A good nutritionist will do more than just ration formulation. They serve as a consultant constantly looking out how to help their clients. It is highly encouraged for producers to ask nutritionist questions regularly. Here are the 3 important questions to ask your nutritionist:
1) How does my feed costs compared to other producers?
Feed is the largest source of cost for a dairy farm.
It is crucial to have the lowest cost of production per unit of output.
Your nutritionist should have a broad enough network to inform you how your feed cost compares to other farms.
Besides feed cost per cow, it is also important to look at feed cost per hundredweight.
This is because it properly accounts for the facility's milk sold.
It should also encompass everything from the forage program and commodity procurement all the way through to wasted feed
2) Why is the reason behind the nutrition recommendations?
As a dairy producer, you need to be confident in the information you receive.
Your nutritionist should be able to tell you what is the latest practices by farmers.
There is no one size fits all model in the dairy industry.
Your nutritionist should be able to explain to you why did they formulate the ration in such a way, why are the nutrient specs set where they are, how it fits with the feed inventory and so on.
These questions would ensure that you understand the reasoning behind your nutrition program.
3) What are the next steps to gaining another pound of milk?
Today's dairy cows have the genetic potential to produce a lot of milk.
High producing cows will have the best productive efficiency which is vital for profitability and minimising environmental impact.
Often times, the limiting factor is the environmental around the cows.
Cows that are high performing often have minimal stress.
Your nutritionist should be able to identify stresses that causes milk production to stall.
By having conversations on how to improve milk yield with your nutritionist, you will be able to adjust and plan for high milk production.