Real Science Exchange-Dairy

Guests:
Dr. Tom Jenkins, Clemson University
Dr. Don Palmquist, The Ohio State University
Dr. Kevin Harvatine, Pennsylvania State University

We gather around the Real Science Exchange virtual table for another pubcast with leading researchers to dive into this week’s topic of the history of feeding fat to dairy cattle. Scott Sorrell and Dr. Clay Zimmerman are joined by tonight’s guests who span the history of the topic with Dr. Don Palmquist being one of the founding fathers and Dr. Tom Jenkins also providing much of the depth as we dive in on this topic. Dr. Kevin Harvatine is not new to the Real Science Exchange and we are excited to have him back for this discussion.

Dr. Palmquist and Jenkins discussed the early years of their research finding the right combination, source and ration approach to including fat into dairy cow diets. 9:20

Dr. Jenkins discussed the early failures and how they came to trial making calcium salts and seeing some early success in their research. 19:26

To give perspective on today’s approach, Dr. Harvatine shared he’s seeing a reasonable amount of progress the last couple of years to getting fatty acids rather than extract or crude fat into rations. 29:36

The trio gave their input on the practical limits of fat inclusion. 39:51

With growing herd averages for pounds of milk produced, the experts discussed how to get enough into the diets to meet the growing output. 47:21

Dr. Harvatine discussed his outlook on the future of how fatty acids can modify physiology. 55:48

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This podcast is sponsored by Balchem Animal Nutrition and Health. 

Guests: 
Dr. Kevin Harvatine, Pennsylvania State University
Dr. Isaac Salfer, University of Minnesota

We are back at the Real Science Exchange for another pubcast joined by dairy industry professionals. This week our hosts Scott Sorrell and Dr. Clay Zimmerman are joined by Dr. Kevin Harvatine from Penn State University and Dr. Isaac Salfer from the University of Minnesota. The discussion around the table is focused on understanding seasonal and daily rhythms on milk & component yield.

Earlier this year, Dr. Harvatine joined Balchem for the Real Science Lecture Series on the same topic. Click here to check out his lecture: https://tinyurl.com/yfofvkhq

Dr. Salfer has a unique perspective on this topic as he was the PhD student who focused on daily rhythms when he was in school working under Dr. Harvatine. 

For more than 30 years, Dr. Zimmerman has been working in the dairy nutrition industry and he remembers early in his career having discussions with dairies that were curious as to why they were seeing a dip in the milk fat each spring, and that kicked off the discussion around what the research showed with changes in milk fat percentages through the seasons. 10:55

Dr. Salfer discusses that they would like to understand the differences, if any, between the northern and southern hemispheres, but it’s hard to compare apples to apples when many of the southern hemisphere herds are grazing herds. That being said, through his students he has connections to Kenya and they are exploring research there to compare to the U.S. data set. 16:59

Heat stress and seasonal rhythms are often lumped together as factors for changes in milk yield, but Dr. Harvatine explains their research shows it might not be that simple. 24:05

Dr. Harvatine discusses what to consider if a dairy wants to minimize seasonality and maintain a herd at the high point. 37:58

Both of the guests discuss the importance in adjusting rations to maximize input during season shifts. 42:40

If you want one of our new Real Science Exchange t-shirts, make sure to screenshot your rating, review or subscription, and email a picture to [email protected]. Include your size and mailing address and we’ll get a shirt in the mail to you.

Please subscribe and share with your dairy industry friends to bring more friends to join us around the Real Science Exchange virtual pub table.

This podcast is sponsored by Balchem Animal Nutrition and Health. 

Guests:  Brett Stuart & Richard Fritz, co-founders of Global AgriTrends 

The pubcast table is filled with new guests as we jump into a global topic on the Real Science Exchange. This week we focus on ag trends worldwide and what we can learn from past indicators and future outlook. Our co-hosts Scott Sorrell and Jonathan Griffin, are joined by the co-founders of Global AgriTrends, Brett Stuart & Richard Fritz. 

In December, Brett first initiated this conversation for the Real Science Lecture focused on Global Mega Trends in Agriculture. You can find that lecture here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ZcIwJkv-vs&t=1283s. For more information on Global AgriTrends, check out their website at https://www.globalagritrends.com/. 

