Appropriate feeding during the pregnancy and post-pregnancy period determines both the milk production in the ensuing lactation as well as the reproductive efficiency of the animal. During this period, 3 weeks before and 3 weeks after parturition are very important because dramatic physiological...

Increased future demand of animal products as well as competition between food, feed and fuel, require efficient utilization of feed resources to strengthen environmental, economic and social sustainability of livestock systems. The objective of this review is to summarize current knowledge on...

Enhancing longevity by reducing involuntary culling and consequently increasing productive life and lifetime production of dairy cows is not only a strategy to improve a farm's profit, but is also related to improved animal welfare. High rates of involuntary culling in dairy cows are currently...

The efficiency with which dairy cows convert feed to milk impacts farm profitability and environmental stewardship. Thus, feed efficiency is a particularly critical trait to the dairy industry as feed costs increase. Feed efficiency is a complex trait influenced by many components, including milk...

Nutrient management on dairy operations has become more complex as society demands more attention be placed on environmental stewardship. Although nutrient management has traditionally focused on an individual field basis, there is a need for dairy operations to focus on nutrients at a whole-farm...