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In this episode of The Dairy Nutrition Blackbelt Podcast, Dr. Katherine Swanson discusses innovative ways to incorporate almond hulls into dairy cattle diets. With California producing 80% of the world’s almonds, this discussion on optimizing almond hulls as a feed source is crucial for improving dairy nutrition and sustainability. Dr. Swanson shares valuable insights into the nutritional benefits, potential quality issues, and practical considerations for feeding almond hulls to dairy cows. Tune in to gain expert knowledge on maximizing dairy production with alternative feed resources.

"For optimal inclusion, keeping almond hulls around 10 to 15% of the diet is reasonable and can improve milk fat percentage."

Meet the guest: Dr. Katherine Swanson, lecturer at California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo, specializes in dairy science. She holds a Ph.D. from Oregon State University and an M.S. from UC Davis. With over five years of postdoctoral research at UC Davis and industry experience, Dr. Swanson excels in dairy cattle nutrition.

What will you learn: 

• (00:00) Highlight
• (01:15) Introduction
• (01:55) Almond hulls in the dairy industry
• (02:55) Nutritional value of almond hulls
• (04:19) Quality control issues
• (07:27) Economic considerations
• (07:52) Potential for export and pelleting
• (08:50) Optimal inclusion rates
• (10:02) Closing thoughts

The Dairy Nutrition Blackbelt Podcast is trusted and supported by the innovative companies:

* Adisseo

- Virtus Nutrition

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