BioAg Blog

Rumen Health Leads to Overall Herd Health

Rumen stability must be properly managed for herd health and optimum efficiency. Feeding and nutrition management can improve production and fertility as well as reduce the length of time between calving. Learn more about rumen health and prevention methods for rumen acidosis in dairy cattle.

Key Timeframes in Calf Nutrition

When should colostrum be fed to calves and for how long? When to adjust calf nutrition is determined by rumen development. Learn more.

Heat Stress in Dairy Cattle

Heat stress can cause many issues for the cows and the farmer. How do we prevent heat stress in cattle? Water consumption and housing ventilation can be great combat methods for heat stress in dairy cattle.

Let the Cows Decide – Free Choice Mineral Program

One part of the diet that might get overlooked due to its small size is minerals. Trace minerals are essential to the diet. This is where free choice minerals can help.

From the Desk of Gary Zimmer

Using all, or some, of these practices, will take you a long way in dealing with our extreme weather. Adding Rye to your rotation can certainly do that too. What else can you plant after corn/soybean harvest in the upper Midwest? When adding a practice like rye, you have to learn how to manage it. Change always requires knowledge if you want success.

Managing MUN | Bailey’s Bit About Nutrition

Milk Urea Nitrogen (MUN)
Milk processing plants and DHI can provide dairy managers with milk urea nitrogen (MUN) values on bulk milk and individual cow milk samples. MUN tests are useful tools that can allow the dairy managers to monitor changes in the feeding and management of their herd. Milk urea nitrogen is the fraction of milk protein that is derived from blood urea nitrogen (BUN). In Holstein’s MUN normally represents about 0.19 percentage points of the normal 3.2% total milk protein.

Building soil productivity with TerraNu® fertilizers can reduce nitrogen fertilizer demands by 20% or more

“TerraNu allows for more efficient recovery of nutrients and improved soil health, which are crucial with historically high input prices,” say Midwestern BioAg’s Director of Agronomy, Chris Kniffen. “For decades, carbon management has been a core part of Midwestern BioAg’s approach, enabling a 20%+ reduction in nitrogen applications for corn vs conventional practices. With TerraNu, we can enable the same approach for farmers across the country.”

Salt Requirements for Cattle | Bailey’s Bit About Nutrition

Salt, along with other minerals, is necessary to sustain life in cows. Read more about salt requirements for cattle.

Grass Tetany | Bailey’s Bit About Nutrition

Spring is here and that means grazing season is around the corner. There are some things to look out for when starting to graze cattle in the spring. Cool-season grasses tend to be low in magnesium and when cattle become deficient in magnesium, we start to see signs of grass tetany. Grass tetany is a nutritional or metabolic disorder characterized by low blood magnesium. Grass tends to be low in magnesium when they are immature and have high potassium.

Fly Control | Bailey’s Bit About Nutrition

Flies, Lice & Ticks – Oh my!
Spring is at our doorsteps and that means flies, lice, and ticks all come back. Flies especially, cause a lot of problems to the herd. Flies spread diseases, like anaplasmosis and pink eye. An abundance of flies on cattle tend to cause stress and irritation, which results in lower milk yields and decreased weight gain.
How can we prepare for fly season? Start by removing potential breeding grounds, which is anything damp.