Feeding practices of high-producing herds: What can we learn?

Surveys of feeding and herd management practices used on commercial dairy farms can be a useful tool for dairy farmers to make comparisons and for consideration of possible changes to their dairy herd's management practices. Survey data should be critically evaluated. Were the data presented validated for accuracy? Average values are interesting, but also look at how the data ranged from the average. Do the conclusions or recommendations written about the survey data make sense? Can or could the conclusions be implemented on your dairy operation? For instance, in the Michigan survey presented in this paper some of the high producing Michigan herds had very high cow group stocking densities, but does that indicate to achieve high milk production the number of cows per free stall should be "over-loaded"? Diets, diet nutrient composition, and ingredients fed by the herds in the Michigan survey were not unusual. All herds emphasized a high degree of daily attention to feeding, nutrition, and overall herd management as the factors they felt contributed to their herd's high milk production. To achieve high per cow milk production there are no magic ingredients or herd management techniques. It is a combination of overall excellent management of all aspects involved in feeding and managing the entire dairy herd.