Contacts: Europe BTC Europe GmbH Branch office Burgbernheim IndustriestraGe 20 91593 Burgbernheim Germany Phone: + 49 (0) 9843 - 98 28 650 Fax: + 49 (0) 9843 - 98 28 900 BTC Europe is BASF’s specialized European sales organization for dairy cow nutrition. Asia/Pacific BASF East Asia Regional Headquarters Ltd. Animal Nutrition, Asia/Pacific 45th Floor, Jardine House No.1 Connaught Place Hong Kong Feeding dairy ; cattle better; V 1 W i Practical guidelines North America BASF Corporation Animal Nutrition, North America 100 Park Avenue Florham Park, New Jersey 07932 USA Phone: + 1 - 800 - 527 - 9889 Fax: + 1 - 973 - 245 - 6843 BASF S.A. Animal Nutrition, South America Avenida das Nagoes Unidas 14.171 17th floor 04794-000 Sao Paulo SP Brazil

Feeding dairy cattle better Practical guidelines

Introduction Dairy farmers are responsible for many different aspects. 1 Feeding cattle means feeding people 7 They must operate their farms profitably, ensure the wellbeing and health of their dairy cattle, and operate in a sustain- 2 Higher requirements for feed 11 able way. BASF provides an extensive package of products 2.1 Lifetime yield and productive lifetime 13 and solutions for these varied requirements. This brochure 2.2 Cows in the transition phase 13 demonstrates the wide range of feed additives that ensure 2.3 Milk yield 14 that dairy cattle are fed in a needs-based and adapted man-...

1 Feeding cattle means feeding people

Feeding cattle means feeding people 1 Feeding cattle means feeding people The world’s population is constantly growing, and so are global food needs. The increasing purchasing power of people in many countries is leading to an increase in the demand for food of animal origin. This causes major challenges for agriculture and its upstream and downstream sectors, as the resources required for livestock farming, such as soil, water and fossil fuels, are limited. Furthermore, food production has to compete with a growing demand for non-food goods such as bioenergy. “Dairy farming contributes to a...

Feeding cattle means feeding people If cows produce milk for longer and have as many lactations as possible, fewer cows will need to be replaced. This reduces the feed costs per kg of milk produced and also improves the efficiency and sustainability of milk production overall. Fig. 1: The more often a cow calves, the more efficient and sustainable the milk production. The production capacity of dairy cattle has increased impressively in the last 50 years. The flip side, however, is that this has been linked to a significant fall in the fertility, reproductive performance and productive lifetimes...

Higher requirements for feed 2 Higher requirements for feed Feeding dairy cattle properly has never been easy. Due to the high output potential of today’s cattle, however, it seems harder than ever. For modern animal nutrition, optimal cattle feed in the relevant performance phase is the key to success. 2.1 Lifetime yield and productive lifetime The highest possible lactation output is an absolute priority when breeding dairy cattle today. Selecting high-yield cows has not taken into account metabolic load. This focuses completely on milk production and other physical functions are secondary...

Higher requirements for feed non-esterified free fatty acids in the blood and a drop in blood glucose levels. The liver cannot mobilize these free fatty acids sufficiently, resulting in an accumulation of fat in the liver and an increase in ketone bodies in the blood. “The extreme metabolic changes during the transition phase can endanger the health of the cows.” Many cows are unable to overcome these extreme metabolic changes without damage. The consequences are typically metabolic disorders, which can often trigger a whole range of illnesses, such as ketosis, milk fever, mastitis, lameness,...

Challenges in milk production 3 Challenges in milk production The metabolism of dairy cows is very different from that of other types of livestock. Getting feed right for high-yield cows is often a balancing act. This practical guide thus presents some metabolic processes and their relevance in more detail and explains how they arise. 3.1 Fat metabolism During the negative energy balance at the start of lactation, dairy cows mobilize large amounts of body fat. This can be seen in weight loss, deterioration in body condition and an increase in milk fat content. However, cows have large amounts...

Challenges in milk production When milk yield increases, glucose requirements therefore increase. Insufficient formation of glucose presents a bottleneck to maintaining energy metabolism. Glucose is therefore the main focus during this time. “Insufficient formation of glucose presents a bottleneck to maintaining the energy metabolism of dairy cows.” Under normal conditions, blood glucose levels are regulated very evenly by hormones. However, particularly in the first few weeks after calving, very low blood glucose levels can be observed. Studies on various dairy cattle breeds have shown that...

Challenges in milk production 3.5 Inflammation and oxidative stress In order to mobilize body tissue quickly in times of acute shortage, cows switch to inflammation mode. Studies suggest that this applies to high-yield cows in particular. This is likely to be a result of breeding for high yields in the first 100 days. As well as mobilizing body tissue as an efficient source of milk fat, for example, inflammation mode also produces substances that the body needs in order to fight infections. These substances oxidize or destroy infectious agents, but can also cause damage to adjacent tissue. Protecting...

Challenges in milk production Therefore, if a cow withstands the transition but is in a weak state, hormone regulation mechanisms in the metabolism prevent it from getting into calf again. Maximum milk yield takes priority here first, which is why the time until the first cycle is delayed. This leads to the cow not showing signs of heat and to weak corpus luteum. Plasma concentrations of progesterone that are too low can also trigger spontaneous abortions. These symptoms can be treated by a vet. However, it is much more important to eliminate the causes of such fertility problems. Farmers can...