As conversation kicks off, both Brett and Richard dive into considering all prosperity levels when creating legislation that ties into the food supply, including GMOs. While it might not have an incremental change in the U.S. on our supply, it drastically changes the effect of those in third-world countries, including much of the African continent. 14:22 

Brett discusses the need to understand where the population is located relative to where arable land is found. This comes into play with Asia as they continue to increase their agriculture imports as their population grows and the wealth within that population evolves. 22:05 

Richard dives into his perspective that the extension service model adopted by the United States and Canada, and parts of India to provide free information and introduce new technology to farmers has decreased in many ways. Because of the change with much of the research going into the private industry, it has decreased the public sharing of information and, therefore, the progress some farms can make, especially in developing countries. 28:22 

According to Brett, China’s hurdles with African Swine Fever (ASF) have driven their markets out of whack. It has also meant changes in the global grain markets and U.S. supply. Richard added with the change in U.S. administration, we will see what that means for holding China accountable to follow international trade laws and agreements. 30:16 

From a biosecurity standpoint, it is being reported that ASF is still in China and, therefore, will continue to be an issue even with new facilities under construction. Richard discussed that one biosecurity change they have seen is the decrease of backyard hog production with a movement to large-scale facilities, which does shift the biosecurity concerns slightly. 43:21  

Richard discusses from his experience in Sub-Saharan Africa that when the population shifts to having a higher income, they become more food insecure because they are moving away from producing their own food. 47:07  

When wrapping up the conversation, Brett recommended U.S. producers consider their debt load they are carrying forward as the current price and market trends could help protect against interest rates. 54:27 

 Richard shared his closing thoughts focused on carbon and the continued push for bringing production agriculture into conversations focused on carbon offsets. 58:32   

If you have questions not covered in the lecture or podcast discussion on global ag trends, feel free to email [email protected].   

Guests: 
Dr. Frank Mitloehner, University of California Davis CLEAR Center and Rethinking Methane
Dr. Mike McCloskey, Co-Founder and CEO of Select Milk Producers & CEO of Fairlife

The topic today is our carbon footprint, methane, and the dairy industry's environmental impact on dairy producers, the industry, consumers, and lawmakers. In this week's pubcast, a podcast from the pub, we dive into all of these topics and more with two experts. From the research perspective, Dr. Frank Mitloehner shared what he sees at the macro level, and Dr. Mike McCloskey, Co-Founder and CEO of Select Milk Producers and CEO of Farlife Milk, discussed his view as a dairy farm leader and processor. Joining the doctors are our cohosts Scott Sorrell and Dr. Clay Zimmerman.

The deep dive on this topic started with a presentation by Dr. Frank Mithloehner from UC Davis on the Real Science Lecturer series. You can find his presentation here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5hnysEBuWNY&t=2030s.

Dr. Mitloehner discusses the differences between net zero and net neutral and what net neutral could look like for the dairy and beef industry. 6:32

In California, they have already set stricter restrictions for the dairy industry, but Dr. McCloskey explains why they have worked because they are incentivizing the mandate. 13:03

Agriculture and forestry have a unique place in the carbon discussion. As Dr. Mitloehner explains, they are the only industries also reducing carbon out of the air through photosynthesis. Therefore, it's not just a discussion on methane. 17:03

The lecture presented by Dr. Frank Mithloehner discusses how feed additives can reduce the amount of methane a cow produces up to 30%, so nutrition is also part of the discussion. 21:23

Since the discussion around carbon footprint is not just a problem in the US dairy industry, Dr. Mitloehner discusses the need to help developing countries increase their efficiency through veterinary, feed, and genetics to help their herds. More efficient cattle mean a natural decrease in numbers and a decrease in carbon output. 31:44

Dr. McCloskey talks about the U.S. dairy industry goal to be net-zero carbon emissions by 2050 and believes great strives have already been made, and with all the elements in play, that marker is achievable 45:33

Since this is podcast is set in the virtual, Mike McCloskey shared a refreshing drink that will have you wishing you were on a beach: 

• One shot of Don Q Gold rum
• One shot of Don Q coconut rum
• One shot of coconut water
• One shot of fresh grapefruit juice
• A sprinkle of coconut shavings
• Lots of ice. 
• Don Q can be substituted with other runs but at your own risk. 

Note from Mike: Coconut water should be fresh from the McCloskey Puerto Rican farm as well as the grapefruit, so again, you are at your own risk but do your best to get this fresh! 

If you have questions about net carbon emissions, feel free to email [email protected].  

Guest: Dr. Brian Aldridge, University of Illinois

The crew is gathered at the Real Science Exchange again this week. We feature our guest Dr. Brian Aldridge who works in Rural Animal Health Management at the College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Illinois. Hosting the discussion is Scott Sorrell, joined by Dr. Clay Zimmerman and Dr. Ken Sanderson from Balchem Animal Nutrition and Health.

Listeners who enjoy the Real Science lecture series heard from Dr. Aldridge earlier this year. You can check out the presentation here: https://youtu.be/JoQl6NE-SZM.

