8: Flashmate for Heat Detection
December 16, 2020 03:33 - 8 minutes - 7.79 MBOn 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.journalofda...
DSD7 - No magic body weight target for success
November 15, 2020 19:01 - 16 minutes - 14.6 MBDairy 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 m...
Dairy Science Digest 6: Aspirin for dystocia
October 16, 2020 02:12 - 22 minutes - 20.1 MBCan 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 kno...
Beef on Dairy - sire conception rate
September 15, 2020 17:27 - 19 minutes - 15.8 MBDairy 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.
Dairy Science Digest - Tricks for workforce development
August 17, 2020 22:54 - 30 minutes - 23.1 MBIn 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.
Dairy Science Digest - Calves born to Heat stressed dams are preprogrammed for failure
July 15, 2020 16:55 - 26 minutes - 20.2 MBIn 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.
Dairy Science Digest-Does Repro Technologies fit in your herd?
June 15, 2020 14:06 - 30 minutes - 26.8 MBDairy 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.
Dairy Science Digest - Perfecting the Goldilocks diet, using molasses
May 14, 2020 22:43 - 23 minutes - 18.2 MBDairy 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