Growth of the corn ethanol industry has created a need for alternatives to corn for lactating dairy cows. Concurrent expansion in soydiesel production is expected to increase availability and promote favorable pricing for glycerol, a primary co-product material. The objective of this study was to determine the feeding value of glycerol as a replacement for corn in diets fed to lactating dairy c...

Grazing behavior exhibited by different biological types (breed groups) of lactating beef cows was evaluated during the summers of 1985 (Trial 1) and 1986 (Trial 2). Animals grazed native Montana foothill grassland. In Trial 1, breed groups consisted of Hereford (HH), 50% Angus-50% Hereford (AH), 50% Simmental-50% Hereford (SH), and 75% Simmental-25% Hereford (3S1H) with six cows per breed grou...

Aim: This study was conducted to evaluate the concentrations of sodium (Na+) and potassium (K+) ions in milk of lactating dairy cows with and without subclinical mastitis as putative indicators for detecting subclinical mastitis in dairy cows. Materials and Methods: Thirty seven lactating dairy cows were screened for the evidence of subclinical mastitis using California mastitis test (CMT). The...

Energy is the most limiting nutritional component in diets for high-producing dairy cows. Palmitic (C16:0) and stearic (C18:0) acids have unique and specific functions in lactating dairy cows beyond a ubiquitous energy source. This review delineates their metabolism and usage in lactating dairy cows from diet to milk production. Palmitic acid is the fatty acid (FA) found in the greatest quantit...

The objective of this study was to describe the incidence of papillomatous digital dermatitis in the US (including regional and herd size patterns) and to evaluate specific herd-level management factors associated with high incidence of digital dermatitis in US dairy herds. The study design was a population-based cross-sectional survey. US dairy operations with at least 30 cows in 20 states, re...

To produce milk that is healthier for human consumption, the present study evaluated the effect of including canola oil in the diet of dairy cows on milk production and composition as well as the nutritional quality of this milk fat. Eighteen Holstein cows with an average daily milk yield of 22 (± 4) kg/d in the middle stage of lactation were used. The cows were distributed in 6 contemporary 3x...

Heat stress has profound negative effects in lactating cows, and some of that response is due to depressed dry matter intake (Collier et al., 2006). Recent evidence suggests that other physiological insults related to the heat are responsible for the remaining negative effects on yield, which indicates that alternate coping mechanisms are active in the cow that may affect other production endpo...

In Exp. 1, 187 lactating beef cows were treated with injections of GnRH 7 d before and 48 h after prostaglandin F2alpha (PGF2alpha; Cosynch) or with Cosynch plus a 7-d treatment with an intravaginal progesterone (P4)-releasing insert (CIDR-B; Cosynch + CIDR). In Exp. 2, 183 lactating beef cows were treated with the Cosynch protocol or with Cosynch plus a 7-d treatment with norgestomet (Cosynch ...

Steroid receptors are key transcriptional regulators of mammary growth, development and lactation. Expression of estrogen receptors alpha (ERalpha) and beta (ERbeta), progesterone receptor (PR), and estrogen-related receptor alpha-1 (ERRbeta) have been evaluated in bovine mammary gland. The ERRalpha is an orphan receptor that, in other species and tissues, appears to function in the regulation ...

this study was conducted to evaluate production response of early lactating cows to rumen protected fats. twelve (nine multiparous and three primiparous) holstein cows (26±4 d in milk) were empolyed in a replicated 3×3 latin square design of 21-d periods. each period consisted of 14 days of adaptation and 7 days of sampling. cows received diets containing either one of two types of protected fa...