by Lisa Davis, Dairy Product Manager
The arrival of warmer weather brings a new growing season and the opportunity to produce good quality feeds for the upcoming year. Summer can bring some challenges too:
- Heat stress affecting intakes, milk, and components.
- As last year’s forages are used up, and new crops harvested, diets change to balance feed availability with nutrient needs.
- Hot weather can reduce TMR microbial stability
- Summer’s warmth brings an increase in fly populations on the farm!
Here are a few timely reminders on how molasses-based liquid feeds help maximize feeding program efficiency during the summer months:
- Need Help with Heat Stress?
- Liquid feeds provide sugars and degradable protein, to improve rumen microbial growth and forage digestion. More microbial protein and fiber fermentation provides essential precursors for milk component production, and helps to optimize rumen efficiency. Improving forage digestion helps keep feed moving through the cow, to aid dry matter intake. Plus, liquid feeds help reduce ration sorting, which increases intake of long particles, to create a more optimal environment for feed digestion. And, QLF molasses-based liquid feeds improve TMR palatability, to keep cows coming back to the bunk!
- Need More Consistency?
- Changes in forage crops and nutrient levels may cause drastic ration changes, especially if forage inventories are running low going into the growing season. Alterations to inclusion rates of both forages and concentrates are needed to maintain diet nutrient levels while using new feeds or stretching corn silage supply. Large or frequent diet changes disrupt rumen microbial populations and alter forage digestion, DMI, and milk components. Feeding QLF at 4-5 lbs/day provides a consistent, rapidly available supply of energy and nitrogen to the rumen bugs for stimulating rumen efficiency and TMR utilization!
- Microbial stability concerns in the TMR reduce feeding value of the ration and potentially lead to health concerns for the cow. Summer’s warm weather provides an ideal environment for microbes to grow, consuming nutrients in the TMR. As a result, feeding value of the TMR is reduced. Also, some microbes produce mycotoxins as they grow, which causes concerns with intake, cow health, and productivity. Use of a TMR preservative in the summer months helps maintain the ration’s nutritive quality. QLF’s TMR Protector Program offers Kemin’s MYCO CURB or Ultra Curb preservatives. Delivering TMR preservative through the QLF is a safe, palatable method to help maximize the TMR’s feeding value in summer.
- Those Pesky Flies! Flies can spread disease and reduce productivity. Good sanitation in all areas of the farm is key to help controlling fly populations. QLF offers ClariFly® Larvicide for feed-through fly control, as an important part of an IPM program.
Warm summer weather can bring challenges in the feeding program. Sugars and protein in QLF help optimize rumen efficiency, diet consistency and cow productivity. And, QLF supplements offer the opportunity to deliver valuable summertime specialty additives, too! Please contact your QLF District Sales Manager for more information. Have a good summer!