Real Science Exchange

This episode was recorded at the 2025 Florida Ruminant Nutrition Symposium. 

Dr. Bach gives an overview of his presentation, highlighting that buffers make the rumen resistant to a decrease in pH while alkalizers immediately increase rumen pH. He prefers magnesium oxide, an alkalizer, over sodium bicarbonate, a buffer. Both are effective, but sodium bicarbonate requires a larger amount, thus taking up more room in the diet. The magnesium oxide must be of high quality and soluble in the rumen. (3:40)

Dr. Richards asks if we should use magnesium oxide more as a first line of defense against acidosis. Dr. Bach notes that the very best strategy is to avoid using either additive by making a proper ration balanced in terms of amount and rate of degradation of starch. But there are many constraints in the field, so he recommends using magnesium oxide before sodium bicarbonate. For the magnesium oxide to be effective, it must be solubilized in the rumen to magnesium hydroxide, and solubility can be tested in a variety of ways to determine quality. (7:35)

The panel discusses the impact of magnesium oxide in place of sodium bicarbonate on DCAD and which DCAD equation(s) should be used for calculations. Dr. Bach recommends removing sodium bicarbonate from rations containing less than 1% of the ingredient. It will have little effect on the rumen, but make room in the ration. The panel explores how this can impact farm-level economics. (12:39)

Dr. Bach also mentions probiotics and their impact on rumen function. In vitro studies have shown a wide variety of modes of action and positive results. Extrapolating in vitro doses to the cow often results in unsustainable amounts of the additive needing to be fed. Applied studies at the cow level have yielded inconsistent results. (23:29)

Scott asks how long Dr. Bach has been making the case for pulling sodium bicarbonate out and putting magnesium oxide in, and what kind of pushback he has received. Dr. Bach gives some of the reasons farmers have given for not wanting to make this management change. He also notes that farmers who do make the switch do not tend to go back to sodium bicarbonate. (25:18)

Dr. Bach and Maimie discuss grass silage diets and grazing diets with high amounts of moisture and how best to combat acidosis symptoms with those. In diets like this, where you’re not trying to make room for energy, sodium bicarbonate can be a good choice. Dr. Richards chimes in with questions about the ratio of the two ingredients; Dr. Bach indicates the ratio doesn’t mean much to him. (26:16)

Panelists share their take-home thoughts. (33:27)

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This episode was recorded at the 2025 Florida Ruminant Nutrition Symposium. 

Microbial protein has always been Dr. Frikins’ main interest. It’s the most important and consistent source of protein for the cow, with a very high amino acid content. Histidine is the only exception, but bypass protein sources high in histidine complement microbial protein well. Our assessment of microbial protein is all based on prediction models. In his presentation, Dr. Firkins talked about what we can do to have consistently high microbial protein production and how to make the best use of the models. He touched on starch and fat content as two areas of focus, emphasizing a balanced diet to achieve a balanced supply of microbial protein. (5:36)

Dr. Firkins notes that about 90% of the bacteria in the rumen can’t be cultured, and there is great diversity in the rumen. There’s a core group of bacteria that almost every cow has that are really good at their job because they’ve been co-selected along with the cow for fiber digestion. The panel discusses how much the microbiome changes over time, host interactions with the microbial population, and inoculation of calves at birth and weaning. (8:47)

Dr. De Souza and Dr. Faciola talk about starch associative effects and their impacts on fiber digestibility, how sugars impact the rumen and butyrate production, and the importance of butyrate in de novo milk fat synthesis. Dr. Frikins hypothesizes that when sugars improve fiber digestibility, the sugar stimulates how fiber digesters do their job. Some studies have shown an increase in rumen pH when sugars are supplemented, which may be part of the mechanism of improved fiber digestibility. However, he doesn’t recommend using sugars when there is a lot of starch in the diet. (13:38)

