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Management Message - Mike Wright
Our brand promise...put to work for you
A new generation of value and service provided to the producer is reflected in Diamond V's brand promise..."The Trusted Experts in Nutrition and Health." That promise will be displayed everywhere you see the Diamond V logo. Our latest demonstration of that promise is
NutritionWise, a select social network for dairy producers and our Diamond V experts.(MORE)
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Technical Feature - Tom Oelberg, Ph.D.
Silage face management is a big factor in consistent TMR
Most of our TMR audits start with how the feeder manages the silage faces on piles, bunkers and bags of wet forages. We generally see more inconsistent TMRs along with more shrink, poorer performance and more health problems on the dairy with poorly managed silage faces. Why is this? (VIEW PDF)
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Producer Spotlight - Mark Tegeler
An MVP trading card for TMR and forage management
One of my childhood memories is trading baseball cards with my brothers and friends. I wonder what cards would look like if Tops printed trading cards for dairies? If there were a trading card for Reuter Dairy, it would display some MVP statistics. (MORE)
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Research Review - Brian Perkins, Ph.D.
ADSA 2011 technical review: Cross-ventilated dairy barns
The objectives of these two studies were to describe herd turnover and mortality rates plus barn temperature, humidity and cow comfort in low profile cross-ventilated (CV) freestall barns versus naturally ventilated (NV) freestall barns. (VIEW PDF)
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Risk Management - Dave Kurzawski
Dairy demand questionable for balance of 2011
August is typically a very slow month for commodity markets. Normally the dog days of summer serve as the quiet before the storm of fall market volatility. But the "norm" has been largely defeated with this summer's $2.00 cheese market. (VIEW PDF)
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Join our select social network
Director
Global Research and Marketing
Our goal is to help you grow and prosper. The only way we can succeed is to ensure your business succeeds. We've helped build dairy success stories since 1943. One of the ways we deliver our expertise and service is through a new digital service platform we call NutritionWise.
NutritionWise is a private, password-protected social network. This next generation dairy information hub is where producers, consultants and Diamond V Dairy Advisors gather to ask questions about herd health, feeding and management practices. It's like Facebook, a blog and nutrition coaching clinic, all combined into one user-friendly portal for the Diamond V science community.
This site is available by invitation only and exclusively for:
- Diamond V producer customers and channel partners
- Nutrition consultants and research peers
Here's how to get started:
- Click here to sign up. This connects you with Heather Steffen, our site administrator. Just give her your name, email address and company/farm name in the body of your email and indicate you would like to sign up.
- You will receive an email containing your personal user name and password.
- Go to www.dvnutritionwise.com and log in.
- Click the "Getting Started" tab to walk through the basics of using the site.
Post JAM follow up
Diamond V would like to thank all who visited with us during the 2011 Joint Annual Meeting (JAM) held in New Orleans, Louisana. Diamond V's Technical Team reviewed several presentations given during the session. Click here to see a brief review of abstracts #780 and #785 titled "Herd turnover and mortality in low-profile cross-ventilated and naturally ventilated dairy barns in the Upper Midwest" and "Temperature and humidity in cross-ventilated and naturally ventilated dairy barns in the Upper Midwest" by K. M. Lobeck, M. I. Endres, S. M. Godden, and J. Fetrow, presented in the section "Dairy Facilities." More technical reviews will be highlighted in future issues of Nutrition Line.
Visit Diamond V at the 2011 World Dairy Expo
October is rapidly approaching. Diamond V would like to invite you to visit with us in booth #3005 at the World Dairy Expo being held in Madison, Wisconsin.
Past Nutrition Line Issues and Papers
Don't forget, you can access any past Nutrition Line technical feature through our global Web site in the News and Media section. You can also view past issues of Nutrition Line here. As always, if you have an opinion about Nutrition Line, I would very much like to hear it. We always appreciate your feedback. Feel free to send your remarks to Nutritionline@diamondv.com.
Please enjoy reading and best regards.
Mike
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An MVP trading card for TMR and forage management
Regional Sales Manager Diamond V This is my favorite time of the year as we approach fall: cooler weather for the cows, corn silage is going into the bunkers and baseball pennant race is in the home stretch. One of my childhood memories is trading baseball cards with my brothers and friends. I wonder what cards would look like if Tops printed trading cards for dairies? If there were a trading card for Reuter Dairy it would contain some MVP statistics. Rolling Herd Average 30,2400 lb; 67,000 Somatic Cell Count; 107 Average Days in Milk at Conception; and an Average Conception Rate for all services at a eye-popping 39% for the 800-head dairy located in Peosta, IA. The question is who do you put on the front of the card? A picture of the team owners Rick and Dan Reuter, team picture of the dedicated group of employees, or the high-genetic herd of Holsteins? Or how about a picture of superb quality forages? If you ask the father and son team of Rick and Dan Reuter, they would tell you, "all the above." They pay close attention to every detail of the dairy and this was very evident when the Diamond V team was able to do a TMR audit this past winter. The Reuters presented a very consistent TMR to the herd with little or no variation from the beginning to end of the feed bunk. The variation of the mix was less than 3%. 
The arrow points to an infrared image of the Reuter's silage bunker. The blue/green color, and lack of orange or red hot spots, indicates stable, unspoiled silage. One of the factors for attaining a consistent TMR is to start with quality forages and handle them properly. Improper facing and management of silage is one the biggest reasons for inconsistency of the mix. During our audit we were able to use an infrared camera to evaluate the quality of the silages and look for evidence of heating and spoilage. The silage face was managed well with little to no heating and forage quality was maintained. The dairy started with good packing density of the silage to minimize any oxygen. There was excellent placement of tires, with tire-to-tire contact to hold the plastic cover. They also line the bunker walls with plastic to shed any rain or snow melt water. The dairy removes only enough plastic cover for two days of feeding. The silage is faced with a mechanical facer and blended prior to inclusion of the mixer. Reuters also face only what they need for the day so there is no carry over to the next day that would heat and cause issues. Reuter Dairy is an excellent example of how to maximize production, reproduction, and health while adhering to good forage management practices. If you ask me, the entire management team standing in front of the bunker would be my pick for the picture on the trading card. Back to main page |
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Sept. 20-21, Owatonna, MN
AABP
Sept. 22-24, St. Louis
Sept. 22-24, St. Louis
Pacific Northwest Animal Nutrition Conference
October 4-7, Portland, OR
World Dairy Expo
October 4-8, Madison, WI
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838 1st Street NW
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1-800-373-7234
Copyright 2011 Diamond V - All rights reserved
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