Dairy Science Digest

Over 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 synchronized ovulation. We discuss the how to maximize the equation of fertility, through management. Once optimized, you’ll find your herd entering the “high fertility cycle”. When all the stars align, production is high – disease is low and you are able to begin to stack reproductive technologies – such as genomically determined breedings using sexed and beef semen use following the ideal synchronization. Listen in to learn how to get your herd there and the physiology behind it. Topics of discussion 1:54 Introduction of Dr. Paul Fricke & Megan Lauber 4:23 Objectives of the trial – stacking reproductive strategies 3:34 On farm monitoring – data collected 6:10 Getting all the cows on day 7 – the key to unlocking fertility 7:44 The history of Luteolysis – why is it so critical? 9:57 Rate limiting step of pregnancy 12:03 2019-2021 xx and beef semen usage 13:54 Research protocols and design 16:20 Equation of reproduction; comparing double ovsync vs estrus 17:50 Estrus or Double ovsync for Sexed semen 16:14 Day 19 – 40 pregnancy loss 17:30 What’s happening when the GnRH shot is given? 22:13 The impact of Body Condition Score (BCS) change on fertility | >0.5 24:53 High fertility cycle 25:52 Not all cows loose condition through transition, those that did were impacted 26:38 Results: Double ovsync helps mitigate poor transition (Figure 4) 29:09 Why does it work? What physiology controls it? 30:15 Fat regulates GnRH?! 32:30 What do you want dairy producers to know from your research Featured article: Effect of postpartum body condition score c hange 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 synchronized ovulation. Also mentioned in the discussion: Characterization of semen type prevalence and allocation in Holstein and Jersey females in the United States #2xAg2030; #journalofdairyscience; #openaccess; #MODAIRY; #reproductionrevolution; #highfertilitycycle; #Ovsync; #DoubleOvSync; #transition; #transitiondairy; #dairysciencedigest; #ReaganBluel

Pregnancy 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. Through management, a producer can prevent the spiral of negative events that result in increased odds of pregnancy loss. The research team determined day 19 pregnancy and tracked the success, or failure, through day 63. Listen in to hear what different parameters they found to have an increased probability of early pregnancy loss. These findings were published in the Journal of Dairy Science article titled, “The associations of inflammatory and reproductive tract disorders postpartum and early pregnancy loss in dairy cows” This open access article, is available for download to view while you listen in! Topics of discussion 1:32 Introduction of Dr. LaBlanc 2:15 Description of Research Herds 3:34 On farm monitoring – data collected 5:55 Uterine sampling 7:32 Uterine cytology at 5 weeks postpartum 8:53 Blood progesterone 9:53 Common cycling rate in early lactation 10:52 Day 19 pregnancy analysis 14:03 Figure 1: Predicted probably of pregnancy – Healthy vs diseased transition 15:19 Conception frequency 16:14 Day 19 – 40 pregnancy loss 17:30 Metritis hangover 18:34 Figure 2: Predicted probably of pregnancy – number of clinical disease 20:00 Single disease vs multiple clinical diseases impact on pregnancy loss 22:31 Driving force to what predicts pregnancy loss in a dairy herd 24:13 One in Five cows 24:49 One two punch of failure 25:05 Inflammation effect on the ovary 27:53 What do you want dairy producers to know from your research #2xAg2030; #journalofdairyscience; @jdairyscience; #openaccess; #MODAIRY; #earlyembryonicloss; #pregloss, #Ploss; #transition; #transitiondairy; #dairysciencedigest; #ReaganBluel https://www.journalofdairyscience.org/article/S0022-0302(23)00726-9/fulltext