Dr. Faciola and Dr. Firkins discuss some of the finer points of the dietary starch and fiber digestibility relationship. What are you replacing when you add more starch? What is the proper amount of effective fiber in higher-starch diets? On the other hand, if you decrease starch a little bit, there might be more room for fat. Well-managed cows with adequate effective fiber can probably handle more starch. Dr. Firkins underlines that starch is more digestible than fiber and thus supports microbial protein, but an optimum level is desirable, perhaps 28-20%. (20:37)

The panel talks about microbial growth efficiency and the energy-spilling mechanisms some bacteria have. Some models suggest that starch-digesting bacteria have higher maintenance energy requirements. The group then pivots to methane production and available feed additives marketed to reduce methane. Dr. Firkins notes that there is quite a bit of variability in the additives. He emphasizes that if we’re using these products, we need to know and measure what’s in them and have them be consistent. This is challenging due not only to variability in product, but also rumen adaptation. Dr. Firkins also reminds the audience that improving the cow’s efficiency in general in a variety of ways will lead to a smaller environmental footprint. This can range from improving reproductive efficiency to understanding differences in the microbiome of cows who emit more or less methane and trying to shift microbial populations to those with lower emissions. (23:12)

Dr. De Souza and Dr. Firkins discuss fatty acid supplementation and fiber digestion relationships. Dr. Firkins explains that in the microbiology literature, it's common to culture bacteria in a simple or complex medium, then add yeast culture. Interestingly, the yeast culture contains a lot of palmitic acid, which has been shown to improve fiber digestibility. He suggests the cell membrane of the bacteria is very critical. When fat supplementation depresses fiber digestibility, he suspects it’s disrupting the bacterial membrane. Dr. De Souza recommends 1-2% palmitic acid in the diet for optimal results. (33:58)

The panel touches on the importance and relevance of in vitro fermentation work, why histidine is the limiting amino acid in microbial protein, and Dr. Firkins’ passion for protozoa. (43:08)

Panelists share their take-home thoughts. (53:40)

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This episode was recorded in Reno, Nevada, during the 2025 Western Dairy Management Conference. 

Dr. Hemme begins with a demonstration of three different-sized glasses of milk representing the daily average dairy consumption in China, Europe, and the world as a whole. He explains that when you make predictions, it’s good to identify the two main drivers of uncertainty in your industry. In the case of dairy, he cites whether or not people like dairy and whether or not they can afford it. He goes on to describe the four scenarios that can be created from those main drivers: people like dairy and can afford it, people don’t like dairy but could afford it, people like dairy but can’t afford it, and people don’t like dairy and can’t afford it.  (4:05)

Walt asks Dr. Hemme to give some perspective on what makes a country a reliable exporter built for the global economy. He gives a unique example of how American football versus soccer compares to exporting dairy from the US to the global market. Matt chimes in with his perspective on how DFA is positioning the industry for exports. He notes that we live in the world of VUCA - volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity - and that we have a lot of VUCA happening in the US right now. In general, he’s very bullish on our natural resources, management skills, and technical capability in the US dairy industry.  (10:17)

The panel discusses who in the world is going to be able to meet the building demand for dairy products, and what the US might need to do to be a major player - in essence, moving from playing football to playing soccer. Dr. Hemme gives culture, policy, and relationship building as potential challenges for the US. (16:37)

Matt is encouraged by the new investments in processing plants in the US and looks for a “build it and we will grow into it” scenario as we move forward. Dr. Hemme agrees that the processors are on board. But he wonders about the dairy farm side - no growth in cow numbers, not much growth in production, and breeding so many cows with beef semen makes him think the US is not believing in a growing dairy industry. He also talks about changing interest rates over time and impact on capital management. (25:50)

The panel discusses the US milk price compared to the world milk price, the cost of production, and exchange rates. (29:45)

Matt gives some perspective on beef-on-dairy. As the beef cycle levels back out and more beef heifers are retained, he forecasts fewer dairy cows being bred to beef semen and an increase in the supply and retention of dairy heifers. (34:31)

Dr. Hemme talks about dairy demand and global population growth trends and predictions. (39:38)

Panelists share their take-home thoughts. (42:02)

