The 84th annual Minnesota Nutrition Conference was held this past September in Mankato, and covered a wide range of topics from neonatal nutrition, improving protein utilization of dairy cows, and updates on forage nutrition of cattle.
Research updates from the University of Minnesota (UMN) included Isaac Salfer’s work comparing cow performance and behavior of cows fed with conventional TMR mixers versus those fed with automated feeding robots. He observed that the nutrient composition of the feed bunk is generally more consistent across the day when automated feeding robots are used, and cow activity is generally increased in herds with these feeding systems as well.
Brad Heins, UMN, focused on ongoing and upcoming research on genetic and nutritional approaches to reduce methane in dairy cows. He discussed a current project feeding seaweed to grazing animals and measuring the impact on methane emissions of cows. This presentation led to a lively discussion about the various opportunities and challenges of using feed additives to reduce methane production.
Isaac Haagen, UMN, discussed his current work on the development of genetic traits measuring the feed efficiency of pre-weaned dairy calves. He showed promising data demonstrating that the feed efficiency of calves was moderately heritable. He suggested that selecting for more feed-efficient calves could reduce feed costs early in life, and potentially select for more efficient cows.
Gail Carpenter from Iowa State University discussed nutritional strategies for cows during the transition period and heifers transitioning from the pre-weaning to the post-weaning period. Inflammation is a natural phenomenon during the transition period but minimizing “bad inflammation” is key to preventing metabolic disease. Research on treating cows with anti-inflammatory drugs after calving has shown that it improves milk production during the ensuing lactation. She also provided practical strategies for reducing stress in cows and calves including improving cleanliness, reducing pen moves and providing access to fresh, high-quality feed.
Leticia Marra Campos from Virginia Tech discussed her novel and exciting research looking at ways to use the feeding systems within milking robots to provide targeted amino acids to animals based on their specific requirements. Her research has found that including amino acids within a robot pellet can reduce feed costs and increase income.
Source: umn.edu
Photo Credit: gettyimages-digitalvision
Categories: Minnesota, Livestock, Dairy Cattle