Baleage can be a fantastic way to conserve pasture or crop, moving forage from times of feed surpluses to times of feed deficits. Once wrapped in plastic, all baleage looks somewhat the same. Yet behind that plastic lurks all types of feed, from very high quality baleage through to absolute compost. This latest podcast focusses on assessing the quality of baleage as a feed for your stock. After discussing how to assess baleage, we move onto the importance of getting good quality forage into a bale at the appropriate dry matter (DM) percentage to optimise baleage quality. Part 2 of this podcast series will focus on further aspects of baling forage, including chop length, bale compaction, individual versus tube-wrapping of bales, and answers the question of “just how long do we need to leave baleage from wrapping until feed out”?

Hypothermia is a real risk for newborn lambs and calves - and is a significant cause of loss of newborns born outdoors during cold weather.   When body heat is lost to the environment faster than a lamb or calf can replenish core body heat from within, hypothermia is likely. What factors influence the amount of heat that a lamb or calf can generate to keep itself warm, from the 'inside-out'? In our latest podcast, we investigate how mother nature has designed a range of inbuilt systems that help newborn lambs and calves stay warm. The importance of brown fat reserves is explained and other mechanisms such as muscle shivering are explored. Farm-level factors, specifically the nutrition of the pregnant ewe determine the extent of brown fat deposition in the unborn lamb. Keeping ewes in good body condition from mating to scanning, then from scanning to lambing favours better reserves of brown fat in unborn lambs and calves. More brown fat available at birth helps lambs and calves keep warm during the first few hours of life - potentially reducing risk of hypothermia in newborn ruminants.   

Building on this mid-winter topic introduced in Episode 51, this podcast explores practical, farm-based things that we can do to help our cows well in cold weather.  As a nutrition-themed podcast series, our latest episode focuses unashamedly on the importance of nutrition, but other topics are explored too.  The role for shelter for reducing effects of wind chill is discussed. Just why cows need more feed during a range of different winter weather events is covered. How the “Heat of Fermentation” inside the rumen helps keep a cow "toasty warm" is explained. The better types of supplementary feeds to offer cows during inclement weather are discussed.  The importance of good quality stock water for cows, even during mid-winter, is defined. Keep warm out there Rumen Room Podcast listeners!   

Cold winter weather. Great if you love skiing, not so great for us and our ruminants when we’re out and about in rough weather. That said, ruminants can be remarkably resilient in cold winter conditions – to a point. In this, part one of a two part podcast series, we explore why ruminants (focusing specifically on dairy cattle) can tolerate moderately cold winter conditions.  Risk factors that influence the degree of tolerance by cows to cold conditions are discussed. The range of coping mechanisms provided to ruminants by “Mother Nature” to improve resilience to colder winter weather are explored. Part two of this latest podcast series (episode 52) will cover some practical, farm-based strategies, with a nutritional twist, that can help keep cows well through winter weather events.

Ingestion of soil during grazing of pastures and forage crops is a common and unavoidable event.   Soil contamination of silage and baleage is another challenge that we sometimes need to deal with. Our latest episode explores the whole topic of soil ending up where it doesn’t belong. How much mud and dirt do animals eat during grazing? What factors increase risk of animals eating too much soil? Are there any health or nutrition issues we need to think about when animals eat too much mud and dirt? What happens when we get soil contamination of silage? All this and more. We hope you enjoy our latest podcast. 2.25 Overview of content of our current podcast 4.00 How ruminants end up eating soil 4.30 Post-grazing residual management – it’s not only about soil ingestion 6.55 Soil type and structure 9.00 Plant pulling during grazing 11.00 Earthworms – wonderful things but how about those worm casts? 12.45 Hot, dry dusty conditions 13.15 Flood irrigation 13.55 Annual forage crops, including bulb crops (Fodder beet, swedes, turnips) 14.35 Different types of bulb crops and risk of soil ingestion 17.00 Sugar beet and soil tare 18.00 When soil contaminates conserved feeds. Risks for spoilage of silage 23.30 Listeriosis risk when soil-contaminated silage pH is high 25.05 What parts of a feed test reports could indicate the presence of soil in your silage sample? 27.20 Soil ingestion when animals have a depraved appetite and eat soil (pica) 29.20 How much soil do grazing ruminants eat during grazing? 34.45 Potentially good aspects of soil ingestion 39.00 Potentially not so good aspects of soil ingestion. 44.50 Risk of physical damage to the gastrointestinal tract when ruminants eat soil

Well known New Zealand-based veterinarian, nutritionist and farmer Dr Sue Macky joins Charlotte Westwood in our latest podcast. Sue steps us through everything to do with the individual dairy cow during the dry and transition periods - from the cow's point of view. Too often we get overly focused on the detail of the diet and management dry and transition dairy cows - and forget about focusing specifically on the cow herself. Not in this latest episode, this is very much about the cow herself! Sue discusses a cow-centric approach to managing dairy cows from dry off, during the far-off dry period and into the “springer” period (close-up dry period) and colostrum mob.  This is one episode you simply will not want to miss! 0.40 Introducing Dr Sue Macky, defining her lifetime of global experience in dairy cow feeding and management 3.35 The dairy cow is an elite athlete, and should be treated as such 4.35 The New Zealand dry (non-lactating) cow period - redefined 5.10 Managing cows heading into dry off including redrafting cows for the dry period. Impacts on an individual cow with changing herd social structure discussed 7.10 Cow body condition score at dry off through to calving 7.50 Gut fitness in dairy cows; Capacity and muscularity during the dry period 10.20 Feeding cows through dry off – “don’t confuse the cow” 10.50 Immune functionality through dry off 11.40 Stock water supply and access by cows during the dry period  13.30 Late dry period through to the transition period – setting cows up well 14.00 “Calves are obligate parasites during late pregnancy” 14.40 The challenges of pasture-based diets in late pregnancy 15.30 Mob size for springer (close-up) dry cows, it’s all about compromise 16.05 How long should cows remain in the springer mob? 16.30 The calving cow – the importance of access by cows to feed and stock water 17.50 The cow-newborn calf bond 18.45 Feed, water and calcium for freshly calved cows 20.10 Cow behaviour after calving – the modern cow vs. the cow of ancient times 21.05 Milking out a cow after calving (“energy in, energy out”) 21.35 Once-a-day milking of cows after calving, it’s all about gut fill and rumination

All plants would be green slime growing sideways along the ground if it wasn’t for lignin– True!  Find out more in our latest podcast covering everything from the good, the bad and the ugly about lignin. Learn how lignin impacts overall quality of ruminant feeds, and how feed management decisions change how animals process and digest lignin in their day-to-day diets. Find out how the lignin content of feeds changes with feed type and feed management, and what you can do to reduce intake of lignin in the diet of your sheep, cattle, deer or goats to improve animal productivity. Here’s where to find the key sections in this our latest podcast talking all things ruminant nutrition. 0.51 Defining lignin 2.00 Just what does lignin mean for sheep, beef, deer and goats? 4.55 Lignin and plant cell walls – holding hands 7.10 If it weren’t for lignin, where would plants be? 7.30 How lignin messes with feed quality for animals 9.50 Plant cell contents aren’t bothered by lignin – why not? 10.35 Lignin, feed digestibility and MJME 12.45 How high is high? Interpreting lignin results as part of feed test results 13.55 Lignin alongside NDF, NDFd, and ADF 15.10 “Book value” lignin results for common New Zealand feeds 17.00 Do zero lignin feeds exist? 17.30 Lignin content of some common “dry” byproduct feeds 20.25 Lignin and NZ pastures 23.30 Plant maturity influences lignin content 26.15 Weather, pasture and forage crops and lignin 31.20 Managing pastures for reduced lignin content 34.05 Plant breeding and lignin, including BMR forages

