Published Articles

"If I have been on your farm in the past three decades, you most likely heard me quote my grandfather on my mother’s side. He was the cow guy in my life: my mentor, my sounding board, my guiding light and my kicker-of-butts when I needed it. He was the king of oneliners, storytelling and the keeper of every corny joke ever told in the history of mankind. He was why I got into cows in the first place. He loved it all his life, and I wanted to love it

"If I have been on your farm in the past three decades, you most likely heard me quote my grandfather on my mother’s side. He was the cow guy in my life: my mentor, my sounding board, my guiding light and my kicker-of-butts when I needed it. He was the king of oneliners, storytelling and the keeper of every corny joke ever told in the history of mankind. He was why I got into cows in the first place. He loved it all his life, and I wanted to love it

What makes modern corn silage such a great lactation cow forage? This feed is incredibly consistent, taking some of the variability out of the daily ration, and cows respond favorably to boredom in the ration. Corn silage is one of the highest-tonnage forages available, topping 20 tons per acre with natural rainfall and upward of 30 tons per acre on irrigated ground (approximately 7 to 10.5 tons of dry matter per acre). Corn silage is high in neutral detergent fiber digestibility (60 percent), and in a ton of wet corn silage

Mint, oregano and garlic - while essential oils and plant secondary compounds have been, and are being, researched for health benefits, they're also being studied as one way (among many) to reduce methane production. Download the Full Article

""Gas and brakes.” Have you ever imagined, as you are feeding forage to your dairy cattle, that you are pressing a “gas pedal” or a “brake pedal”? Kurt Cotanch, “the lab guy” at the Miner Institute in Chazy, New York, likes to metaphorically compare the fast pool of fermentable fiber to the gas pedal, speeding up passage through the rumen, and the pool of slow and indigestible fiber as the brakes." Download the Full Article Read Online at Progressive Dairy

"This and last year’s cool, wet springs added to the challenge of making high-quality forage. With higher moistures than desired, low sugar content and higher ash levels sometimes resulted in poor fermentation and the production of butyric acid. Butyric acid is a strong acid that overrides the production of the preferred lactic acid, which gives good fermented silage that well-preserved smell." Download the Full Article Read Online at Progressive Dairy

"Over the years I’ve had the privilege of working with and visiting a number of herds across the country that were producing 100 pounds of milk or more per cow per day. What are the secrets of these herds with a bulk tank average that mirrors high-group production levels for many herds? The author’s recurring observations, similar to those recently reported by Dr. Nigel Cook for some elite Wisconsin herds, are discussed below." Download the Full Article Read Online at Progressive Dairy

"Several research studies say that for every extra hour our lactating cows lie down in a 24-hour cycle, they produce about 3 extra pounds of milk with similar dry matter intakes. This milk is basically free or at least results in mostly income with very little expense." Download the Full Article Read Online at Progressive Dairy