Timestamps & Summary Chris Gwyn (01:38)From your research and your knowledge, what's the most important update that you feel should be evaluated and fed into how we evaluate and feed supplemental fat in lactating dairy diets?Dr. Adam LockI think that the simplest way I look at this, and I hope we've moved the needle to some extent, is where people over the last 20 years have gone from just thinking about crude protein to talking about amino acids. We've helped move the conversation from just fat or ether extract or just fat supplement to talking about individual fatty acids or combinations of fatty acids. […] I think in terms of supplemental fat, the first 2 questions I'd tell any nutritionist or producer that's been offered a new fat supplement to buy […] are, one: “What's the total fatty acid content in it?” And two: “What's the fatty acid profile of it?” […] Chris Gwyn (04:38)I know you've done extensive work in the oilseeds area; maybe a quick update on that and what you found. Dr. Adam LockWe've done a number of studies since then. We've looked at re-examining cottonseed, whole cottonseed. And high oleic soybeans. On the cottonseed side, we've done a series of studies now. We kind of reevaluated whole cottonseed in sort of more typical high-producing cows. We did a dose-response study there and would be very comfortable going up 8-12% in the diet. With whole cottonseed. […] Chris Gwyn (08:36)What kind of recommendations would you make today with a nutritionist about fat feeding versus one fat for all? How would you divide that up in a different herd? Dr. Adam LockI think there are a lot of opportunities there. Some of it is going to be herd-specific based on the size of the herd, their grouping strategies, or their potential for grouping strategies. In my opinion right now, in terms of supplemental fats going into the diet, anywhere from 0,75% to maybe 1.5%, 2% in the diet, I would be focusing my discussions and thoughts around palmitic and oleic acid. […] Chris Gwyn (14:33)What kind of recommendations would you be making to nutritionists there, or even things to look forward to or watch out for? Dr. Adam Lock That is becoming something that's raising my interest more and more now. […]Where I think about the amino acids, […] when you think about what the mammary gland needs to make, make milk components, fat and protein, it's not just the substrates. She needs to have the enzymes and the cell systems in there to allow her to do that. So, if you think about getting more palmitic and fatty acids in there as the inputs on a factory line, maybe the amino acids here are helping improve the efficiency of the factory or helping you put more lines on in the factory. That's kind of how I sort of think about that. […] Chris Gwyn (19:49)What should we be looking for for the next 5 years? It's going beyond a couple of amino acids; it's also looking more at that precision feeding. These fresh cows need something different. On some farms that may be a challenge to do, but it's becoming perhaps increasingly important, wouldn't you say, to make the extra effort to do something different in that period of lactation? Dr. Adam LockI think that first few weeks of lactation really set the trajectory on how far we can get to meeting that cow's genetic potential. That's not to dismiss the rest of the lactation. […] With some of our palmitoleic work, we've now shown that you get a production benefit in that fresh period. When you then put them on a high-cow diet, but continue with, say, a palmitoleic acid supplement, we get added benefits again than if we just stopped it in that fresh period. So, they're all critical points there. But, you know, I think a take-home here is it's not just substrate supply; it's supporting the capacity of that mammary gland as well. Chris Gwyn (21:23)Are there other take-homes that you would like the listening audience to reflect on and implement on their farms? Dr. Adam LockI think from a very practical standpoint, remember those 2 questions you ask anyone that's coming to sell you the next fat supplement. […]
