Balchem Animal Nutrition & Health hosted a series of events in Europe on “New Developments in Transitional Cow Nutrition”. Organized in partnership with Trident Micronutri in the UK and Speerstra in the Netherlands, the events were attended by an exclusive group of leading dairy nutritionists, producers, and industry influencers.
The transition period, 21 days prior to calving and 21 days post-calving, is critical for the success of a cow’s lactation and now, new research is showing the impact will last well beyond that lactation and even impact the unborn calf.
Balchem Animal Nutrition & Health organized seminars titled “New Developments in Transition Cow Nutrition” in the United Kingdom, the Netherlands and France to evaluate the results obtained from the latest research. Organized in partnership with Trident Micronutri in the UK and Speerstra in the Netherlands, the events were attended by an exclusive group of leading dairy nutritionists, producers, and industry influencers.
Renowned researcher and professor, Dr. Jose Santos from the University of Florida kicked off the events as he shared some of the newest research demonstrating the many benefits of feeding rumen-protected choline to transition dairy cows. “It is unquestionable that choline fits the criteria of a required nutrient for dairy cattle, and we need to get rid of the dogma that it is just for problem cows,” noted Dr. Santos. “In our studies, there was a carry-over effect of supplemental choline. Cows continued to produce approximately 2 kg more milk per cow per day even after choline supplementation stopped.”
At the event in the UK, Dr. Santos was joined by Dr. Chris Reynolds from the University of Reading discussing “Fresh Ideas for Fresh Cows” and Anna Millar from Trident Micronutri sharing insights from the field and “ReaShure-XC in Action.”
Dr. Anne Guadagnin from Schothorst Feed Research who discussed “Optimal Transition Cow Management to Reduce Metabolic Disorders” and Dr. Bert van Niejenhuis from Cowsignals training who presented “Dry to Fresh – a look at the factors that affect transition cow performance”, accompanied Dr. Santos at the event in the Netherlands.
During the event in France, Dr. Santos was joined by Dr. Francis Enjalbert, National Veterinary School of Toulouse discussing “Metabolic Stress in Peripartum Dairy Cows” and Dr. Philippe Verdoolaege, Veterinarian with Cristal Services Network presenting “Implementation of a Management Strategy for the Transition Period in Dairy Farming.”
Dr. Clay Zimmerman, Director of Technical Services for Balchem, concluded the presentations with a review of encapsulation technologies and the importance of adequate rumen protection, as well as adequate feed and TMR stability to deliver nutrients to the cow. “Choline can only impact performance if it makes it to the small intestine of the cow,” says Zimmerman. “Proper encapsulation is key to delivering all the benefits of rumen protected choline: increased milk production throughout lactation, improved transition health, added colostrum and growth of the calf.”
