Originally published in Vermont Almanac.
As dairy nutritionist for the past 20 years, dairy cows are close to my heart, as are the farmers who tend to them and the land that grows their feed. There is an intimate relationship between animals and plants, and we see this very transparently in the world of dairy production. One doesn’t exist without the other.
Dairy cows are elite athletes, and they need the right nutrition to perform the task set before them at birth. A newborn calf will give birth to her own calf at just 22 to 24 months of age, thereby starting her milk production cycle.
Over the last 20 years, nutrition science and herd management strategies have completely transformed how we formulate nutrition programs. The cow of 20 years ago is not the same cow we have today. Farmers then were happy with cows averaging 75 pounds (8.7 gallons) a day of milk with mediocre fat and protein content. Today, the top-performing herds are producing 95 to 100 pounds of milk per cow each day, with high fat and protein content. As we have refined science and herd management, we have also expanded our knowledge of what these more productive cows really need.
When devising nutrition strategies in the early 2000s, we focused on just a handful of nutrients. Looking back, it seems very rudimentary. The days when we relied on net energy lactation values, crude protein percentages, lignin, calcium, and phosphorus percentages are gone. We now discuss carbohydrate fractions (sugar and starch); amino acid requirements instead of crude protein percentages; specific fatty acid values; and the bioavailability and purity of minerals and vitamins in cows’ diets. We’re also focused on digestion rates of feed stuffs, and where these foods digest within the four chambers of a cow’s stomach. We are concerned about “leaky gut syndrome” and the impact of diet and environmental factors on intestinal health. This leap has been made in a very short time, and we continue to push the boundaries of what good husbandry can deliver.
Track and field athletes have a team to help them run faster and recover faster, and so do dairy cows. Every herd on every farm is different, so dairy nutritionists work with farmers to dial in precise products for their herds. We’re part of the meticulous team of care takers – including the farmer, the veterinarian, and the reproductive consultant – working to help cows achieve and maintain peak health and performance.
It’s a safe bet that the next 20 years of my career will see even higher-producing cows, as the best agricultural universities in the world are focused on understanding better the microbiome of the cow and diving deeper into areas that still need exploring. Optimal dairy production is only attainable with the best care, management, and love for the cows – it’s what dairy farmers, and dairy nutritionists, are focused on every single day.