NOVUS to Share Top Dairy Herd Best Practices at World Dairy Expo 

“NOVUS has been working directly with dairy farmers since 1996. We’ve developed deep historical knowledge of the challenges and opportunities that different farms can experience. We’ve also learned a lot about the small things farmers can do to address those issues and meet their goals,” he says.

Top Producing Dairy Herds, October 4 

Karen Luchterhand, Ph.D., C.O.W.S.^® Program service lead, grew up on a dairy farm and began working with neighboring dairies as a teenager. She understands how competitive dairy farms can be. What better way to get above the competition than to know what top-performing herds are doing? 

“Dairy farmers are a competitive group. They want to be the best of the best. They want to know how their herds stack up to the competition,” says Luchterhand. “My presentation gives them a glimpse into dairies in the Northeast and Midwest that are getting the most from their cows.” 

In her presentation, Luchterhand will show assessment data from NOVUS’ C.O.W.S.^® Program collected over the last five years. The program, which has been supporting farms in North America since 2011, uses on-site assessments to help farmers unlock production bottlenecks and optimize the health and well-being of their cows. The qualitative and quantitative information collected from these dairy farms showcases key management changes that can make a big difference. Some options may be little to no cost to implement but some suggestions come with a considerable financial investment. Luchterhand says that shouldn’t deter people from understanding their options.

“What the data tells us and the recommendations we make according to the data has to be individualized to specific farms,” she says. “Because there are so many factors that go into dairy farming, there isn’t one plan that will work for everyone. We have to consider the farm’s challenges and opportunities and how much the dairy producer can or is willing to invest.”

Luchterhand will present What Are Our Top Producing Herds Doing? at 2:30 p.m. on October 4 in the atrium of the Exhibition Hall.

Reduce Risk and Manage Your Milk Components, October 5 

NOVUS Ruminant Technical Manager Hannah Tucker, Ph.D., will present the topic Reduce Your Risk: Successfully Manage Your Milk Components when Changing Forage Sources, which provides management tips that farmers and nutritionists should consider every year around harvest time.

“Butterfat is a valuable milk component. Farmers rely on the ration cows eat to make butterfat, but we can’t maximize butterfat production if the forages aren’t as they should be,” Tucker says.

During her presentation, Tucker will recommend certain steps farms take when moving from last year’s forage to that of the new harvest. She warns that if the switch isn’t done correctly, the impact can have a negative effect on everything from dry matter intake to component production to overall milk yield.

Tucker says nutritionists also have a valuable role to play in the silage shift. Their collaboration with dairy producers to maximize the production of both the milk and the forage is necessary to achieve farm goals. 

Dr. Tucker’s presentation is scheduled for 10:30 a.m. on October 5 in the atrium of the Exhibition Hall. 

Attendees can visit the NOVUS booth, #4317-4319 at the Alliant Energy Center Exhibition Hall during the Expo, to speak with the experts and learn about the intelligent nutrition solutions that can help them get more from their cows.

For more information about NOVUS at the Expo, visit ni.novusint.com/world-dairy-expo-2023.

World Dairy Expo serves as a forum for dairy producers, companies, organizations, and other dairy enthusiasts to come together to compete, and to exchange ideas, knowledge, technology, and commerce.

For more information, visit worlddairyexpo.com.