How Dairy Farmers Make the Most of Cow Feed
Cows need at least 50 pounds of food a day, but how do farmers know what feed to give them?
There are a couple of things farmers have to consider: nutrition for each animal's stage in life, quality of the feed, and availability. Here's how dairy farmers ensure their cows get the most out of their diet.
Step 1: Growing High-Quality Crops
Dairy farmers don’t just raise their cows; they also have to grow crops to feed them. To ensure the health and productivity of their animals, dairy farmers select and cultivate crops such as corn, alfalfa, oats, and grasses, which serve as essential sources of nutrition.
These crops are grown in fields where farmers employ various techniques to promote growth. These include optimizing soil conditions, providing adequate water, and protecting plants from pests and diseases. Dairy farmers also pay close attention to the timing for planting and harvesting, so they cultivate the crops at their peak nutritional value.
Step 2: Determining Dry Matter Intake (DMI)
Dairy farmers need to know how much feed their cows need. But why?
The feed requirements for each cow vary by breed, age, and stage of lactation. Other factors, such as the quality of the feed and digestibility, affect how much dry matter intake (DMI) each cow will require on a daily basis.
Most cows need at least 50 pounds of dry matter daily to stay healthy and productive. Dry matter is the combination of water, protein, and fiber in the feed mix. It is measured in pounds per day, also known as total digestible nutrients (TDN).
Dairy farmers ensure that their cows get enough dry matter by providing access to good-quality pastures, hay, or silage at all times.
Step 3: Purchasing High-Quality Feed
The quality and availability of feed are important considerations for farmers, who often look for locally sourced supplies or buy prepackaged feed from big feed companies. Many dairy farmers have established relationships with their local feed mill and will buy feed they can’t produce themselves.
Good Feed Equals Good Milk.
You can only have quality milk with good nutrition; it all starts with what farmers feed their cows.
A big portion of a dairy farmer's job is growing, harvesting, and feeding crops to their cows. There are many factors that they must consider when planning a herd's diet. It's not just about quantity — it's also important to consider quality and availability.
New York Dairy farmers do a lot to make the best quality milk, and providing their cows with the highest quality feed is a big reason why the milk their cows produce is so good!