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Dr. Nicholson details the high points of his presentation, including a milk price outlook, implications of changes to milk and milk component pricing that will take place in June, and changes in butterfat value over time. As a result of the pricing changes, milk component values are expected to decrease. (3:15)

Net impacts on milk prices for a dairy will depend mostly on where they’re located, but also a little bit on how their milk is currently priced. Dr. Nicholson expects a decrease of around $0.32/cwt for dairies in his area. The panel discusses how a dairy might shift management and feeding to try to increase milkfat to recoup that loss. Dr. Zimmerman asks if the pricing changes will affect fat and protein pricing equally or differently. Butter and other non-fat solids are all going to have the same impact every month. But protein is slightly different because the formulas for protein pricing use both the price of cheese and the price of butter, and those factors interact. Brian comments the impacts for a cheese and powder type of dairy stand to be quite different from a fluid milk dairy. Chuck talks about some of the background as to why dairy cooperatives and dairy producers voted in favor of the milk pricing changes. (8:16)

The panel discusses the impact of cheese demand on component pricing and production. Billions of dollars worth of cheese processing capacity are coming online in the next couple of years, so demand should remain strong. Tariffs are definitely bringing a lot of uncertainty to the market. Some of the new cheese plants have a lot of whey processing capacity on the back end to add value. Whey products are one of our major exports. (13:54)

Brian talks about the shift in what’s considered an acceptable butterfat percentage over the span of his career. The panel talks about the influence of genomics and feeding management on that trend. Dr. Lock talks about a recently completed study in his lab feeding fresh cows two different levels of metabolizable protein and supplementing 0%, 1% or 2% of a 60:30 palmitic-oleic fatty acid blend. Cows fed a higher level of metabolizable protein and a 2% fatty acid blend produced 9.5 kilograms more energy-corrected milk in the first three weeks of lactation. He mentions the protein had more of an impact on milk fat than he had anticipated, that protein and fat supplementation showed additive positive effects, and there was a carryover effect after supplementation ceased. (21:04)

Dr. Lock summarizes some recent work on feeding high oleic soybeans to lactating cows. The panel chats about roasting vs. not roasting soybeans, transportation costs and economics. Dr. Lock’s group is now looking at feeding the oil from high-oleic beans to see how the response differs, if at all, from feeding the beans. (25:42)

Dr. Nicholson predicts a pretty good margin year for 2025, forecasting about $3 above the average long-term margin, even with the upcoming milk pricing changes. The big wild card is exports and trade policy, which could have a significant impact on what margins look like going forward. (31:32)

Panelists share their take-home thoughts. (33:36)

Scott invites the audience to Bourbon and Brainiacs at ADSA in Louisville - a bourbon tasting with all your favorite professors! Sign up here: https://balchem.com/anh/bourbon/ (37:55)

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This episode was recorded at the 2025 Petfood Forum in Kansas City, Missouri.

In 2020, the Institute for Feed Education and Research (IFEEDER), American Feed Industry Association (AFIA), North American Renderers Association (NARA) and Pet Food Institute (PFI) collaborated to publish the Pet Food Consumption Report. The organizations collaborated again to publish a second edition in 2025, which Lara presented at Petfood Forum. Data sets from both brick-and-mortar sales and Amazon sales were used to create the report. (6:16)

Lara explains that data analysts reverse-engineered product labels from dog and cat food and treats in the dataset to identify trends, including ingredient use, value, tonnage, upstream value, and what pet food adds to the economy. Dry dog food makes up the largest volume of sales at 55%, and also takes the number one spot in value of sales at 38%. Dry cat food is the second largest by volume (16%), followed by dog treats (11%). However, dog treats are the second largest by value (20%), followed by dry cat food (12%).  (7:57)

Louise and Charles talk about trends in non-veterinary spending on pets, cultural shifts in consumer perceptions of pet ownership, pet food trends in developing countries, and consumer understanding of human and pet nutrition needs. (12:04)