Corn 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 collaborate and work hard to ensure the next line of genetically superior forage will perform on your operation - but genetics can only go so far. Silage inventory management ensures that the perfect alignment of fully fermented feed for your herd. This project studied the differences in nutrient availability between 0, 1, 2, 4 & 8 months of fermentation. Listen in to best understand the risks of feeding green chop. This timely topic is released while many dairies are in the field, or having just finished up with harvest. Take a listen in to best understand the value gained towards improving starch availability for your herd. These findings were published in the Journal of Dairy Science featured article titled, “Effect of Endosperm Type and Storage Length of Whole Plant Corn Silage on Nitrogen Fraction, Fermentation Products, Zein Profile and Starch Digestibility” Open access, available for download. Topics of discussion 1:51 Introduction of Dr. Varela 4:00 Kernel Research – Starch matrix 4:54 Description of the corn anatomy 5:30 Three major structures of the kernel 7:11 Vitreousness of the corn kernel 7:45 Role of land grants in research 8:41 Improving the kernel endosperm could also have agronomic flaws 9:58 The process of plot research – self vs cross fertilization to study kernel change 12:19 Chopping silage 12:33 Fermentation over time 13:17 How did the silage change over time 14:08 Results 15:28 α-zeins break down during fermentation 16:03 Figure 2 16:30 Feeding Green Chop 18:42 Drought and high temperatures 21:05 Silage analysis 22:17 Invitro starch digestibility: vitreousness or α-zeins? 23:53 What would you like boots on the ground to know about your research project? 25:17 Forage inventory – make a plan 26:26 Inoculate with protease? #2xAg2030; #journalofdairyscience; @jdairyscience; #openaccess; #MODAIRY; #protease; #landgrantresearch; #cornsilage, #starch; #milkyieldperacre; #agronomics, #dairysciencedigest; #ReaganBluel https://www.journalofdairyscience.org/article/S0022-0302(23)00558-1/pdf

Research 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 team at Teagasc in Ireland set out to capture quantifiable differences in the milk between systems. Listen in this month to learn more about the changes in milk quality that could have marketing implications. In addition to shifts in fatty acid profile they also captured milk processing parameter changes. We discuss the possible role that might have on preparing milk for their export markets. These findings were published in the Journal of Dairy Science featured article titled, Impact of varying levels of pasture allowance on the nutritional quality and functionality of milk throughout lactation” Open access, available for download. Topics of discussion 2:23 Introduction of researchers 7:11 Describe the Research Herd 8:27 Fatty Acid Analysis 11:00 Biologically relevant CLAs 11:26 Description of 2 types of trans-fatty acids 11:58 CLA concentration differences 12:25 Omega 3 Fatty Acid concentrations 12:44 Increase of ‘good fats’ 13:39 Decreased total fat production 15:16 Somatic Cell count differences – Figure 1 17:38 Figure 3 – separate feeding systems visually by FA 17:56 Figure 4 – visual heat map distinguishing dietary trt 18:42 Biomarkers to determine the difference between grass and TMR 21:36 Expect a production volume decrease 22:43 Grass fed dairy standards 24:21 Pilot scale test products for human intervention trial 27:49 Changes in milk and the impact on processing 30:52 UHT pasteurization and impact on nutrition, AA & FA 34:32 What would you like boots on the ground to know about your research project. #2xAg2030; #journalofdairyscience; @jdairyscience; #openaccess; #MODAIRY; #grassbasedmilk; #CLA, #grazing; #seasonaldairy; #fattyacid, #dairysciencedigest; #ReaganBluel https://www.journalofdairyscience.org/article/S0022-0302(23)00433-2/fulltext

DSD 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 and ketotis, specifically BHBA. Dr. Fievez, ruminant nutritionist at Ghent University - in Belgium, worked with PhD candidate MQ Zhang to study the metabolic and antioxidant parameters of 110 animals through transition. Listen in to hear what you can learn about the complex transition dairy cow! These findings were published in the Journal of Dairy Science article titled, “Transition cow clusters with distinctive antioxidant ability and their relation to performance and metabolic status in early lactation.” Open access, available for download. Topics of discussion 3:17 Importance of determining Antioxidative Ability 4:44 Hypothesis – structure of the project 5:16 Metabolic parameters studied and their relationship to oxidation 5:31 Background of BHBA 6:02 Negative energy balance - 6:27 NEFA and Low or High antioxidant activity 6:58 Cows with Lower Antioxidant activity have lower milk yield 7:46 Oxidative Stress and damage – what does it look like? 9:29 How the cow Balances – monitor enzyme profile 10:19 Description of the research herd 11:07 Results – Figure 6; cows with HAA in early lactation, rarely develop metabolic disease 12:33 How NEFA add to oxidative status 12:49 Oxidative action and immune function 16:09 LAA – Higher BHBA – tended to be higher NEFA 18:01 What do you want boots on the ground dairymen to know? 18:49 Dietary inclusion 19:20 Closure #2xAg2030; #journalofdairyscience; @jdairyscience; #openaccess; #MODAIRY; #antioxidant; #earlylactation, #transition; #transitiondairy; #ketosis, #BHBA; #ReaganBluel https://www.journalofdairyscience.org/article/S0022-0302(23)00351-X/fulltext

