In this episode of the Progressive Dairy Podcast, Gail Carpenter, who is an assistant professor and state dairy specialist at Iowa State University, and host Kimmi Devaney discuss a variety of topics ranging from dairy nutrition, reproduction, silage management and advice for dairy youth.

Visit the Iowa State Extension Dairy Team website for resources.

Here is an episode overview:

1. [~0:55] Meet Gail Carpenter
2. [~2:45] “You can’t outfeed bad management” and back to basics on stocking density, cow comfort, water trough management and more
3. [~10:30] Research: the impact of molasses supplementation on sorting with transition cows 
4. [~13:45] Strategies to improve fiber digestion
5. [~15:05] Silage: disease pressure and silage inventory 
6. [~17:35] Considerations for silage season
7. [~19:30] Planning for the 2026 silage season 
8. [~20:35] Heifer performance strategies 
9. [~24:20] Tips to reduce involuntary culling 
10. [~28:00] Top challenges Carpenter is hearing from producers 
11. [~31:50] Greatest opportunities for dairy producers right now 
12. [~36:35] What Carpenter is most excited about with the next generation of the dairy industry 
13. [~39:15] The collegiate dairy activities that had the greatest impact on her and set her up for success in her career 
14. [~34:10] Carpenter’s advice for students and young people interested in a dairy career
15. [~50:55] Rapid-fire questions