Purdue Dairy Digest Dr. Jackie Boerman

Buttergate

Canadians have started to notice firmer butter and are looking for answers to make butter more spreadable. Palmitic acid has been identified as a possible cause for the firmer butter, listen to today’s podcast to learn more about Buttergate.

Corn, soybean, and milk commodity prices for 2021
Prices of corn and soybeans are the highest they have been in 7 to 8 years due to reduced supply and increased demand. What does that mean for dairy producers in 2021? Listen to hear more about what impacts high corn and soybean prices have on the dairy industry.

The new Dietary Guidelines for Americans was released at the end of 2020 with some updates on recommendations for dairy. With still almost 90% of Americans not consuming the recommended amount of dairy, the guidelines still suggest 3 servings per day.”

Recommendations have varied for the optimal age at first calving in order to maximize milk production and profitability.  However, due to variability in bodyweight, there is likely no optimal age at first calving and perhaps we should be focused on optimal bodyweight at first calving instead.  Several factors should be considered when determining what optimal means for a dairy farm, listen to today’s podcast to hear about which factors were considered by researchers.

Dairy Management Inc. has announced a goal for the dairy industry to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050.  We now have to figure out innovative strategies to make that possible.  One strategy we are exploring today is a seaweed based feed additive that has shown promise in reducing methane emissions.