Connecting the Agronomist and the Nutritionist to Make Management Decisions
2016
- UW-Madison Dairy Science
Project Media
As the number of cows per farm, and thus the acres needed to provide feed, have increased for Wisconsin’s dairy farms, the reliance of farm operators on agronomists and nutritionists for advice when making management decisions has also increased. An adequate supply of high quality forage is crucial to reduce purchased feed costs and increase milk production per ton of forage. The agronomist – dairy nutritionist interface includes the following areas: feed inventory and crop rotations, manure storage and application, nutrient management plans, expansion planning, yield versus quality considerations, feed testing, harvest and storage considerations, feed valuing, team meetings, and staff training. Sub-categories within those various areas will be discussed with regard to potential for interaction between agronomists, dairy nutritionists, and farm managers on management decisions.