Journal of Nutrient Management

01/16/2025

The most amazing part is how the microbial action in the cow’s rumen converts items inedible by humans, like wheat straw, corn stalks, and ethanol by-products, into nutritious human foods. Cows are the ultimate “up-cyclers.”

When considering the task of formulating rations, I think about building blocks. When an architect and a contractor work together to build a house, there is a plan and there are materials. Building da,Nutrient Management

01/14/2025

Safety cannot be talked about enough. There is no “we have done enough” statement in any operation. No amount of gallons or tons or time “saved” by cutting corners is worth a human life.

What does that word mean to you and your operation? What procedures do you have in place if “something happens”?

12/27/2024

Every applicator that hits the field affects the soil, and thus, the management plan. Let’s take a look at how various manure application methods affect both nutrient availability and plan creation.

Manure management and nutrient management plans rely heavily on mapping software and computer technology.

12/23/2024

Runoff events immediately following the March manure application resulted in relatively large phosphorus losses of 1.05 pounds per acre, accounting for 77% of the total annual losses.

When it comes to managing a farm, both daily decisions and long-term strategies can have an impact on water quality and specifically phosphorus movement.

12/12/2024

In this article, we will focus on enteric methane. To tackle enteric methane, several approaches have been proposed and studied: animal diet formulation and anti-methanogenic feed additives; genetic selection of animals for low-methane emitting phenotype; and manipulation of the rumen microbiome, including methanogen vaccines.

Analyses have suggested that mitigating methane, a potent but short-lived greenhouse gas, can have a significant impact on slowing down global warming in the short term.

12/05/2024

If it comes down to harvesting silage at the right moisture or waiting for a field to dry out further to prevent compaction issues, more times than not, a bunker of high-quality feed will win out.

Whether it is planting, harvesting, or applying manure, these tasks need to be completed in a narrow window, and sometimes, field conditions aren’t ideal.

12/04/2024

Bedding with sand impacts every aspect of your dairy farm – affecting freestalls, fields, equipment and labor. Here are a few suggestions from McLanahan to help keep sand in its place and help you gain all possible advantages for manure management systems, bedding benefits and overall farm efficiency.

11/29/2024

One technology that can be added to the palette of options now is zeolite filtration. Zeolites are a group of minerals that are the result of volcanic eruptions millions of years ago.

Modern dairy production concentrates the number of animals housed in relatively small areas to improve production efficiencies, output per animal, and take advantage of economies of scale.

11/20/2024

When applying nutrients to parched soils, producers need to take extra caution to prevent liquid manure from following soil cracks to field tile.

There’s no doubt a wet fall creates challenges when it comes to fieldwork.

11/14/2024

This Pennsylvania farm includes many features that were homemade by its owner, including several aspects of the manure handling system.

Dairyman Shawn Saylor is what one might consider a jack-of-all trades; in fact, “super handyman” is even part of his email address.

11/12/2024

Sand bedding and dairy cow comfort go together like peas and carrots. Not just any sand will do. There may be subtle or substantial differences in sands depending on the source. McLanahan provides these suggestions when selecting sand.

11/06/2024

Sometimes we may need a kick in the pants to take action. We need someone to believe in us and what we can accomplish, even if we don’t see it in ourselves.

There are times in life when we could use some encouragement.

11/01/2024

The Oregon Department of Agriculture rewrote its regulations for dairy farms and adopted the final version in late September.

The Oregon Department of Agriculture rewrote its regulations for dairy farms and adopted the final version in late September.

10/31/2024

Row crop farmers, especially corn growers, can evaluate manure nutrients as an option when negotiating fertilizer purchases.

High fertilizer costs, compared to prices before the COVID-19 pandemic, have made manure nutrients a valuable commodity.

10/30/2024

CEO of the California Milk Advisory Board John Talbot showed the video as part of his presentation at the California Dairy Sustainability Summit in March. Its purpose, Talbot said, was to make the topic of sustainability palatable and interesting to consumers.

Poo is renewable. It’s energy,” sings the lead cow puppet of Real California Milk’s “We’ve Got Cowpower” ad. In the video, a herd of animated cows (and manure) perform a musical numbe,Nutrient Management

10/15/2024

This large population base is a reason why there aren’t many large dairies in New England, but it has opened new doors of opportunity for the Bahler family, which has been farming here since 1890.

10/10/2024

Farms are striving to achieve higher yields and quality while reducing emissions and leaching losses by improving their nitrogen use efficiency.

Nitrogen is at the center of agronomy, climate change, and water quality conversations.

10/08/2024

Manure is not a waste product; it is a valuable nutrient source. Not only does it contain nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium, but manure also contains other important soil amendments like organic matter and micronutrients.

Communication is key. So is understanding the view point of each person in a business deal.