Producers 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 portal. This dataset can help producers unlock answers to questions about ideal sires for the herd. She recommends (1) the queries tab if you’re looking for a specific animal who has been genotyped and (2) Top Animal Listing where you can identify the ideal sire on specific indexes or traits. These findings were published in the Journal of Dairy Science article titled, “Improving national fertility evaluations by accounting for the rapid rise of embryo transfer in US dairy cattle.” Open access, available for download. Topics of discussion 2:34 Greater than 90 million data points, verification of reproductive performance and collection of data 3:43 Overview of trends in the industry 4:04 Figure 1: Embryo Transfer – recent changes (Figure available on page 5) 6:09 Why has ET increased so much over the past 2 years? 8:14 Sire conception data – identifying / addressing unreported ET implant in dataset to improve genetic evaluations through an edit, to limit bias. 10:28 Talk about Young sires – how can producers be sure that they are using reliable sires 11:55 Some of the bulls with the biggest change in PTAs with our edits were Young Bulls 14:37 How can dairy producers better report data to ensure they are captured 16:44 Transfer of data from herd software 17:44 Sires of the next generation (Figure 6 available on page 10) 18:38 US Council of Dairy Cattle Breeding (USCDCB)– where can they find and what should producers be looking for? 20:10 Net Merit – economic index – Lifetime profit potential 21:11 Personalizing matings 22:44 Reach out – ask for help if you want to advance your herd 24:13 If you have research ideas for USDA reach out #2xAg2030; #journalofdairyscience; @jdairyscience; #openaccess; #MODAIRY; #sireconception; #SCR, #ET; #embryotransfer; #youngsires, #dairysciencedigest; #ReaganBluel https://www.journalofdairyscience.org/article/S0022-0302(23)00286-2/pdf

Protein 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 Firkins about the work he’s done with Zinpro to find the ideal concentration and combinations of isoacids in your ration. A discussion about how isoacids will change efficiency through improved milk fat production in your multiparous cows and even how this could impact the overall quality of your milk for the consumer. These are all part of this month’s discussion featuring the Journal of Dairy Science article: “Assessing milk response to different combinations of branched-chain volatile fatty acids and valerate in Jersey cows” Unlock nitrogen efficiency through improved fiber digestion and see how it impacts your farm's bottom line. Listen in to learn more today! #2xAg2030; #journalofdairyscience; @jdairyscience; #openaccess; #MODAIRY; #fiberdigestability; #Zinpro; #isoacid; #dairysciencedigest; #ReaganBluel

What 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 feature article: “Effect of transition cow health and estrous expression detected by an automated activity monitoring system within 60 days in milk on reproductive performance of lactating Holstein cows” will help managers link physiological changes to an AMS data set and make tangible changes to improve their reproduction program. Early estrous sets the cow up for success, and AMS will become a data driven way to assess this. Listen in today! #2xAg2030; #journalofdairyscience; @jdairyscience; #openaccess; #MODAIRY; #AMS; #estrous; #VWP; #dairysciencedigest; #ReaganBluel

The 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 management implications”. Listen in to this deep dive into the metrics the Cornell dairy team used to benchmark over a 10-year period. Additionally, we discuss the recent Silicon Valley bale out and if we should expect it to have any impact on Ag Lending. Understanding these key financial thresholds is an effective management tool for successful herds throughout New York, listen in to see what they can do for your farm! #2xAg2030; #journalofdairyscience; @jdairyscience; #openaccess; #MODAIRY; #benchmark; #FINBIN; #CornellBusinessSummary; #financialresiliency