Lara notes that the top five ingredients in the report are chicken and chicken products, whole grains, milled grains, beef and beef products, and marine-based ingredients. Chicken and chicken products made up 2.2 million tons, while marine-based products represented about 500,000 tons. Marine products doubled in volume from the 2020 report to the 2025 report, signifying a trend of higher value, more select ingredients coming into the pet food space. Salmon and cod are the primary marine ingredients. Lara remarks that the specialty ingredients side of the report is fascinating, with items like blueberries, tomatoes, peas, beet pulp, cranberries, and flaxseed making an appearance. Louise explains the 2020 report had less than 400 ingredients, while more than 600 ingredients appear in the 2025 report. Charles notes that since the last report, there has been a slight shift to more fresh meat products and slightly less rendered products. (16:10)

About half the cat and dog food is made up of upcycled ingredients. The panel discusses consumer perceptions of byproducts and co-products, the sustainability role that these products play in the industry, and their organizations’ commitments to education and policy efforts. (22:27)

Pet food manufacturers purchase 9.8 million tons of ingredients valued at about $13.2 billion, which then represents about $52 billion in sales. Lara talks about some of the upstream impacts of the pet food industry. Pet food is manufactured in 43 states, with the top five being Missouri, Iowa, Kansas, Pennsylvania, and California. Each of these states is selling more than $700 million worth of ingredients to pet food manufacturing. Relatively few pet food ingredients are imported; amino acids, vitamins, minerals, and marine products would be the exception. Manufactured pet food has a fairly strong export market. (29:55)

Lastly, panelists share their take-home thoughts. (35:56). 

The 2025 report is available at https://www.ifeeder.org/. You can download the full report as well as graphics, and there is a feature that allows you to create your graphs and charts with the data. 

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This episode was recorded in Reno, Nevada, during the 2025 Western Dairy Management Conference. 

The panel discusses their individual experiences with outbreaks in different states. Beth talks about her group’s microbial surveillance technology they used to compare rectal swabs from positive and non-positive herds. They noted elevations in specific virulent E. coli, Salmonella spp., and Clostridium perfringens in the HPAI-positive herds. Enrique noted that in California, the outbreak began in the South Valley during periods of heat stress, which exacerbated symptoms. He also felt that some dairies panicked a little and moved cows too much, which did not help. In the North Valley, the outbreak happened in cooler weather, and dairies purposefully did not move cows out of their pens and provided supportive therapy within the pen. (5:25)

Dr. Schcolnik emphasized making sure i’s are dotted and t’s are crossed in your nutrition program to help manage through an outbreak. The immune system is an obligate glucose utilizer, so energy is key, as are protein and trace minerals. He noted they also added binders to diets, and either probiotics or double doses of yeast to keep the rumen healthy. Decreasing intake is a big symptom, so he recommends vitamin B supplementation to stimulate appetite. (12:30)

The panel discusses how the Texas and California outbreaks differed from one another, including heat stress, recovery in milk production after infection, bird migration and cattle movement. Enrique notes that in California, it seemed like transmission was going downwind. Animal movement, wild birds and milk trucks were also implicated. (14:31)

Several companies are investing in vaccine development, but the virus mutation is a challenge. Dr. Spencer wonders if the vaccine will end up resembling the human flu vaccine where you hope to target the general structure of the virus to reduce impact. The panel talks about natural immunity and how cows will be impacted in the lactation after they were ill. Dr. Schcolnik has observed that a percentage of cows who were dry during the outbreak aren’t performing as well after freshening. He hypothesizes this could be due to mammary cell death during infection, as the virus lyses the cell as it exits the cell. (24:41)

The panel discusses practical recommendations for dairy producers to prepare for or help mitigate during an outbreak. Biosecurity is key. Vaccines are hopefully on the way, but until then, minimizing cattle movements within the herd, post-dipping cows as soon as possible after the machine falls off and minimizing splashing of milk are all good practices. The panel looks forward to more research about all the different ways the virus transmits. They’re also eager to learn more about treatment plans and what has worked for different dairies regarding giving fluids, altering rations, boosting the immune system, managing co-infections and impacts on calves and heifers. (29:18)

Lastly, panelists share their take-home thoughts. (37:33)

Scott invites the audience to Bourbon and Brainiacs at ADSA in Louisville - a bourbon tasting with all your favorite professors! Sign up here: https://balchem.com/anh/bourbon/

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This episode was recorded in Fort Wayne, Indiana, during the 2025 Tri-State Dairy Conference. 