A central theme for the discussion is Dr. Aldridge’s way of thinking; when we see an issue, such as intestinal problems, we think of bugs rather than thinking about the animals themselves. Pathogens very often are the manifestation of poor health rather than the cause of poor health. 0:52

Dr. Aldridge introduces the idea of a healthy phenotype and a resistant phenotype. 5:42

While learning about genetics and discussing various factors, Dr. Aldridge brings it back to the basic formula of phenotype = genetics x environment x time. 9:13

The group discussed natural stressors from a changing environment. Dr. Aldridge dove into research that examines the need to build the relationship between human caretakers and, in the case of the discussion, cattle. 16:35

While the industry often seeks out standard protocols or key performance indicators, KPIs, it’s not always as easy as a set approach to management that works across the industry. 19:10

Diets play a big part in animal health, but Dr. Aldridge discusses how your dietary approach can also support the resistant phenotypes. 36:51

Dr. Aldridge answers questions from the lecturer audience, and the discussion includes diving into the outcome from a disease is determined by the extent and duration of the pathology. 52:36

If you have questions about maintaining health in the ruminant digestive tract or suggestions for future sessions, feel free to email [email protected].  

Guests:
Dr. Mike Hutjens, University of Illinois
Scott Brenner, Hunter Haven Farms

The Real Science Exchange is back this week and we are joined by Dr. Mike Hutjens from the University of Illinois and Scott Brenner with Hunter Haven Farms in Pearl City, Illinois. The evening discussion centers around Maximizing Dairy Return on Investment (ROI).

Real Science listeners might recognize Dr. Hutjens from his lecture with the Real Science Lecture Series in July 2020. Here is a link to his presentation: https://tinyurl.com/y4axw967.

Dr. Hutjens’ research and broad experience paired with the practical day-to-day experience from Scott paint a great picture of the reality of the ROI for today’s dairies.

Dr. Hutjens looks back on 2020 to highlight key areas where the industry pivoted to match the changing demand from COVID effects. 5:58

Scott talks about his focus on his feed input costs and understanding the value they will see from locking in lower-cost soybean meal. 8:03

Also, in the area of feed costs, Scott discusses the importance of figuring the value and costs of your individual ingredients—amino acids, for example. 17:37

Dr. Hutjens reminds us of the need to keep an eye on global supply and demand for the corn and soybean markets when you evaluate the potential costs for the feed ingredients. Brazil and Argentina harvests play into the cost for the Illinois dairy. 20:45

On the output front, Dr. Hutjens discusses the need to understand maintaining optimal peak milking to garner the most you can from each cow and gallon of milk. 35:32

Automation continues to be on the mind of dairies as they balance hurdles with the workforce and the cow care needed to continue to increase outputs. Scott discusses what automation looks like on his farm while Dr. Hutjens discusses industry-wide trends. 45:50

If you have questions about how to maximize your dairy ROI or suggestions for future sessions, feel free to email [email protected].

Guests: Dr. Barry Bradford, Michigan State University 
Dr. Turner Swartz, Michigan State University 

We are back at the Real Science Exchange, and this week Dr. Barry Bradford and Dr. Turner Swartz, both from Michigan State University, join us. This week the pub table discussion is focused on The Evolving Field of Nutritional Immunology. 

Dr. Barry Bradford presented as part of the Real Science lecture series. His presentation, “Feeding the Immunity Defenders; The Evolving Field of Nutritional Immunology. You can find the link to that presentation here: https://youtu.be/UdcPNhrZk_o.

The conversation at The Exchange kicked off discussing that you can’t ignore the immune system and its integral involvement in day-to-day physiology. 

The dialogue continues to come back with the focus on micronutrients & trace minerals, including selenium, choline and vitamin E. Both Dr. Bradford and Dr. Swartz discuss how they play into their research and the day-to-day work on the dairy farm. 6:57 

Dr. Swartz has focused his research on mastitis, and he discusses the transition period and how one disease can lead to another in a domino effect. He talks about what role trace minerals play in cow health during this period. 10:01 

We circled back around to Dr. Bradford, discussing that hundreds of receptors are expressed by cells appearing to be designed by nature to respond to nutrients. He shares that it dramatically changes the ways we can think about using nutrients. 14:25 

As the discussion continues, both Dr. Swartz and Dr. Bradford dive into how the decisions made related to each other and what that means for your nutrition and health planning. 29:06 

If you have questions about nutritional immunology or suggestions for future sessions, feel free to email [email protected].