Sliced on our morning cereal or perched on top of our iconic New Zealand dessert Pavlova, kiwifruit deliver a tasty powerpack of valuable nutrients for us humans. What about ruminants? Are reject kiwifruit from your local packhouse equally as good for our dairy cows and other animals on farm? Yes! A valuable source of energy delivered largely as water soluble carbohydrates, whole kiwifruit can be a very useful feed.  However… as for any byproduct feed, kiwifruit may not always meet our expectations as a stockfeed. Join us for this latest podcast that explores the good, the bad and the (occasionally) ugly aspects of kiwifruit as a feed for ruminants, with a specific focus on kiwifruit feeding to lactating dairy cows. Although this is a kiwifruit-focused topic, we include content that applies equally to the feeding of other byproduct fruit and vegetables. Enjoy! Where to find the various topics within this podcast: 2.35 Overview of the episode 5.35 The nutritive value of kiwifruit – “so changeable as the fruit ripens” 6.45 Water soluble carbohydrates (WSC) 7.45 Neutral detergent fibre (NDF) 8.30 Crude protein (CP) 10.40 Ash and mineral content 13.10 Risk of rumen acidosis associated with kiwifruit feeding 19.00 Best practices approaches to minimise risk of rumen acidosis when feeding kiwifruit 20.30 The importance of knowing your kiwifruit on a dry matter (DM) basis - and not just a wet weight basis 21.35 Gradual adaptation by ruminants to a kiwifruit diet 22.40 The protective role of a rumen-full of long stem fibre in reducing risk of rumen acidosis 23.10 Day to day consistency when feeding kiwifruit is the key! 23.50 Maximum daily amounts of kiwifruit you can feed to dairy cows. The answer? “It depends” 25.05 Feed planning with kiwifruit – the “Three Versions” of a diet that contains kiwifruit 27.30 The role for Kiwi ingenuity and innovation when feeding kiwifruit 33.15 Handling kiwifruit storage on farm 34.00 What to do if kiwifruit is overripe? 35.00 Are rumen additives protective against kiwifruit-induced acidosis? 37.00 Risk of “choke” and rumen bloat with kiwifruit feeding 41.00 Know how much your kiwifruit are costing you. Converting $ per tonne wet weight to $ per tonne DM 44.15 The paperwork. Dairy Feed Declaration. Making sure your kiwifruit are fit to feed 45.45 Preventing birds from eating your stockpiled kiwifruit, helping out your local Regional Council.

A fundamental basic of ruminant nutrition – energy density of feeds – is covered in this latest Rumen Room Podcast. Expressed as Megajoules of Metabolisable Energy per kilogram of dry matter (MJME/kgDM), energy density is an important driver of animal productivity and profitability. In a down to earth, practical “gumboot level” manner, Dr Charlotte Westwood explores the basics of MJME as a concept and covers how feed testing laboratories measure MJME. How we use MJME values of a feed on farm on a day to day basis is explained. The strengths and possible limitations with the use of MJME in our day to day farm-level decisions is discussed. Don’t be put off by what is often thought to be a rather "dry" topic of MJME - actually, it’s a straightforward concept - we’re sure you’ll learn a lot from this latest podcast! Here’s where to find the various sections within the MJME podcast, below: 2.02 Outline of this MJME podcast 3.40 What is “energy”? 6.30 Defining Megajoules and Metabolisable Energy 7.50 Megajoules compared to Megacalories – what’s the difference? 10.25 What is gross energy and why might we be interested? 14.25 Why ruminants can’t use all of gross energy in feeds for useful things 15.10 Faecal energy – what a waste! (#1) 16.10 Digestible energy 17.25 Methane – what a waste! (#2) 18.10 Finally arriving at the MJME number…. How this is calculated 19.00 How different feeds change energy losses as methane 21.00 Measuring MJME – inside the sheep 23.00 Feed testing laboratories estimates of MJME 25.40 Using the digestibility value to calculate MJME 26.20 NIRS technology - digestibility and MJME 31.15 Strengths and weaknesses of MJME as a measure of feed quality – an overview 32.00 Typical MJME values of feed 34.40 Valuing our feeds on a cents per MJME basis – a simple task on farm! Valuing a bale of pasture baleage on an MJME basis as an example 38.00 Using MJME as part of your feed budgeting – MJME demand vs. MJME supply. A 30kg liveweight lamb as an example 40.30 Limitations of MJME as an indicator of suitability of a feed for animals 41.30 MJME is a calculated measure only! 42.00 MJME doesn’t tell us about all of the other interesting stuff in feeds 44.10 Summing up the MJME topic

Our latest podcast explores DCAD - one specific aspect of the diet of “springer” (“close-up”) dairy cows. The Rumen Room Podcast has briefly discussed DCAD previously (Episodes 10 and 34).  Changing the DCAD of a springer cow diet potentially reduces risk of hypocalcaemia (low blood calcium) in cows before, during and immediately after calving. This latest episode takes a deeper dive into the detail of DCAD, explaining what DCAD is, what stock class stands to benefit the most from changing dietary DCAD, and how dietary DCAD influence risk of hypocalcaemia. Practical approaches to DCAD management for pasture-fed cows are covered and options for dietary DCAD additives are investigated. Location of topics within our latest podcast. 1.00 DCAD as just one aspect of the springer dairy cow diet. 1.45 Introduction to the DCAD podcast 4.55 The definition of DCAD 5.45 Dietary cations and anions explained 6.45 The four dietary elements contributing to DCAD: Potassium, sodium, sulphur and chloride 7.50 The DCAD equations – there are a few out there, we like “equation 1” for calculating DCAD 9.10 How does changing DCAD work? DCAD simplified! 10.50 What’s the “ideal” DCAD for springer diets? 11.35 How long should springer dairy cows be exposed to low or negative DCAD diets before calving? 12.55 DCAD once a cow has calved 14.41 How slight changes to blood pH reduce risk of hypocalcaemia   22.00 High potassium ryegrass (and other types of feeds) and DCAD in springer diets 23.40 Ryegrasses can accumulate lots of potassium! 24.42 Whey applied to pasture as a risk factor for high potassium and high DCAD pastures 25.45 Lucerne silage, baleage or hay and DCAD and calcium in springer diets 27.25 Sodium as a driver of DCAD for New Zealand pasture-fed springers 28.35 Lower DCAD feeds for springer diets – Maize (corn) silage 30.40 Additives that change the DCAD of springer cow diets 35.30 “Do no harm when trying to solve a milk fever problem” – the risk of reducing feed intake by springer cows when unpalatable / not very tasty anionic products are added to diets 37.45 Negative DCAD additives that also deliver calcium: Calcium chloride & calcium sulphate 40.35 Measuring DCAD of feeds – the role for feed testing and springer cow urine testing 43.20 Concluding / summing up the DCAD podcast

Our latest podcast carries on with our heat stress 'theme' from episode 43, where we explored the challenges of hot temperatures on pasture species. We’ve moved the theme of heat stress across to how heat stress effects dairy cows. We discuss how heat stress bothers cows, and investigate strategies to reduce the effects of summer heat on lactating cows of hot summer temperatures. Featuring expert heat stress guest podcaster, Lori Grinter, this episode covers a wide range of heat-related topics. Lori first explains how her heat stress studies as part of her Masters undertaken at the University of Kentucky uncovered different cow responses to heat stress, and gave industry new insights into how cows respond to hot weather. The remainder of the podcast returns very much to a New Zealand-based discussion around how heat stress influences lactating cows, and farm-level strategies that reduce the heat load on our cows.   If you’re short on time listening to our latest podcast, here’s where to find the various discussion sections: 1.46 Introducing guest heat stress podcaster, Lori Grinter 3.05 University of Kentucky heat stress research completed by Lori 4.12 Cows voluntarily taking a cool shower (we kid you not!) 9.10 The 5 hour time delay between exposure by cows to heat and cows seeking a cooling shower 12.45 “THI” the temperature humidity index defined – knowing when conditions are hotting up 15.15 Signs that our cows show us, when they’re getting hot and bothered 17.00 The rumen heat chamber – high fibre feeds and heat stress 17.20 Rumen acidosis risk, as worsened by heat stress 22.15 Shady dealings – The importance of shade for keeping cows cool 28.55 Exercise – hotting things up, the importance of walking and moving cows during cooler parts of the day 32.20 Cow nutrition – Concepts for keeping cows cooler during hot conditions 40.45 Cool clean stock water – a critical factor when managing hot cows 44.10 Cow wearable technologies – useful things to monitor for early signs of heat stress 47.00 Resources for learning more about hot and bothered cows Below are the links for Lori Grinter’s publication in the highly esteemed Journal of Dairy Science https://www.journalofdairyscience.org/article/S0022-0302(19)30151-1/fulltext https://www.journalofdairyscience.org/article/S0022-0302(22)00677-4/fulltext (Note that this heat stress study made editors choice!)