Dr. Laporta gives an overview of her presentation, focusing on the impact of heat stress during the dry period on the cow, her daughters and her granddaughters. She covers heat stress impacts on mammary gland involution, as well as fetal programming effects on the daughter and granddaughter. (3:37)

Daughters of heat-stressed cows have fewer sweat glands located deeper in the skin, thicker skin and more sebaceous glands. This was observed at birth, weaning and puberty. They sweat more than heifers who weren’t heat stressed in utero, but have higher rectal temperatures during the preweaning phase. Dr. Laporta hypothesizes that if those calves were exposed to additional stress, they would be more susceptible to illness because of the higher core temperature.  (6:34)

The panel discusses heat stress impacts on male fetuses and the potential for epigenetic changes to be transmitted through semen. Dr. Gerloff asks about differences in the impacts of heat stress on first-calf heifers compared to older cows. Dr. Laporta describes the survival rates of heifers who were heat-stressed in utero. Heifers are lost from the herd even before first calving, with more following in first and second lactation.  (11:00)

Dr. Laporta outlines the differences between heat-stressed and cooled treatments in her experiments. They measure respiration rates and rectal temperatures to assess the physiological impacts of heat stress in the cows. Scott asks how long the heat stress period needs to be in order to observe negative effects. Dr. Gerloff asks about calf mortality rates between the two groups. Dr. Laporta estimates a 12% death loss in the heat stress groups, who seem to be more susceptible to the usual calf illnesses. It appears that gut closure might occur earlier in heat-stressed calves - maybe even before birth, which does not bode well for their immune systems. (16:49)

Dr. Laporta details how heat stress impacts mammary gland involution. Early in the dry period, you want a spike in cell death to build new cells for the next lactation. In heat-stressed cows, the spike in cell death early in the dry period is diminished, not allowing those cells to die. This results in less proliferation of the mammary gland, and the cow starts her next lactation with older cells that weren’t renewed in full. Thus, producing less milk. Dr. Gerloff shares some of his experiences with heat stress in his area of Illinois. (22:17)

Heat stress has negative impacts on other organs as well. Heifers who experienced heat stress in utero are born with larger adrenal glands with altered microstructure. Dr. Laporta describes some of the DNA methylation that has been observed in these heifers. The panel discusses whether the response would be similar for other types of stressors, like cold stress or social stress. (26:19)

What can we do to mitigate these impacts? Cooling dry cows so they can thermoregulate during gestation is critical. Altering diets to account for heat stress is also an important strategy. Unfortunately, there is no magic bullet to “fix” cows who were exposed to heat stress in utero, but these negative implications can be prevented. Dr. Laporta has also focused on what she calls perinatal programming - after the calf is born, what can we do? She has been working to develop cooling mechanisms for calves and is interested in further investigating early life mammary development. (33:41)

When a dry cow experiences heat stress, she has fewer and smaller alveoli. Daughters of those cows have smaller udders with altered tissue growth. Granddaughters of those cows have fewer estrogen receptors in their udders and negative impacts on mammary proliferation. (44:30)

Panelists share their take-home thoughts. (47:52)

Scott invites the audience to Bourbon and Brainiacs at ADSA in Louisville - a bourbon tasting with all your favorite professors! Sign up here: https://balchem.com/anh/bourbon/ (54:31)

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This episode was recorded in Fort Wayne, Indiana, during the 2025 Tri-State Dairy Conference. 