Colostrum: 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 Westhoff from Cornell as he discusses the recently published article titled, "Epidemiology of bovine colostrum production in New York Holstein herds: Cow, management, and environmental factors". You'll learn about the all the associations that can impact colostrum quantity and quality such as barn lighting, dry period management, parity and more. By anticipating these colostrum inventories you'll ultimately become a better manager of your newborn calves - Listen in! To read the full Open access JDS article: https://www.journalofdairyscience.org/article/S0022-0302(22)00750-0/pdf #2xAg2030; #journalofdairyscience; @jdairyscience; #openaccess; #MODAIRY

A 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 University to discuss the article is titled, “Fueling Appetite: Nutrient metabolism and the control of feed intake”. Listen in to this symposium review on this important topic to learn how we can manipulate the ration ingredients, or fuel source, to help increase her drive to eat and prevent negative feedback. Understanding these mechanisms can help us better read and manage the herd’s needs through all phases of production and capture these profit margin opportunities. #2xAg2030; #journalofdairyscience; @jdairyscience; #openaccess; #MODAIRY

On-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 trip he wondered – Could we reliability use parlor equipment to make similar assessments? This month we learn the answer to that question highlighted in the featured article, “Comparison of 2 types of milk flow meters for detecting bimodality in dairy cows”. Listen in to learn more about the negative impacts of bimodality in your herd, what parlor equipment can do to help and ultimately how to motivate the parlor staff to break the cycle of bimodality. A little attention on this low hanging fruit could make a big impact in your bottomline - your software may be collecting all the information needed to manage through bimodality. For more information visit: Quality milk production services (QMPS) https://www.vet.cornell.edu/animal-health-diagnostic-center/programs/quality-milk-production Other Recently published, relevant articles from Wieland Risk factors for delayed milk ejection in Holstein dairy cows milked 3 times per day, Wieland et al. Journal of Dairy Science June 27, 2022 The effect of 2 different premilking stimulation regimens, with and without manual forestripping, on teat tissue condition and milking performance in Holstein dairy cows milked 3 times daily J. Dairy Sci. 2020 #2xAg2030; #journalofdairyscience; @jdairyscience; #openaccess; #MODAIRY

Bovine 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 to antimicrobial therapy and production outcomes”. Listen in to learn how pneumonia might be lurking in your herd without your knowledge. Consider ways to use ultrasound as a tool to quickly and reliability assess animals upon receipt to allow for differential management. Overall losses, from chronically ill animals, could be decreased by warding off the spread of infection and promoting early cure. Once lungs are severely consolidated, these animals are 4.2x more likely to become chronic and experience -0.25 lbs average daily gain over this phase of production. For more information visit: Open access Journal article: https://www.journalofdairyscience.org/article/S0022-0302(22)00644-0/fulltext UC Davis BRD Clinical symptom scoring system: https://www.vmtrc.ucdavis.edu/sites/g/files/dgvnsk5141/files/local_resources/pdfs/BRD_ANR_Brochure_Nov%202016%20FINAL.PDF #2xAg2030; #journalofdairyscience; @jdairyscience; #openaccess; #MODAIRY

Fetal 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 rumen-protected choline supplementation during late gestation on calf growth, metabolism, and vaccine response.” They found impacts in the energy metabolism and immune function. Listen in for more information on how this affordable addition holds a large ROI on this phase of production and more. #2xAg2030; #journalofdairyscience; @jdairyscience; #openaccess; #MODAIRY

While 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 State of California and their relationship with their dairy industry as a case study. The ultimate result of an investment of public money has propelled CA dairy producers toward the goal of a 40% decrease in dairy methane by 2030. Revenues generated from the methane digesters result following the conversion of gas into a useable fuel for vehicles and the sale of carbon credits on the open market. Listen in to better understand the ideal size of operation, costs of install, annual assets and how to be part of the climate solution while cashflowing. Dr. Mitloehner can be found on Twitter at: https://twitter.com/GHGGuru and https://twitter.com/UCDavisCLEAR. For more information visit: https://clear.ucdavis.edu/news/climate-neutrality https://youtu.be/UOPrF8oyDYw and #2xAg2030; #journalofdairyscience; @jdairyscience; #openaccess; #MODAIRY