With the New Zealand summer in full flight during early 2024, it’s timely to review how hot temperatures potentially alter the dry matter yields and nutritive value of our temperate pasture species. Exploring first how hot temperatures impact dry matter yields (kilograms of dry matter grown per hectare per day), the podcast looks at effects of hot weather on New Zealand’s most common pasture species combination, perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne) and white clover (Trifolium repens). Other species discussed include continental (summer active) tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea) and cocksfoot (Dactylis glomerata, otherwise known as orchard grass) and red clover (Trifolium pratense). Nutritive value of temperature pasture species, as influenced by hot temperatures is covered, looking specifically at digestibility and MJME, as well as NDF, NDFd and non-structural carbohydrates as influenced by hot temperatures. A note that we make within this podcast is that the selection of pasture species should never be made simply on the basis of heat tolerance, in isolation from other factors to consider. Multiple factors also requiring consideration include soil fertility, pH, rainfall/irrigation, and paddock aspect - to name but a few factors other than heat tolerance. Talk with your local PGG Wrightson Seeds agronomy expert for all the information you need around your regrassing requirements. Various sections within the podcast can be found below. Hope that you find this topic a "cool little topic" to tune into (pun totally intended). Happy listening!    0.55 Introduction 1.39 Overview of the content of our latest podcast 2.05 Scene set – Overview of New Zealand pastures (for the benefit of our non-New Zealand based listeners) 3.40 The wide range of pastures from the north to the south of New Zealand 6.35 Dry matter yield by pasture species when hot summer temperatures arrive (along with other factors including moisture deficit) 8.35 The “ideal” daytime temperatures that support optimum growth rates by our temperate C3 pasture species? 9.50 How hot is too hot for our temperate C3 pastures? Perennial ryegrass, continental tall fescues & cocksfoot 10.05 How hot does it need to be before perennial ryegrass gets hot and bothered? 10.40 Tolerance to temperature by tall fescue compared to perennial ryegrass 11.45 Adequate moisture allows C3 grasses to better tolerate hot temperatures. 14.10 Cocksfoot tolerance to hot temperatures and moisture stress/dry conditions compared to perennial ryegrass  15.50 The role for endophytes in perennial ryegrass and tall fescue and tolerance of heat  17.25 How frequent irrigation helps temperate grasses handle hot temperatures – “transpiration” and evaporative cooling 20.00 **Don’t select a temperate grass species ONLY on the basis of heat tolerance, there are so many other factors to consider when moving away from perennial ryegrass as you core grass species.** 22.30 Legume (clovers, lucerne) growth during hot weather 23.40 Chicory handling hot conditions – but only if adequate moisture is available 25.40 Nutritive value of temperate pasture during hot weather – changes to digestibility, MJME, NDF and NDFd 30.50 Digestibility and NDF changes by tall fescues and perennial ryegrass as summer temperatures increase 35.55 Legumes – changes in nutritive value with hot temperatures  39.50 Legume quality changes over summer – not related to grazing management and temperature  40.20 More clovers in pastures swards – the rumen bloat conundrum 42.35 Temperate grasses - Non-structural carbohydrates (water soluble carbohydrates and starch) changes with temperature 43.30 Temperate legumes - Non-structural carbohydrates changes with temperature 48.50 Recap / conclusion of topics covered

Thiamine (Vitamin B1) deficiency - a nutrition/diet-mediated animal health condition sometimes seen in ruminant species - features in this, our latest Rumen Room Podcast.  Most often seen in young, spring-born ruminants during their first summer of life, thiamine deficiency is a sporadic animal health condition that most New Zealand dairy, sheep and beef farmers will be familiar with. Featuring five sections packed with information about thiamine, Dr Charlotte Westwood steps us through this podcast in a down to earth, practical manner. Thiamine as a vitamin is defined and clinical signs of thiamine deficiency are discussed – the “neurological” form of deficiency (Polioencephalomalacia, sometimes called "polio", "PE" or "PEM") and the “Ill-thrift” form of deficiency.  Why all ruminants are not equally at risk of thiamine deficiency is explored. How your vet will likely help you with dealing with thiamine deficiency is covered. Strategies that can reduce risk of thiamine deficiency in New Zealand ruminant species are suggested. *Note* The information about thiamine contained in this podcast episode is NOT intended to replace the expert advice from your own veterinarian. If you have any concerns about animal wellbeing and/or underperformance by your ruminant animals, please contact your own veterinarian. 

Our latest episode features guest speaker Dr Ginny Dodunski who joins Rumen Room host Dr Charlotte Westwood for a chat about all things internal parasites. As a New Zealand-based veterinarian and self proclaimed “gumboot parasitologist”, Ginny requires little introduction to most kiwis involved in farming. With a background in veterinary practice, farm consultancy and more recently, working part time with Wormwise, Ginny joins us to cover a range of topics relating to internal parasite management in sheep and cattle. Given the concerning scale of resistance by internal parasites to our range of anthelmintic (drench) products, Ginny steps us through a range of down to earth, practical recommendations to managing internal parasites – including the important role for top quality nutrition for maternal and young stock. Anyone who is involved in managing young stock should tune in - there will be some  practical tips and tricks for everyone. Have a scroll (below) through the content for our latest episode featuring Ginny Dodunski.  0.50 Ginny’s background and how her passion for all things animal health, and how her journey working with internal parasites began. 6.05 The timeline of New Zealand resistance since the days of effective anthelmintics 7.00 The cost of internal parasites (including resistance issues) to the New Zealand pastoral industries - and at the level of individual farms 8.40 The novel drenches, Zolvix™ Plus (monepantel and abamectin) and Startect® (derquantel and abamectin) help uncover the true cost of internal parasite resistance in lambs 9.50 Picking up sub-clinical internal parasite challenges (or not!) – especially when other autumn health challenges are occurring 12.10 Who to talk to if you suspect internal parasite resistance issues at your place 13.45 Is my drench working or not? Faecal egg counts 15.15 Starting the internal parasite journey – starting with the ewe/lamb(s) unit 16.25 Higher lambing percentages and internal parasite challenges (and opportunities) 18.40 Well fed ewes support good lamb weaning weights, reducing numbers of lambs on farm post-weaning 22.40 Anthelmintic treatments for ewes pre-lambing (or not) 24.10 Ewe nutrition and body condition– building tolerance to internal parasites 28.35 Hatching and development rates of larvae – differs for eggs from ewes and lambs 30.20 Ewe stocking rate combined with other stock classes – optimising ewe nutrition 32.50 Three Pillars of Parasite Management 33.30 First Pillar = well fed, healthy robust breeding stock 33.35 Second Pillar = young stock on clean feed (less worm larvae than average hill country pasture) 34.40 What’s the best crop for lambs?  37.45 Feeding lambs the best quality feed that you can – the Third Pillar 38.10 Gross margin analyses on forage crops – understates the value of crops for young stock 39.00 Preparing pasture areas to finish lambs on – integrating cattle with sheep 40.00 100kg calves (dairy replacements, dairy beef) and internal parasites 43.00 Buying in 100kg calves – cautions around risk of parasite resistance 44.20 Holding young stock in yards to empty out after quarantine drenches 46.30 Faecal egg counting in young cattle – usefulness for different ages of cattle 48.40 Trace elements / trace minerals and internal parasites 52.05 Where to go to learn more about internal parasites

This episode takes a deep dive into the topic of dietary iodine requirements of cows - and the relationship (or not) of iodine intake with the reproductive performance of cows. Iodine is well down the priority list when tackling challenges of poor reproductive performance. Body condition score at calving and the extent and duration of body condition loss (‘negative energy balance’) are by far the more important factors that drive successful reproductive outcomes in dairy cows. That said, iodine features every season in conversations on farm about improving mating outcomes. “Iodine improves expression of heat by cows” has been around for a long time as a topic of conversation. Fact or fiction? Join us in this latest podcast to explore the potential relationship between dietary intake of iodine by cows (and some discussion of ewes too) and the wellbeing of ruminants.   As always, the content of this podcast is of a general nature only and is never intended to replace the advice of your very own local veterinarian and qualified dairy nutritionist. Where to find different parts of this podcast: 1.20 Overview of the topic of iodine and the reproductive performance of pasture-fed dairy cows 1.55 Iodine might play a possible role in cow fertility but more than 100 other factors determine if cows will mate successfully – particularly cow body condition score at calving and extent and duration of body condition loss between calving and mating 5.00 Iodine increases expression of signs of oestrus (heat) by cows – fact or fiction? 7.45 Why do cows require iodine in their diet? It’s all about thyroid hormones, needed particularly by the unborn calf. 9.30 What do thyroid hormones do inside the cow (and unborn calf) or indeed inside the ewe (and unborn lamb) 12.00 Goitre in newborn calves and lambs – very rarely seen in adult stock 14.10 Aside from clinical signs in newborn animals born to cows and ewes, there’s not much to see in iodine deficient cows and ewes 16.40 Iodine and the functionality of the reproductive system in cows 17.00 The “HPO” axis that drives reproductive function and the role for iodine 18.45 Possible changes to reproductive function when iodine status is low 22.30 The challenges of diagnosing iodine deficiency in cows (but discuss this topic further with your vet) 25.15 Pasture levels of iodine are very variable! 25.50 Salt spray off the sea – adds small amounts of iodine to pasture 26.30 Other factors that influence iodine intake by pasture-fed cows 27.05 Goitrogens in forage feeds – reduced conversion of iodine to thyroid hormones  29.05 Types of goitrogens in NZ forages 31.50 Iodised teat sprays and iodine status of lactating dairy cows 33.25 Taking the simple approach, not testing for iodine, can we just add iodine to the diet? 33.55 Care with supplementing with iodine, some countries, upper limits to iodine supplementation! 34.20 Selenium deficiency contributes to thyroid hormone challenges as well

