Making sustainable dairy farming more profitable

Rising feed costs and the cost of producing forage are presenting a major challenge to dairy farmers. Improving feed efficiency is therefore crucial to ensure dairy farm profitability. Heat stress is becoming more common. It results in a reduction of dry matter intake in combination with systemic inflammation as a result of “leaky gut”.

Selko LactiBute improves hindgut health and reduces systemic immune activation. As a result, energy partition improves and more energy is available for the dairy cow to produce milk. A trial with Selko LactiBute for dairy cattle was carried out in Poland. Selko LactiBute increased milk production by 2.77 kg per cow per day.

A trial with Selko LactiBute in dairy cattle was carried out on 3 dairy farms in France. Milk production of cows treated with Selko LactiBute was compared to the predicted milk production based on genetic potential of the herd. Selko LactiBute improved persistence of milk production. Before the start of the trial, milk production in all 3 dairy herds was equal to the genetic potential of the dairy cows in the herd. During the 4 month period that the cows were on Selko LactiBute, differences in milk production of up to 2.7 kg of milk per day were observed.

Selko LactiBute was tested in 6 Dutch commercial dairy farms. Compared to controls and compared to their genetic potential, dairy cows fed Selko LactiBute had an increase of ECM production of 0.8-1 kg.

A trial in cattle showed that Selko LactiBute, containing rumen protected calcium gluconate had a prebiotic effect in the hindgut of cattle. This resulted in increased levels of acetate and propionate and a trend towards higher levels of butyrate in the hindgut. Butyrate can reduce the risk of hindgut acidosis in dairy cows.

During the transition to lactation, dairy cows have to undergo metabolic adaptation, digestive adaptation and immune adaptation. Recent advances in ruminant nutrition highlight the importance of hindgut health as a prerequisite for a smooth digestive adaptation.

To calculate the carbon footprint of a dairy farm, the farmer needs to know the amount of CO₂eq per mT of the feed he buys for his dairy herd. Producers of dairy feed therefore need to know the CO₂eq number of all ingredients they use to produce the feeds they sell to dairy farmers. If dairy feed producers want to know the carbon footprint of the trace mineral source they use, they now have access to an LCA for the production of Selko IntelliBond trace minerals. This provides provides dairy feed producers with an independent verification on the CO₂eq number of their trace mineral source for dairy cattle.

Methane emissions from cattle have become a growing concern due to their significant contribution to global greenhouse gas emissions. As the demand for meat and dairy products continues to rise, finding effective methane mitigation strategies to reduce methane emissions from cattle is crucial to reach targets set by governments and milk processors. In this article, we will explore various mitigation strategies to reduce methane.

Methane from cows, commonly known as cow methane, contribute significantly to greenhouse gas emissions and climate change. Livestock, including cattle, are responsible for about 35% of anthropogenic methane emissions in the US. Methane, despite being emitted in smaller quantities compared to carbon dioxide, has a more potent warming effect. Therefore, it is crucial to address cow methane emissions to combat climate change effectively. This article explores the sources of methane emissions from cows, the impact of methane on the climate, and strategies for reducing cow methane emissions.

Learn from Dr. Ermias Kebreab, Associate Dean and Professor of Animal Science at the University of California, Davis, a renowned expert in animal nutrition and environmental impact, about effective strategies to reduce the carbon footprint of dairy cattle, such as the use of methane reducing feed additives.

Discover methods to minimize methane production in cows and achieve net zero livestock production by 2050. Explore the valuable insights shared during the webinar "Effective strategies to reduce the carbon footprint of dairy cattle" and learn how different stakeholders in the industry can contribute to reducing methane emissions from cattle and dairy carbon footprint.

Keep dairy cows milking as well as possible with high milk quality when they hit spring grass. Ensure dairy cows are pregnant and that calving intervals of dairy cows are not dragging out as this will have implications for the next lactation. Keep cows healthy and ensure they are not lame, making them ready to graze. Find out more about tuning the diet of a dairy herd at turnout.

Feed restriction and heat stress might can cause hind gut acidosis and "leaky gut" in dairy cows. Nutritional strategies can help mitigate the effects of leaky gut in dairy cows. Zinc can reduce oxidative stress in dairy cows and can also improve the immune response. Hydroxy chloride trace minerals have a higher bio-availability than sulfate-based trace minerals. The increased amounts of zinc available to the dairy cow supports better enterocyte health and reduces bacterial infiltration and the occurrence of systemic inflammation in dairy cows.

Extensive mobilisation of body fat after calving can cause inflammation in dairy cows. Morbidity after calving is high. Post-partum diseases of dairy cows often result in systemic inflammation in dairy cattle, altering partition of nutrients to favor control of infection and tissue repair. This results in a decrease in milk production but also in impaired follicle growth, reduced oocyt and conceptus quality and poor development of the morula, causing long-term negative effects on fertility and reproduction of dairy cows.

Fertility is an important driver of dairy farm profitability. Poor fertility can significantly reduce the lifespan of dairy cows. Selko IntelliBond hydroxy trace minerals have a positive effect on reproductive perfomance of dairy cattle. Trials have shown that embryo quality in dairy cows is significantly improved with feeding Selko Intellibond. Other rials have shown that pregnancy rates of heifers and cows after artificial insemination are higher if they are fed Selko IntelliBond hydroxy trace minerals.

Semen quality of bulls can have a big impact on reporductive performance of a dairy herd. Bulls supplemented with Selko IntelliBond hydroxy trace minerals produced sperm with greater progressive motility, and greater sperm concentration. Cu and Zn hydroxychloride contained within Selko IntelliBond are more bioavailable and more readily stored within the animal compared with Cu and Zn sulfate, resulting in an improvement of sperm quality of breeding bulls.

Managing the challenges that cows are facing in the transition period will have a strong positive impact on fertility and will reduce involuntary culling. A further improvement of dairy herd fertility can be reached by monitoring some key fertility parameters in a systematic way and translating this into specific actions.