This 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 potentially explains poor fertility for those who loose condition. Listen in as Dr. Pursley describes the “High fertility cycle” your herd can experience when all the puzzle pieces fall in place. He’ll provide reproductive benchmarks to assess to ensure your herd avoids over conditioning and therefore improve reproductive performance in the following lactation. This month’s feature article “Effects of early lactation body condition loss in dairy cows on serum lipid profiles and on oocyte and cumulus cell transcriptomes” is found here in the Journal of Dairy Science. For more information about Bovine Reproduction, visit the MSU Bovine Reproductive management website at: https://dairycattlereproduction.com/ #2xAg2030; #journalofdairyscience; @jdairyscience; #openaccess; #MODAIRY Figure 6 - Referenced in the DSD 3.8

How 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 estimation of sensitivity and specificity of a milk pregnancy-associated glycoprotein ELISA test for pregnancy diagnosis between 23 and 27 days after insemination in Holstein dairy cows” found here. #2xAg2030; #journalofdairyscience; @jdairyscience; #openaccess; #MODAIRY

This 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 understand the effect of planting season and ways to navigate using these "improved” forages in your dairy’s program. Could this forage fit and fill an opportunity to improve tonnage of home grown forage and in your operation? A carefully crafted TMR including forage sorghum could result to be a decreased reliance on purchased nutrients while maintaining your typical milk production levels. The featured Journal of Dairy Science article titled: “Effects of season, variety type, and trait on dry matter yield, nutrient composition, and predicted intake and milk yield of whole-plant sorghum forage” is found at https://www.journalofdairyscience.org/article/S0022-0302(22)00293-4/fulltext #2xAg2030; #journalofdairyscience; @jdairyscience; #openaccess; #MODAIRY

The 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 management of the herds within the existing farm infrastructure. These topics including grouping dynamics, fresh cow checks and stocking density and how these parameters impact biomarkers (NEFA, βHB and haptoglobin). Beginning at 20:44, she discusses how the biomarkers effect the health, production and reproductive success of the herd. Their model identified an association between the biomarkers and production, negative health disorders, and reproduction (25:13). Don't miss this foundational herd biomarker benchmarking paper for understanding your transition pen goals - Listen in now! **apologies for the sound quality due to poor internet connectivity** Next episode will be better! HERD ALARM LEVELS: (multi= mature cows, primi = first calf heifers, Pre=Prepartum, post=postpartum) PRE NEFA: when >30% multip cows sampled are >0.17 mmol/L = 6% increase disease 21d PR: >15% multi – 6% decrease 21d PR > 40% primi – 3.9% decrease 21d PR POST NEFA: >0.59mmol/L > 15% Multi: 5.8% > 15% Primi: 4.2% increase in disorder Post NEFA 305ME Milk – Multi: >30% = >0.48 mmol/L decreased milk 1735lbs Primi – Not Significant POST BHB: >15% @ >1.2mmol/L 8.5% increase disorder 305ME Milk: >0.9mmol/L Multi: >10% +229kg Primi: >20% +332kg 21d PR: >15%, >0.9 mmol/L 3.2% decrease Prob of Preg - 5.2% decrease PRFS – 7.0 % decrease POST HAPLOGOBIN: >20%, >0.45g/L = 5.3% increase in disorder incidence Two companion articles were featured. These are found at: Part 1: https://www.journalofdairyscience.org/article/S0022-0302(22)00243-0/pdf Part 2: https://www.journalofdairyscience.org/article/S0022-0302(22)00244-2/pdf #2xAg2030; #journalofdairyscience; @jdairyscience; #openaccess; #MODAIRY

The 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 energy sources throughout 2022, due to the challenging commodity markets. The research team specifically looked at feeding different rates of molasses (sugar) or ground corn (starch) when in the presence or absence of rumen degradable protein. She describes the results when her team ‘looked under the hood’. Listen in for this timely understanding of what to expect when shifting from a starch to a sugar and how to best manage ‘under the hood’ to keep your herd running smoothly. Two companion articles were featured. These are found at: https://www.journalofdairyscience.org/article/S0022-0302(22)00187-4/fulltext https://www.journalofdairyscience.org/article/S0022-0302(22)00186-2/fulltext #2xAg2030; #journalofdairyscience; @jdairyscience; #openaccess; #MODAIRY