With the ever-increasing inconsistencies of summer weather impacting on dryland dairying, forage crops deliver a valuable bulk of high-quality summer and early autumn feed. In our latest dairying-themed podcast, host Charlotte Westwood is joined by Waikato dairy farming couple, Mark and Courtney Harris - to learn of their investigations into the fit of different summer forage crops for their dairy business. Farming across two properties in the northern and southern reaches of the Waikato, summer crops form an important feature of Mark and Courtneys dairy systems. Chicory and summer brassicas are cost effective feeds for their herds, helping to to offset the absence of sufficient quantities of high quality pasture that would otherwise compromise summer milksolids production. Mark and Courtney discuss how four years of on-farm work that has compared cow responses to either chicory or summer brassicas has taught them much about the fit of summer crops within their dairy business. Which is better as a summer forage crop for cows? Chicory or brassicas? Which crop type should we plant? Tune in, Mark and Courtneys findings might surprise you.

With spring planting coming up fast for us here in New Zealand, our latest episode focuses on decisions around choosing the right pasture and forage crop seeds. Host Charlotte Westwood chats with guest podcaster, Southland agronomist Brian Young about all things seeds. Brian’s background includes farming (sheep and beef, and dairy), shearing, working as a rural retail rep and, for the last 9 years, working with PGG Wrightson Seeds, advising farmers how to grow the very best pastures and forage crops. What’s involved in choosing the right type of seed? Just what is in that bag of seed?? How do we know that the seed will be right for us, will grow lots of feed for our stock, and won’t bring in unwanted weeds? Brian steps us through the information we need to make informed choices when choosing the right seed for us.   There’s a bit of info for everyone in our latest podcast.

This episode carries on from Episode 36, expanding the topic around feeding ewes well through lambing. First up, we cover off on the challenges of stress, and of pre-existing animal health conditions on the ability of a heavily inlamb ewe to look after herself and her unborn lambs well, from a nutritional point of view. The importance of getting stocking rate right at the point of set stocking is discussed, and we investigate ways to calculate what your stocking rate should look like. Lower than ideal pasture covers at the time of set stocking - such a challenge! Short and longer terms ideas of improving pasture-feeding levels at lambing are discussed. Content of our latest podcast: 1.50: Feeding ewes well; more kg of lambs weaned per ewe mated 3.00: Non-nutritional factors that impact on the nutritional status of ewes in late pregnancy 4.20: The role of stress in late pregnancy; Weather, yarding, disrupting lambing ewes, pre-lambing shearing too close to lambing 7.30: Internal parasites and nutritional status of ewes 10.20: Illness and injury – risk of ewe undernutrition 12.15: Ewe body condition score (BCS) and ewe nutritional wellbeing through lambing 17.35: Working to improve ewe BCS at lambing – a longer term view 19.45: Pregnancy scanning – An incredibly valuable tool in managing ewe nutrition 22.00: Setting the stocking rate for twin/triplet-bearing ewes at set stocking, prelamb 25.50: Beef and Lamb FeedSmart – just one of many tools available to define ewe nutrition through lambing 33.10: Feeding ewes well vs. risk of bearings 36.00: Managing pasture deficits at set stocking; (a) Short term strategies 39.10:  Managing pasture deficits at set stocking; (b) Longer term strategies

Our latest sheep-themed podcast covers a topic that can challenge our pregnant ewes when they have a belly-full of lambs in late pregnancy. Pregnancy toxaemia is a metabolic disease of ewes caused by underfeeding and/or stress when ewes, often those carrying twins or triplets, reach the final stages of late pregnancy. The podcast covers off what pregnancy toxaemia is (and how and why it occurs), clinical signs you might see in affected ewes, then finishes up with an overview of approaches to treating ewes with pregnancy toxaemia. *NOTE: This podcast contains information about pregnancy toxaemia in ewes, however podcast content is NOT intended to substitute advice and recommendations from your own veterinarian about the health and wellbeing of your ewes* Content of our latest podcast: 1.30: An introduction to the current episode 3.50: What is pregnancy toxaemia in ewes? 7.50: Do we know the incidence of pregnancy toxaemia in New Zealand ewes? 9.50: The two ‘syndromes’ of pregnancy toxaemia in New Zealand ewes 12.10: Why is pregnancy toxaemia more likely to occur in twin and triplet bearing ewes? 14.10: What signs should we look out for if we suspect pregnancy toxaemia in ewes? 21.10: Impacts of pregnancy toxaemia on as yet unborn lambs, and ewe colostrum and milk production 22.00: How pregnancy toxaemia impacts a ewes immune response (ability to ‘fight off’ infections and internal parasites) 24.25: Basic approaches to treating ewes with pregnancy toxaemia (these suggestions are NOT intended to replace the advice and recommendations from your own veterinarian)  

During mid-winter, it’s not uncommon to start the morning with frosted forages (pastures, winter brassicas, fodder beet and green feed cereals).  For break / strip grazed animals that are hungrily waiting for their regular shift onto a new break, frosted forages can potentially increase risk of rumen bloat or "frost bloat".  In this our latest “bite-sized” Rumen Room Podcast, we cover why grazing ruminants, cattle particularly, are at greater risk of rumen bloat when they eat frozen pastures and winter forage crops. Preventative strategies that reduce risk of “frost bloat” in animals that graze frozen, frosted forages are discussed. 

In this our latest podcast, we focus exclusively on the diet of “springer” dairy cows (otherwise known as “close up dry cows”). Many factors are important when designing springer cows diets – relating not only to calcium metabolism but also to do with dietary energy, protein, fibre and, of course, the requirements for other minerals and vitamins. Focusing specifically on how a springer cow diet influences calcium metabolism through calving and during early lactation, we’ll cover a range of different topics. First up, the basics of calcium metabolism are discussed then moving onto the reasons why recently calved cows end up vulnerable to low blood calcium (hypocalcaemia), particularly when freshly calved cows are milked for the first time. Strategies to lessen the extent and duration of hypocalcaemia in freshly calved cows inevitably start with the design of a springer cow diet. A range of springer pre-calving diet-based strategies exist, including but not limited to focusing on appropriate dietary magnesium management, dietary DCAD (dietary cationic anionic difference), supplementation with very low or very high rates of calcium, use of calcium/phosphorus binders, avoiding high dietary phosphorus before calving, and vitamin D supplementation for springers. We don’t cover anything about fresh cow (colostrum) and early lactation management in this podcast, all content focuses wholly on the springer cow. Watch this space for future podcasts covering further aspects of management of the periparturient cow. **Disclaimer – this podcast is NOT intended to replace the advice from your own veterinarian and qualified dairy nutritionist specific to your farm, your feeds and your cows. Please consult directly with your vet and nutritionist about challenges of low blood calcium / milk fever / downer cows in your herd**

Intramuscular fat (IMF) is fat that’s deposited between and within individual muscle fibres (cells) in the skeletal muscle of animals. Also referred to as ‘marbling’, consumers of red meat often prefer meat that contains a higher level of IMF due to an enhanced eating experience. In this, our second in a two-part series focusing on IMF in ruminant animals, we carry on a discussion around IMF from part one (Episode 32) that covered the basics of IMF in red meat. In Episode 33, our current episode, we further explore the subject of IMF, covering first up, some of the animal-based factors that influence extent of IMF deposition. In the second part of this podcast we discuss the importance of the dietary nutrition of finishing animals to achieve desired levels of IMF in red meat. The following topics are covered within Episode 33, at times within the podcast,  listed below at  2.41: An introduction to the current episode 3.45: The importance of animal genetics as a key driver of IMF deposition in finishing animals 6.33: Animal-specific factors, other than genetics, that influence IMF 11.08: The conflict of outcomes between (a) keeping fattening animals on farm for longer, to achieve higher IMF %, when (b) mature, fattening animals are extremely inefficient converters of feed to liveweight gain 12.22: The differences in feed conversion efficiency (kg of dry matter per kg of liveweight gain) for young growing animals, compared to that of older fattening animals 16.47: The effects of the sex of an animal on efficiencies of IMF deposition 20.44: Effects of dietary nutrition on IMF deposition 21.00: Maternal nutrition and subsequent potential IMF deposition by progeny 26.08: IMF deposition during the finishing phase – the influence of dietary nutrition 26.56: Blood glucose drives IMF deposition – the ‘101’ basics of biochemistry helps define why blood glucose is important - including the “cricket wicket” of fat structure 29.51: IMF fat cells – glucose is the IMF cells ‘fat manufacturing ingredient of choice’ 34.40: Maintaining high blood glucose levels on temperate pasture & forage crop systems 37.00: Developing a farm plan for more IMF within temperate forage systems 40.10: High dry matter intakes and IMF deposition 41.55: Very high quality forages and the potential role for rumen pH and IMF 43.29: Lamb finishing on chicory and chicory/temperate clover blends – IMF and Omega 3 polyunsaturated fatty acids 44.33: Trying to understand the “black box” of how chicory/clovers support more IMF and/or more Omega 3 fatty acids 47.23: Length of time on finishing feeds for ideal IMF deposition 48.43: Micronutrients and IMF deposition  

