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Potassium carbonate (PotCarb; anhydrous potassium carbonate) is an excellent source of potassium, buffer,
and positive DCAD in dairy rations. Unfortunately, it is hygroscopic and chemically reactive and can create
manufacturing challenges anytime the weather is even the slightest bit humid.
The Barentz Poultry team had a very busy and exciting April attending multiple conferences and trade shows. Not only are these events a great place to catch up with colleagues and customers, but they also provide insight into recent findings from industry nutritionists, producers, and researchers.
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Barentz ruminant sales and technical staff attended four dairy management and ruminant nutrition conferences this quarter. These meetings are attended annually mainly by dairy producers and their consulting suppliers and nutritionists.
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As the days grow shorter and the months grow colder, one key factor in maintaining a healthy poultry flock is proper ventilation. While heat stress and air movement are typically big topics during the summer, proper ventilation during the winter months also warrants discussion.
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Perhaps best known as an exposition for dairy show cows and dairy equipment, there are also many other dairy technologies that are often introduced or energized through marketing at the show. This Expo was one of the warmest on record with some days reaching 90 degrees, making this Expo a good opportunity to showcase technologies that help improve cows health and environment.
A negative DCAD ration (-DCAD) is used to prevent post-calving hypocalcemia in dairy cows both at the subclinical level (increased health risk) and at the clinical level (obvious milk fever). Simply put, the -DCAD ration works by feeding the cow disproportionate amounts of negatively charge minerals, especially chlorine, for about three weeks pre-calving.
As summer temperatures continue to rise, one of the biggest issues facing laying hen producers is heat stress. Heat stress causes many physiological issues that lead to economic losses, including increased oxidative stress, improper acid-base balance, and suppressed immune systems.
The dairy industry uses a wide array of feed ingredients that can vary substantially in their chemical stability. When slightly reactive ingredients (more acidic or basic) make physical contact with other reactive ingredients, there is always the potential for unwanted chemical reactions that mostly result in heating and activation of free moisture.
Yeasts are microorganisms that are an excellent source of bioactive compounds that have various nutritional and functional benefits to animals.
One of the greatest challenges to dairy producers in North America is heat stress, whether chronic or short-term. Even in dairy production areas where there is less humidity, evening and night cooling can still be limited during the hottest part of the season.
Natural choline sources occur at meaningful levels in most feed ingredients, thus choline is not considered a vitamin in the classic sense. That said, the feed industry has learned from experience that there are many feeding conditions where choline becomes inadequate for optimum animal health and performance.
Phosphorus (P) is an essential element for appropriate growth, development, and production. Phosphorus is the second most abundant element in the body, after calcium, and is mostly stored in bones and teeth.
Where do they come from and how they are used?
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