Dr. Grant gives an overview of his presentation at the conference, highlighting cow time budgets and the importance of natural cow behavior to health, welfare and productivity. The impacts of overcrowding, including rumen pH and de novo fatty acid synthesis, are a key component of his message. (7:07)

Eating, resting and ruminating are the big three behaviors we’ve studied for decades. In addition to their obvious importance to cow welfare, they have a real health and performance effect. Dr. Grant suggests the recumbent rumination - just lying down and chewing her cud - is really the cow’s superpower. Cows with the same rumination time who accomplish more while lying down have less subacute ruminal acidosis, greater dry matter intake, and higher fat and protein content in their milk. It all boils down to the balance between eating time and recumbent rumination time. (12:15)

The panel discusses the definition of overcrowding. Spoiler alert: it depends. (15:50)

Clay asks Rick if overcrowding of beds or feed bunks is more important. The easy answer is both, but Rick acknowledges he’d say beds if he were pushed for an answer. Resting is a yes or no; she’s either lying down or she’s not. From the feed bunk perspective, a cow can alter her behavior to a point for adjusting to overcrowding - eat faster, change her meal patterns, etc. A hungry cow will walk by the feed to recoup lost rest time. Cows should be comfortable enough to spend at least 90% of their rumination time lying down. (17:50)

Dr. Grant thinks of overcrowding as a subclinical stressor. A cow has different “accounts” for different activities: lactation, health, reproduction, etc., as well as a reserve account. To combat the subclinical stress of overcrowding, a cow uses her reserve account, but that’s hard to measure. If the reserve account gets depleted and another stressor comes along, the overcrowded pens are going to show greater impacts. The panel brainstormed ideas for how to better measure a cow’s reserve account. (19:39)

Clays asks if overcrowding is affecting culling rates. The panel assumes it has to be, though no one can point to a study. Dr. Grant notes there is data from France that shows decreased longevity in cows who don’t get enough rest, which is a hallmark of overcrowding. Given the low heifer inventory, the panel muses if the industry ought to pay more attention to the culling impacts of overcrowding and have a more dynamic approach to evaluating stocking density as market and farm conditions shift. (25:10)

Bill asks about nutritional and management strategies to reduce the stress of overcrowding. Rick notes that overcrowding tends to make the rumen a bit more touchy, so he talks about formulating diets with appropriate amounts of physically effective fiber, undigested NDF, rumen-fermentable starch, and particle size. (29:21)

Dr. Grant talks about the differences in rumination when a cow is lying down versus standing. The panel discusses cow comfort, preferred stalls, and first-calf heifer behavior in mixed-age groups with and without overcrowding. Bill and Rick agree that having a separate pen for first-calf heifers on overcrowded farms would benefit those heifers. Dr. Michael comments on evaluating air flow and venting on-farm. (33:49)

The panel wraps up the episode with their take-home thoughts. (47:55)

Scott invites the audience to Bourbon and Brainiacs at ADSA in Louisville - a bourbon tasting with all your favorite professors! Sign up here: https://balchem.com/anh/bourbon/ (52:02)

The paper referenced in this conversation from Dr. Bach can be found here: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0022030208711226

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This episode was recorded in Reno, Nevada, during the 2025 Western Dairy Management Conference. The panel is reviewing a presentation given by Dr. Rick Grant, who was unable to be on the podcast. 

The presentation was based on the idea that crowding is a subclinical presence. If you manage it with people and resources, a dairy can do very well. But if something happens in that crowded situation, like a disease or heat stress, it can tip performance over the edge. Evaluating time budgets for cows can allow for the identification of places to improve. Beds are vitally important. If a cow doesn’t have a bed due to crowding then she’s not lying down, chewing her cud, which is what allows her to be as efficient as possible. (3:19)

Jason thinks about time budgets as a tool for managing stress. Jim agrees and notes that crowding is part of every cow’s day, but we can manage to minimize that time in most instances. Jason and Jim talk about some of their approaches to evaluating crowding when they work with a dairy, and where pain points are often located. (5:57)