Intramuscular fat (IMF) is fat that’s deposited between and within individual muscle fibres (cells) in the body of animals. Often also referred to as ‘marbling’, the consumers of red meat often have a preference for higher IMF meat due to an enhanced eating experience. In this, our first in a two-part series that focuses on IMF, we lay the foundations for our discussion around IMF. We define what IMF is, and describe why the increasingly discerning consumers prefer meat that contains a higher percentage of IMF. We further scene set around fat metabolism with a discussion around the four key fat depots found in a finishing animal and what roles these fat depots play in the day to day existence of our sheep and cattle. In Episode 33, we’ll build further on this IMF topic by looking at a deeper level of detail around animal and nutrition-based factors (at a farm level) that influence the extent of IMF deposition in finishing cattle and sheep. Have a search within this current Episode 32 for topics of interest relating to an introduction to IMF. 0:55 Introduction to Episode 32 2:52 Outlining the content of the episode 4:12 Intramuscular fat (IMF) defined and is ‘marbling’ the same thing? 7:30 Why do consumers of red meat specifically request high IMF meat and why does IMF improve the eating experience for consumers? 14:10 Fat depots around the body, it’s not all about IMF! 14:40 Fat as an essential energy reserve for animals – both white a brown fat (Brown Adipose Tissue; BAT) 17:18 The role of fat to protect internal vital organs inside the animal 18:18 The role of fat to protect the musculoskeletal system 18:44 Intermuscular fat is not the same as intramuscular fat 19:15 Fat as an endocrine organ (that produces hormones, who would have thought!) 21:02 IMF is the last of the four fat depots to be laid down as an animal ages/matures 25:08 IMF is the first of the four fat depots to be mobilised when animals are underfed, eat poor quality feed and/or are stressed  

This is our second of a two part series all about “drying off” lactating dairy cows. Part One of this two-part series (Episode 30) covered off the basics of why the cow and her udder need a dry period to rest and recuperate in preparation for a new lactation. What a “good” dry off process might look like was discussed, as well as the impact of once-a-day milking before dry off for cows that are still producing a lot of milk in late lactation. In this, Part Two of the two-part series about drying off dairy cows, we explore the role for nutrition before, through and after the dry off process. We’ll cover different ways to reduce the intake of energy and other nutrients for cows during dry off, with the aim to make the process as successful as we can - for both the cow but also for you and your business. Below hopefully will help you find the content if you’ve not got time to listen in to the whole podcast. Enjoy!  3.00 Introduction and overview of this podcast 4.50 Combining nutritional  manipulation and milking frequency for high producing cows at dry off 5.35 Nutritional strategies to help dry cows off – things to consider 7.35 Making decisions around drying off – how much milk are your cows producing? 10.20 Nutritional concepts to help drop milk production before dry off 13.10 Concentrate (grains, meals) feeding before dry off 16.00 Total amount of feed on offer and/or reducing nutrient density of feeds through dry off 21.35 Unintended consequences during dry off; condition loss and immunosuppression 29.50 Importance of adequate trace mineral status through dry off 31.15 Reducing dietary protein intake as a potential option to help with dry off 42.40 Planning ahead for nutritional approaches to dry off – starting the year before 49.20 Conserved feeds for dry off 54.30 Specific points around use of high rates of maize silage for drying off 56.10 Provision of ample, top quality tasty drinking water for cows through dry off – an essential part of the dry off process  

“Drying off” lactating dairy cows is the process of successfully and efficiently closing down the lactation process in readiness for the dry period – a time of rest and recuperation for not only the cow but also her hard-working milk secretory cells in her udder. In this, part one of a two-part series about drying off dairy cows, we explore the basics of just why the cow and her udder deserve a well-earned break over the dry period. What “good” might look like for the ideal dry-off process is defined, and the role (or not) for gradual step down from twice-a-day to once-a-day milking before the dry off process. The second part of this two-part series (Episode 31) covers the role for nutrition in the dry off process for lactating cows. Search within this current Episode 30 for topics of interest if you've not got time to listen to the entire episode:  1.00 Just what do we mean by the term “drying off” of dairy cows? 1.40 Introduction around what will be covered in this podcast 5.22 The “why” around the need for a dry period for lactating cows 7.55 Fitting in lactation and dry periods within 365 days in seasonal calving systems 10.05 Do New Zealand cows gain any benefits of our relatively long dry period of 90 days vs. shorter dry periods? 11.18 The benefits of a dry period for both the cow and her udder 14.00 What might happen if a cow doesn’t have a dry period at all? 18.10 Defining the outcome “what does a good dry off process look like?” 25.18 Setting up paddocks to dry off on 27.40 The two approaches to dry off 1) Reduce nutrient supply to the cow and / or 2) Reduce milking frequency from twice to once a day before dry off 34.20 Things to consider before deciding if a short period of once-a-day milking might be useful before dry off for your twice-a-day milked cows 37.00 Abrupt dry off (and not stepping cows from twice to once-a-day) remains the default recommendation for most dairy herds in New Zealand 38.30 Why “skip-a-day” milking before dry off is NOT recommended under any circumstances

In this our latest “bite sized” Rumen Room Podcast, we cover off a brief overview about rusty grasses. Often the first time you realise your pastures contain Crown rust (Puccinia coronata) or Stem rust (Puccinia graminis) fungi is when your boots turn an orange colour as you walk through the paddocks. (Note that these aren’t the only types of fungi to cause rusty coloured mottling on your grasses - we’re focusing on just these two in this podcast. Ask your local agronomist for more advice around what types of fungi might be turning your grasses unusual rust and orange colours).  This latest podcast discusses what rust fungi are, why they appear in your paddocks and what weather conditions favour the accumulation of rust on your pastures.  What rust might mean for your grazing animals is discussed – both from an animal nutrition point of view, as well as the risk of unintended consequences to animal performance and wellbeing when stock graze rusty pastures.

For spring lambing businesses, autumn means it’s time for the rams to head out with the ewes. Ovulation, conception rate and embryo implantation are all influenced by nutrition before and during mating. In this our latest Rumen Room Podcast, we’re focusing on the importance of a rising plane of nutrition for ewes (otherwise known as “flushing”) before the ewes meet the rams. We’ll cover a range of information, everything from how we think that flushing might work specifically to improve ovulation rates, and the importance of ewe body condition score as a modifier of and reproductive success. Feeding for flushing success is covered, including everything from pasture grazing management, different non-pasture forages and supplementary feeds for flushing. Here’s where to find the various sections of our latest ewe mating podcast: 2:05 Scene setting around the importance of ewe nutrition before and during the early weeks of mating. 5:30 What does “flushing” ewes mean before mating and what we are trying to achieve by flushing ewes? 14:48 Does flushing always work to lift ovulation rate in ewes? 16:42 The static vs. the dynamic effect of ewe body condition score on flushing outcomes. 23:00 How long do we need to flush for – the “ideal” six weeks vs. what’s practical. 23:55 What to think about if we don’t have enough feed to flush for 6 weeks? 26:00 How much more feed (over and above feed demands for maintenance) do we need to feed ewes to achieve the “flush” effect? 32:45 Importance of feed quality for successful ewe flushing outcomes. 37:10 What does a good flushing pasture look like? 38:25 Non-pasture forages for flushing. 43:30 Supplementary feeds – which ones for flushing ewes? 47:45 Crude protein content of feeds for flushing 51:55 Lucerne and red clover – can we flush ewes on these forages? 1:00:10 Short acknowledgement of non-nutritional factors that influence ovulation in sheep

With this, our latest and all new “bite-sized” short Rumen Room podcast, we discuss the specific topic of magnesium salts... magnesium chloride and magnesium sulphate. We’ll take a compare and contrast style of approach to cover off the basics around the decision around which type of magnesium to use and when, how and where to use either of these types of magnesium salts. Acknowledging of course as usual that this podcast is not designed to replace the recommendations and advice of your very own veterinarian or qualified dairy nutritionist!  Let us know what you think of our latest “bite-sized” podcasts and if you like our shorter and more to the point style of topic presentation or our more comprehensive longer style (or perhaps a mixture of both!). Look forward to hearing from you!

