Setting Dairy Cows Up For Long-Term Success

Setting animals up for success is the goal of every livestock producer, allowing each to reach their full genetic potential.  And that’s especially true in the dairy sector.  Dr. Tom Earleywine, Director of Nutritional Services at Purina Animal Nutrition, said it’s critical every state of a dairy cow’s life is elevated.

“Early life determines the potential, really, for that animal to not only grow, but its feed efficiency, its gut health, its overall health, its productivity, and even if you were talking about a beef on dairy animal or a bull calf, it's carcass value even," Earleywine said.  "It's all influenced by all the way starting all the way back in utero. But taking each one of those stair steps, so to speak, to maximum performance and profitable.” 

Determine Gut Health Early

Earleywine added it’s vital to remember that each cow has a time limit, since they’re only going to live so long, and as a producer, you don’t want to miss out on an opportunity for your animals to be as profitable as possible for your operation.

He added there are a variety of things producers and managers need to consider when looking at the most effective diet and supplements.

“When we're feeding the dry cow and the transition cow, we actually have an influence on the calf and they'll just give an example. In our research, we fed our product called Amulet that we have that that actually influenced how the calf performed through weening, but it was only fed to the dry cow, and yet, the cows that didn't get it didn't have the same positive benefit all the way through weaning on those young calves, and so there it's clear that we have a have a benefit in in utero with some of these products and technologies.”

Earleywine added time from birth to weaning is so critical because it determines the lifetime gut health of that animal.  Learn more about setting your dairy cows up for long-term success by listening to our entire conversation with Dr. Earleywine:

Click Here to learn more about the products offered by Purina Animal Nutrition.

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