Jason liked Dr. Grant’s takeaway message that the cow doesn’t necessarily care she’s overcrowded as long as she has a bed she doesn’t have to fight for and room at the feed bunk she doesn’t have to fight for. He describes a very successful client who is overcrowded, but everything else is managed well. All other stressors have been removed, so the only stressor remaining is the overcrowding. But when additional stressors compound crowding, then dairies experience issues. He adds there is a huge opportunity for error when feeding to slick bunks in an overcrowding situation. (16:15)

Jim talks about different measures of efficiency. Is it milk per cow, milk per free stall, milk per parlor stall, or milk per pen? He thinks the real answer is “it depends,” and the answer might be different for each dairy. Jason notes that the bank wants to see assets on a balance sheet, and the cows are the assets. (19:24)

The group discusses geographical differences in overcrowding. Jim’s observations show crowding increases as one moves east in the US. Tom agrees and notes 20-30% of the available stalls are in his part of the world. Overcrowded cows eat faster, and this impacts rumen efficiency, probably leading to lower de novo fatty acid synthesis and overall lower components. The panel talks about whether or not there is such a thing as an “overcrowding ration.”(20:59)

The panel relays some real-world examples of crowding where dairies would cull cows to decrease milk production, but production would remain the same because the cows were now less crowded. They talk more about other management strategies that need to be on point if a dairy is going to overcrowd. (27:50)

The panel wraps up with their take-home thoughts for dairy producers and nutritionists. Jim and Jason share their contact information with the audience. (38:20)

Scott invites the audience to Bourbon and Brainiacs at ADSA in Louisville - a bourbon tasting with all your favorite professors! Sign up here: https://balchem.com/anh/bourbon/ (45:02)

The paper referenced in this conversation from Dr. Bach can be found here: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0022030208711226

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This episode was recorded in Reno, Nevada for the 2025 Western Dairy Management Conference. 

Dr. Shabtai gives an overview of her presentation. Afimilk has a new technology that includes a feed efficiency sensor to determine eating, rumination, heat stress monitoring and more. The Feed Efficiency Service combined with the AfiCollar can estimate dry matter intake, which, when combined with Afimilk’s milk meter data, yields an efficiency value of milk income over feed cost for each cow. She details how the algorithm works to predict intake and some of the challenges faced during the development of this technology. The algorithm was developed with Holsteins, but a Jersey algorithm is nearing completion. (5:33)

Shane and Emily share some of their experiences with beta-testing the Feed Efficiency technology on-farm to evaluate, including animal-to-animal variation and variation in different stages of lactation. The panel discusses how genomics could pair with this data to aid in selection decisions. (9:21)

Walt asks Dr. Shabtai to share how the company took the technology from research facilities to commercial farms, and asks Shane and Emily to share how the technology has proven itself on-farm. (13:11)

Shane notes that they’ve had a handle on the milk side of the efficiency equation of individual cows for a while, but they didn’t know much about the feed intake side of the equation. This technology allows for that. Shane also shares how this technology adds another tool to their dairy’s sustainability toolbox.  (18:50)

Walt asks both producers to share a metric that they thought was important before, but now that we have more knowledge and technology, it might not be as important as they thought. Shane’s pick is starch level in corn silage, and Emily’s is percent pregnant by 150 days in milk. (21:18)

Dr. Shabtai shares the basics that a producer would need to implement this technology. She details a few things that have changed and will change about the product based on data from beta testing and notes there are always new things to see and find on-farm. (22:59)

Scott asks Shane and Emily what metric they’d like to measure that they can’t measure yet. Shane wonders if there would be a way for AI to compile weather and market data to assist with milk or feedstuff contracting decisions. Emily would like to be able to use more on-farm technology to help manage people. She shares how the data she has now allows her to see different improvements that could be implemented for different milking shifts. Shane talks about need-to-know information versus neat-to-know information. (26:35)

The panel discusses how the technology is updated through software rather than hardware when new versions are available. They also share some tips for implementing the software on-farm. Walt asks each panelist their “I wonder if…” question. (29:58)

The panel wraps up with their take-home thoughts, and Dr. Shabtai shares where farmers can learn more about Afimilk’s feed efficiency technology by visiting afimilk.com. (36:49)

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