In this, our latest Rumen Room Podcast episode, we’re going to carry on with the topic of flood damage to ruminant feeds. Episode 25 was part one of this two-part flood themed topic, which covered a discussion around assessing and deciding what to do with supplementary feeds (specifically, silage, baleage, hay and straw) that may have been damaged by flood waters. This latest podcast is part two of this two part flood-themed series, focusing more on the challenges and opportunities of flood damaged summer and winter crops, with an emphasis on forage brassica crops. To assist with your navigation through Episode 26, the following provides some guidance for those of you searching for specific aspects of managing flood-damaged forage crops – to save you having to listen to the whole podcast if you’re too busy just now. NOTE: There is however considerable overlap between sections of content within this particular podcast. Content within this podcast is not intended to replace the advice of your qualified rural professionals and advisors. 1:32 Introduction, overview and scene set for this crop-specific, flood themed podcast. 6:53 Safety first – look after yourself, your friends, family, staff and animals before moving into forage crop assessment. 7:13 Beginning the assessment of forage crops, paddocks and infrastructure. 8:53 Stock water requirements – the irony in the midst of flooding. 9:45 Assessment of forage brassica crops and soil conditions. 11:20 What factors influence the survivability of your flooded brassica crops? 19:48 Flood water contaminants and your flooded forage crops. 22:43 What to do with flood damaged crops – some suggestions to consider. 24:38 Can we graze our flood damaged crops? Things to consider including potential nutritive (feed) value of damaged crops. 33:42 Do we need to retransition stock back onto forage brassicas after stock have been removed during flood events 35:20 The challenges of allocating breaks across ex flooded crop ground. 39:05 Animal wellbeing when flood affected crops are grazed. 45:42 The importance to update feed budgets after a flood event, including prioritisation of feed types to different stock classes. DairyNZ Flood resources https://www.dairynz.co.nz/business/adverse-events/flood/ Beef and Lamb Flood resources https://beeflambnz.com/news-views/flood-support

With recent flood damage across many New Zealand regions, it’s timely to explore flood-associated nutritional and feed challenges being faced by many farmers. This episode is the first of a two part series that explores topics to do with managing flood damaged feeds for cattle, sheep and deer. We’ll discuss topics to do with flood damaged silage, baleage, hay and straw for ruminant species. Episode 26, part two in this two-part series will carry on with this flood-damaged feed theme by covering aspects of challenges when flood waters damage forage crops, with a specific emphasis on forage brassicas.   To assist with your navigation through this episode, the following time points provide some guidance for those of you searching for specific aspects of managing flood-damaged supplementary feed – to save you having to listen to the whole podcast if you’re simply too busy just now. NOTE: There is, however, considerable overlap between sections of content within this particular podcast. Content within this podcast is not intended to replace the advice of your qualified rural professionals and advisors. 2:48 An introduction to what’ll be covered in this podcast. 5:03 How do flood waters damage conserved feeds? 7:08 Focus on flood damage to silage and baleage – changes to feed quality, potential dry matter losses and challenges of contaminants from flood waters. 23:00 Hay and straw damage from flood water including risk of contaminants from flood waters. 23:58 Farm-level subjective assessment of flood damaged supplementary feeds including risks of leachates (silage “effluent”) runoff from flood damaged silages and baleages. 35:00 Will our ruminants want to eat our post-flood damaged feeds? What do the presence of e.g. moulds, yeasts and fungi amongst our supplementary feeds mean? 38:40 Will we see ongoing quality deterioration and loss of dry matter from our flood damaged supplementary feeds? 40:10 The ‘sniff test’ of flood damaged feeds – what does the smell of damaged forages tell us? 43:22 What to do with your flood damaged conserved forages? 46:00 The importance of revising your feed budget when conserved forages are damaged. 48:35 Feed testing of flood-damaged conserved forages. 49:56 Animal health and wellbeing when flood damaged forages are consumed. 52:28 Utilisation of flood damaged feeds by stock – approaches to feeding out these forages.   54:10 Mycotoxins in flood damaged forages. DairyNZ Flood resources https://www.dairynz.co.nz/business/adverse-events/flood/ Beef and Lamb Flood resources https://beeflambnz.com/news-views/flood-support  

A relatively common feed for lactating dairy cows, summer bulb turnips deliver top quality feed crop when the amount and/or nutritive value of summer pastures is lacking.   Continuing on with our summer turnip theme that we started back in episode 23, in part two of this two-part summer turnip series, we’ll cover off practicalities of feeding summer bulb turnips. The importance of the careful transitioning of cows from pasture-based diets to one that contains summer bulb turnips is explained. Expected performance and milk responses by cows to summer turnips are discussed as well how to avoid animal health, or milk taint issues when cows eat bulb turnips. To help you navigate through – here’s where to find the content within this podcast. 3:50       When to graze summer bulb turnips (tankard and globe types) after planting 6:45       Planning ahead when turnips are ready to graze, including dry matter yielding turnips 8:35       Calculating the allocation of turnips for lactating dairy cows 11:30    Recommended maximum allocation of turnips as a proportion of total diet 13:55    Transitioning cows from pasture-based diets to turnip-based diets 25:40    Minimising risk of heat stress in cows grazing summer forage crops 27:40    Reducing risk of milk taint when cows consume summer turnips 29:05    Milk responses when spring calved cows eat summer turnips 35:05    Lactating cow body condition and liveweight responses to summer turnips 43:00    Photosensitisation – an occasional challenge when cows graze summer turnips 44:30    Fatty acid composition of milk from turnip-fed cows

Summer bulb turnips are a key component of the diet for many lactating dairy cows. In this two-part series, we’ll be exploring everything to do with cows grazing bulb turnips, from the nutritional profile of summer turnips through to grazing management and expected milk production and body condition responses by cows that consume bulb turnips. This, our first part of this two part series about turnips, we’ll cover off the role for summer bulb turnips in a dairy farm systems, and explore the typical nutritional values of the bulb and leaf of summer bulb turnips. The basic aspects of the nutritional profile such as dry matter (DM%) of crops, as well as the energy content, fibre, protein and macro and trace minerals are discussed. We’ll be including references to previously unpublished nutritional information from a New Zealand study of the feed quality of summer turnips. This information will help you successfully integrate summer bulb turnips into the diet of your lactating dairy cows. Keep an eye out for part two of this series, where we’ll focus on the practicalities of feeding summer bulb turnips, including how to successfully transition cows from pasture-based diets to one that contains summer bulb turnips. We’ll cover off the expected performance and responses by cows to summer turnips, as well as how to avoid any animal health challenges when cows eat bulb turnips.

In this, our latest Rumen Room podcast, we’ve got a summer-themed podcast for you. With many of us heading away to beaches and lakes and lots of outdoor activities, we’re very aware of the importance of prevention of sunburn for us and our families. Ever thought about our sheep and cattle? Yes, under some circumstances, sheep and cattle can sometimes experience a condition called ‘photosensitisation’ – which looks very much like an extreme version of sunburn. In this podcast hosted by New Zealand veterinarian and nutritionist Dr Charlotte Westwood, this ‘photosensitisation’ condition is explored and explained. “Primary photosensitisation” is explored and contrasted with the other form of photosensitisation “Secondary photosensitisation” due to conditions such as Facial Eczema (otherwise known as sporidesmin toxicity) that’ll be discussed in a later podcast (stay tuned for that!). Many names and terms are used to describe primary photosensitisation including ‘spring eczema’, ‘photo’, ‘sunburn’ or, if the condition occurs on a brassica crop it’s sometimes called ‘rape scald’. There’s content here for everyone – lamb finishers and dairy farmers. To help navigate your area of interest if the whole podcast isn’t for you, tune in as follows: Introduction and overview of this latest podcast 5:00 Part 1: Primary or Secondary photosensitisation – what’s the difference? 9:25 Part 2: What signs might we see in sheep and cattle affected by Primary photosensitisation?  15:40 Part 3: Types of forages and weed species that have been linked with cases of Primary photosensitisation. 32:00 Part 4: Risk factors and prevention strategies for Primary photosensitisation in lambs that graze annual forage brassica crops. 38:15 Part 5: What to do if your sheep or cattle are affected by Primary photosensitisation and prevention strategies for Primary photosensitisation in lambs that graze brassica crops (noting here that getting in touch with your veterinarian for advice is your number one thing to do; podcasts are not a substitute for advice from you own vet). 1:01:20 For anyone who grazes lambs or young cattle on summer crops, there’s something in this podcast for you!  

