Feed & Nutrition

When we think of palm trees, we usually think of sandy beaches and coconuts. Though fig- or coconut-bearing palm trees are generally the most recognizable, I am talking about the African oil palm (Elaeis guineensis), one of the most important commodity crops in Malaysia and Indonesia.

Probiotics have been gaining attention in all segments of animal agriculture in the last several years. Although this has been influenced by several factors, the biggest overall driver has been the goal of reducing antibiotic usage due to government regulations and consumer demand.

The single-most important metric for formulating dairy cow diets is knowing how much a cow eats each day. However, the consistent and accurate measuring of dry matter intakes is probably the most elusive component of nutrition management on the dairy farm.

When a cow becomes pregnant, some of the nutrients it consumes will be used by the developing calf. There is no other time in the calf’s life when the development of tissues, organs and systems is occurring as rapidly as early weeks in utero.

Thanks to new research, we now have the ability to routinely evaluate the profile of butterfat as an indication of how it’s being made by the cow.