Dr. Kohl presented in the Real Science Lecture series, Transitioning a Black Swan to a Phoenix in the Global Dairy Markets. Here is a link to that presentation: https://youtu.be/myhTpyBJzKE. Today's discussion dives into a quick look back at what happened in 2020 and critical learnings for the 2021 outlook. 10:36

When Dr. Kohl takes a look at an individual dairy farm or the larger industry, he discusses the importance of Business IQ and what that means for the business's overall health. Additionally, he discusses the change in consumers' outlook on agriculture's importance through food shortages at the grocery store. 12:51

As a calf consultant working with farms across the globe, the changes to travel and transition to virtual meetings, Dr. Bob James discusses how that can help dairies. 15:11

With any sector of the agriculture industry, data overload can be a struggle. It's not different in the dairy industry, and Dr. James and Dr. Kohl discuss the role data plays on the farm and tips for drilling down to the critical data sets to make decisions. 21:55

In 2020 many collegiate courses went virtual, and with that, it allowed both Dr. Kohl and Dr. James to lecturers in the classroom. They stress the importance of folks entering into the dairy industry to diversify, take classes outside of animal science, and even outside of agriculture to broaden their perspective and become more adaptable. 29:42

The two guests shared their perspectives on two key aspects for 2021 and beyond: virtual assistance/expertise and further niche diversification by dairies to set themselves apart. 40:31

Thanks for joining us for another discussion around the table at the Real Science Exchange. To recommend a topic for future podcasts, email [email protected]. 

Guests:
Dr. Adam Lock, Michigan State University
Stacy Nichols, Vita Plus

The table at the Real Science Exchange is filled once again with great conversation and learning on the topic of supplemental fatty acids- much more than just fat and energy. Co-hosts Scott Sorrell and Dr. Clay Zimmerman are joined by Dr. Adam Lock of Michigan State University and Stacy Nichols from Vita Plus. 

Dr. Adam Lock had previously presented on this topic during the Real Science Lecture series and has been one of the most popular topics discussed so far. You can find the lecture here. To counter and/or complement Dr. Lock’s research perspective, Stacy Nichols brought to the table real-life field experience. 

Dr. Lock shared his overarching key presentation take away with a phrase he borrowed from a friend, “A bag of fat is not a bag of fat”. He then dives in to describe what that means for dairy producers. 8:38

With Stacy’s practical application, he stressed the importance of maximizing production and this includes high production cows. 18:05

The discussion shifts to discussing oleic acid, the role it plays. Stacy also discusses how producers are able to include oleic acid through the production of high oleic soybeans on their farm or from neighbors. 25:45

After changing his mind about fatty acid feeding over the last 10 years, Dr. Lock shared his outlook on how that may continue to shift through the next decade. 36:22

Stacy’s practical outlook discussed the importance of protecting CLA in milk and also the practicality from an economics standpoint for fat inclusion in rations. 43:51

Questions that followed the lecture series were answered by Dr. Lock and Stacy. Topics included what polyunsaturated fatty acids mean for NDF digestibility, how quickly do you see a response in milk fat after starting to feed palmitic acid and with sustainability concerns growing with palm oil, where does that leave it for a palmitic acid source? 52:14

Thanks for joining for another discussion around the table at the Real Science Exchange. To recommend a topic for future podcasts, email [email protected]

Guests:
Dr. Scott Dee, Pipestone Holdings
Dr. Gordon Spronk, Pipestone Holdings

The Real Science Exchange is open again for a great discussion this time shifting to the swine industry. The host Scott Sorrell was joined by Dr. Eric Altom, a technical nutritionist with Balchem’s Companion and Monogastric segments. Scott and Eric are joined by Dr. Scott Dee and Dr. Gordon Spronk, both of Pipestone Holdings. Dr. Dee and Dr. Spronk both have extensive experience with African Swine Fever and they discussed their experience viewing the virus from the research lens and the practical use lens.

Dr. Spronk’s experience in China with African Swine Fever also closely aligns with his experience with COVID-19 in China. 7:06

Even before we were talking about African Swine Fever, we worried about PED virus and the damage it can do to a pig herd. Dr. Dee and Dr. Spronk discuss the value in having the field day-to-day knowledge to pair with the research when it comes to virus spread, identify and isolating the cause. 12:32

Dr. Spronk dives into why they pushed for research related to feed and the tie to virus spread. 18:40

Since it’s been identified African Swine Fever can spread through feed, Dr. Dee discusses what happens if the virus is identified in a feed mill. 27:02

Not only can African Swine Fever spread through domestic pigs or feed, but it is also spread by wild boar populations. 33:39

The group discussed the most likely way that African Swine Fever could get into the United States. 38:10

Dr. Spronk shared his ah-ha that it’s important for us to remember that the world’s worst swine virus entered into the world’s largest swine herd. That is a game changer. 48:49

Dr. Dee added that, in his experience, it’s pivotal that scientists do field observation. It can be uncomfortable, but researchers need to get out of the lab. 49:58

Thanks for joining for another discussion around the table at the Real Science Exchange. To recommend a topic for future podcasts, email [email protected]