In this, our latest Rumen Room Podcast episode, we’ll carry on with the theme of dairy cow nutrition and reproductive performance. Episode 20 covered the importance of 3-week submission rate as a driver of reproductive success in seasonally calved dairy herds. We discussed how the nutrition of cows impacts the onset of ovulation and oestrus (heat) in cows after calving. Episode 20 finished up talking about nutritional challenges that impact on anoestrus (non-cycling) dairy cows. This latest podcast completes the topic of anoestrus cows topic by discussing why herd social stressors may increase risk of anoestrus cows. The final topic around anoestrus cows covers that frustrating cycle of “slow calving rate causing slow submission rate causing a slow calving rate”. Ideas about how to break out of this slow calving rate-slow submission rate cycle are discussed. Reasons why cows that cycle early after calving might stop cycling again in time for mating are discussed (how annoying are those cows?!). We finish with info about “silent heats”, where cows ovulate but don’t show signs of visual heat, and finally, heat detection efficiency. We finish with info about “silent heats” where cows ovulate but don’t show signs of visual heat, and heat detection efficiency.

For seasonally mated dairy cows, 3-week submission rate is an important driver of a herds reproductive efficiency. There’re a huge number of factors that influence 3-week submission rate including but not limited to the nutrition of dairy cows. In part one of this two-part podcast series about dairy nutrition and submission rates, we’ll first explore how submission rate contributes to reproductive efficiency, through the role of submission rate influencing our 6-week in calf rates. We’ll then move onto the challenge of anoestrus (“non-cycler”) cows and how these non-cycler cows will, if not treated by your vet, reduce your 3-week submission rate. Risk factors for anoestrus cows are explored and we'll discuss how you can examine what might have happened through calving and during lactation  to cause more anoestrus cows that you normally have to deal with.   In part two of this two-part podcast series (episode 21), we’ll cover the challenge of the “slow calving rate-slow submission rate-slow calving rate cycle” that farms sometimes get trapped in, and some things to think about around how to start to break out of this cycle of reproductive inefficiency. The topic of why cycling cows sometimes stop cycling again through peak lactation is discussed. The challenge of “silent heats” or cows that ovulate but don’t show signs of heat is covered, as well as a brief discussion around heat detection efficiency.  

In this, the third of our three part series exploring “Where are my missing milksolids”, we’ll continue on from topics covered in parts one (Episode 16) and two (Episode 18). This time around, we’ll cover off the challenges of ryegrass-based pastures for New Zealand spring calving, pasture-fed cows. Perennial ryegrass is a highly productive, top quality feed for most months of the year. During late spring and early summer, reproductive changes by ryegrass plants cause potential issues not only for reduced feed quality of pasture, but also influences the tastiness of pasture, and the ease with which cows can harvest ryegrass. This episode will explore the role of ryegrass-based pastures in the post-peak decline in milksolids production, discuss pasture management concepts to help maintain ryegrass quality, as well as longer term ideas to potentially improve the quality of late spring/early summer pastures.

In our first podcast in this three-part series, we explored factors that influence milksolids production from calving through to peak production in New Zealand spring calved dairy herds - take a listen to part one to catch up on that discussion.  In this, our latest part in this “Where are my missing milksolids?” series, we move onto the next stage in the lactation curve - the post-peak decline (or "crash off peak") in milksolids production experienced by spring calved dairy herds during late spring and early summer. First up we'll explore cow-based factors responsible for post-peak decline that prevent cows from having a flat lactation curve post-peak. Everything from why the cow (and udder) simply can’t run a flat lactation curve, through to the effects of all manner of hormones, the body condition score, age and health and wellbeing of the cow as well as the social structure of the herd on post-peak decline. Hot and bothered cows are more likely to drop away off peak quickly too – so this episode will wrap up this podcast with looking at the role for heat and humidity in the rate and extent of post peak decline by dairy cows.  Subscribe to The Rumen Room Podcast on your favourite steaming platform - and/or join The Rumen Room on Facebook so that you don't miss our third and final episode in this three-part series. Part three will step us through the pasture-based reasons that spring calved herds "crash off peak" including a range of tips, tricks and ideas around reducing this often spectacular steep drop off in milksolids production during late spring and early summer. 

In this latest podcast, well known veterinarian Andrew Dowling joins Charlotte Westwood to discuss all things to do with animal wellbeing and performance on summer crops. With a wealth of veterinary and farm systems knowledge, Andrew steps us through the various tips and tricks around looking after your lambs or young cattle during their first summer of life. The importance of transitioning stock from pastures to high quality summer crops is covered, before Andrew discusses some of the common disease problems in animals on summer crops including clostridial diseases, vitamin B1 deficiency and pneumonia. Trace mineral requirements of lambs on summer crops are discussed then Andrew finishes up with a detailed summary of the internal parasite challenges in young stock over the summer months. For anyone who grazes lambs or young cattle on summer crops, there’s something in this podcast for you!

In theory, our pasture-fed cows should simply eat pasture and produce milksolids. Shouldn’t they? Well yes, but sometimes on a whole herd basis, we might track the herds milk production and wonder why the herd is not producing as much as they should. In this latest Rumen Room Podcast we’ll explore different aspects of the lactation curve of a spring calving dairy herd, looking for clues to explain why New Zealand spring calving cows might not be delivering the milksolids we’d been expecting. The first in a three-part series, this podcast focuses on the early to peak stages of the lactation curve of a spring calving herd. Factors that might result in cows producing fewer milksolids during early lactation are explored including calving rate, cow body condition score, metabolic disease, amount and quality of pasture and supplementary feeds, and milking frequency, once or twice a day milking. Tune in and see if any of these reasons might explain where your missing milksolids have gone during early lactation. In the second and third parts of this three part series “Where are my missing milk solids” we’ll delve into the post-peak period of the herds lactation curve, exploring reasons for rapid post-peak decline for New Zealand spring calving dairy herds. Risk factors for short lactation length in New Zealand spring calving dairy herds will be covered in a further podcast early in 2023.

Urea concentration in the milk of pasture-fed cows, what’s it about? In this latest Rumen Room Podcast, veterinarian and nutritionist Dr Charlotte Westwood steps us through all things to do with milk urea. Why and how does urea end up in the blood and therefore in the milk of cows? What does it mean for the cow when milk urea concentrations are unusually high or unexpectedly low?  Do we do anything different with the diet of cows if milk urea concentration is too high or too low?  With a specific emphasis on the interpretation of milk urea concentrations for pasture-fed dairy herds, tune in for an update about all things to do with milk urea.   

Forage brassicas are simply an amazing, low cost feed for our ruminant species. Over 300,000 ha of brassicas are planted in New Zealand annually and thankfully, animal health disorders are not particularly common despite the huge numbers of animals that eat brassicas each year. Very occasionally, grazing animals might experience an animal health disorder called SMCO toxicity. SMCO is a non-protein sulphur-nitrogen compound that sometimes accumulates in brassica crops and brassica weed species. Most cases of SMCO toxicity are seen when animals graze forage brassica crops during late winter and early to mid spring (August, September, October in New Zealand) when plants are undergoing fresh growth and reproductive development with increasing daylength and warmer, spring days. Cases present with signs associated with haemolytic anaemia, including red water (red coloured urine). Presented by New Zealand veterinarian and nutritionist Dr Charlotte Westwood, this podcast takes us through all you ever wanted to know about SMCO toxicity. Because prevention is better than cure, the podcast focuses specifically on how to reduce risk of SMCO toxicity in your grazing animals. You can scroll through and find subheadings within this podcast  as follows: Introduction to SMCO toxicity in ruminants: 2.32 What is SMCO and how is the animal affected? 5.00 Can we forage test for SMCO in brassicas? 13.00 What role does copper and selenium status of animals play in SMCO toxicity? 17.45 Clinical signs of SMCO toxicity? 21.15 Other causes of red water confused with SMCO toxicity. 28.10 Onion and SMCO toxicity – what’s the link? 30.50 Why is SMCO toxicity more likely late winter / spring? 32.30 Grazing and feeding management of crops suspected contain high SMCO. 36.30 Why do brassicas contain SMCO and what soil and fertiliser-based factors influence SMCO accumulation by brassicas? 46.05

Spring is just around the corner and before we know it, it’ll be Christmas. It’s never too early to be planning for your summer forage crop requirements to keep your sheep, cattle and/or deer happy, well fed and content through the summer months. In this episode, Dr Charlotte Westwood is joined by Paul Greenbank, agronomist and farm systems guru with PGG Wrightson Seeds based on the east coast of the North Island of New Zealand. Paul steps us through the planning process for getting a spring planted crop into the ground - ready for your lambs, cattle or deer to enjoy a cost effective, tasty and nutritious summer forage crop.  All manner of topics are discussed in a practical, down to earth manner. Everything is covered from paddock selection and preparation for cropping through to looking after your new crop plants as they get up and running during the days and weeks after planting. Later in 2022 we’ll feature a couple of crop-focused episodes that’ll discuss the assessment and grazing of different crop types. We’ll target the various tips and tricks around how to convert your forage crops into highly efficient animal production. Keep an eye out for those episodes! In the meantime, we need to get the seed in the ground to get the summer feed! We hope that you enjoy this episode.

In this second of a two part series about preweaned calf nutrition, this episode covers all things to do with nutritional scours (diarrhoea) in calves younger than 3 weeks of age. Nutritional scours not only increase risk of dehydration in your young calves, but also increase risk of infectious scours due to a range of pathogens. Presented by New Zealand veterinarian and ruminant nutritionist Dr Charlotte Westwood, this fact filled episode will provide tips and tricks for calf rearers around preventing nutritional scours. This episode discusses just what nutritional scours are in calves, why scouring makes calves unwell, and factors that increase risk of nutritional scours in young calves. For more information around the basics of the nutrition of milk-fed young calves, tune into the first of this two part series about pre-ruminant calf nutrition.

Such a magical transformation - a newborn calf that becomes a fully fledged and functioning ruminant within just a matter of months. How does this amazing process of changing a fully milk-fed calf to one that eats and digests pasture work? Join us for another fact filled and down to earth approach to understanding about the nutrition of young calves, including nutritional tips and tricks to help rear strong and healthy calves.  Presented by New Zealand veterinarian and nutritionist Dr Charlotte Westwood, there's something for everyone in this first of a two part series. We'll step us through how calves digest milk, how a new rumen develops and the how and why of the importance of different feeds along each step of the journey.  The second part of this two part series focuses more on the challenge of nutritional scours in calves younger than 3 weeks of age. A discussion is included around what is nutritional scour and risk factors that increase the likelihood that young calves will experience nutritional scours. 

Keeping our cows happy, healthy and well through the transition period. What are some practical tips and tricks to help make calving a whole lot less stressful for our cows (and us)?   In this episode, New Zealand veterinarian and nutritionist Dr Charlotte Westwood is joined by guest podcaster and fellow veterinarian and nutritionist Dr Laura Pattie. Born and bred on a North Island dairy farm, Laura spent 10 years in a predominantly dairy veterinary role before moving into a ruminant nutrition role with PGG Wrightson Ltd. Laura brings to this podcast a very hands on, down to earth and practical approach to managing metabolic disease challenges in New Zealand dairy cows. Stepping us through the various stages of the transition period as cows move through the springer to colostrum to milking herds, Laura provides us with a wealth of sensible farm-level advice to keep our cows well. There’s something here for everyone as practical takehomes for your calving cows. Tune in when you can!

Udder oedema is a condition that sometimes affects our younger dairy cows around calving time. This latest Rumen Room podcast covers off information about udder oedema. Topics discussed include why udder oedema occurs, the range of factors that increase risk of udder oedema and some of the nutritional strategies that may reduce the chances of udder oedema occurring in your cows.  Presented by New Zealand veterinarian and ruminant nutritionist Charlotte Westwood, we hope that you find some handy tips to help reduce risk of udder oedema. As for any animal health disorder, the content of this podcast is not intended to replace the advice of your own veterinarian or qualified ruminant nutritionist. 

Magnificent magnesium – a mineral that all animal species require to keep the body ticking along. And a very relevant mineral given lambing and calving time is just around the corner for New Zealand and Australians. Why the extra interest in magnesium in winter and spring??  For pregnant and lactating animals, magnesium is a very important mineral.  If we don’t get the diet just right, and the magnesium status of our animals correctly sorted, our animals can get themselves into all sort of trouble with increased risk of metabolic diseases before, during and after calving or lambing. Risk of magnesium challenges is especially a problem during winter and spring.  New Zealand veterinarian Dr Charlotte Westwood steps us through everything we need to know about magnesium metabolism in our pregnant and lactating ruminant species. Tune in now and start thinking magnesium just in time for spring!  

Cattle are picky critters and oh such fussy eaters! The backstory to this Podcast is that our cattle have decided “No thanks”, they’d rather not eat our pasture silage. Why not? What’s different about this pasture silage that might explain why our cattle won’t touch it?     In this, part two of a two part series, New Zealand veterinarian and nutritionist Charlotte Westwood walks us through what the various feed test results might mean for this sample of pasture silage. This podcast explores, step-by-step, the second section of the feed test results provided to us by Hill Laboratories. (Part one of this podcast series largely explored the mineral test results). Join us to walk through the various test results including energy, protein and fibre contents of the silage, the pH result and the levels of various fermentation acids in the sample. Might these results explain why those cattle turned up their noses at our silage? We shall see! Tune in and see how our silage results compare with yours. A copy of these silage results are posted in the Facebook Group “The Rumen Room” that you can join here https://www.facebook.com/groups/376802106011728 for more information about all things to do with ruminant animals.

How many of you routinely collect feed samples and send them away for feed testing? Ever wondered what all those numbers mean? No worries – you are most certainly not alone! Listen in to this, the first in a two part series all about interpreting feed test results for a sample of pasture silage. New Zealand veterinarian and nutritionist Charlotte Westwood will step you through the various feed test results and explain what each number means. To make this more interesting, you’ll get to play detective as part of the process. This particular silage sample was collected because cattle refused to eat the silage. Why might these cattle not be so keen? Might the lab test numbers show us some clues? This, part one of a two part series, explores the first batch of numbers as typically reported for a full silage/baleage feed test by Hill Laboratories in New Zealand. In this episode, we’ll discuss the various macro and trace minerals for this particular sample of silage. We’ll compare the reported result against the “Medium range” or expected range, as reported by Hill Laboratories, that we’d normally expect to see for a pasture baleage or silage sample. (Thanks to Hill Laboratories for their permission for us to discuss these feed test results!) Tune in and see how your detective work goes assessing these results. The full table of these results are posted in the Facebook Group “The Rumen Room” that you can join here https://www.facebook.com/groups/376802106011728 for more info about all things ruminant. Part Two of this feed test series (posted shortly) will explore the second half of a typical Hill Laboratories report for a sample of baleage or silage including the crude protein, fibre, energy, ash etc content as well as the various silage acids reported in the Hill Laboratories full silage test results.

Nitrate toxicity - the most commonly encountered toxicity challenge in New Zealand ruminants. This podcast breaks nitrate toxicity down into seven "bite sized", easy to understand sections. By stepping through, step-by-step, the various things that we need to know about nitrate toxicity, you'll be set up well to understand how to deal with this challenging problem. Topics covered include how to assess risk of nitrate toxicity in your forage crops and pastures, understanding how and why nitrate toxicity occurs in ruminants, what to do if you suspect cases of nitrate toxicity in your animals, and how to reduce the risk of future toxicity cases. As with any cases of clinical or sub-clinical disease in animals, your own veterinarian remains your first person to urgently contact if you are dealing with suspected cases of nitrate toxicity.  Presented by New Zealand veterinarian and ruminant nutritionist Charlotte Westwood, we hope you can join us for this informative podcast. 

Are you looking after pregnant cows or ewes through the winter months? Then this podcast is designed for you. With an emphasis on looking after cows and ewes really well, on outdoor winter forage crops particularly, this podcast steps us through some of the planning processes required before animals transition off pasture-based diets onto winter feeds. Topics covered include the basics of feed budgeting, demands of animals for feed and water, types of supplementary feeds and looking after animals during winter weather events. There's something here for for everyone involved in wintering animals  – including those of you who feed pasture and supplementary feeds to your animals. Presented by New Zealand veterinarian and nutritionist Dr Charlotte Westwood, we welcome you to listen in and compare your winter wellbeing checklist with ours. 

Assuming you've survived the dizzying journey of a ryegrass leaf from the front (biting) part of a cow to the back (emptying) end of a cow in Part One of this two part series - you'll now be ready for the other part of Basic Ruminant Nutrition.  In this episode, we'll explore how the broken down various bits of pieces of feeds, such as ryegrass, get turned into useful things that the ruminant animal can use. The basics of volatile fatty acids (VFAs are explored) as well as how dietary protein gets turned into useful things a ruminant can use to make milk protein, or protein to help a young ruminant grow.  Presented by New Zealand veterinarian and nutritionist Dr Charlotte Westwood, we welcome you to listen in to Part Two of this two part episode.