The Life of a Dairy Nutritionist

Find out what a day in the life of a Dairy Nutritionist looks like and the impact they have on the dairy farm! You’ll likely be very surprised!

If you’ve been reading Chocolate Slopes for awhile, you likely know how passionate I am about my home state of Michigan and the vast farming and agriculture that happens in my state. You can read about my first farm experience here, which was quite the eye opener.  Since then I’ve visited several more dairy and beef farms along with my first produce farm tour. These opportunities have not only opened my eyes to an entirely different world (yes I’m a city girl), but hopefully they have shed some light on the many misconceptions the general public has on farming, treatment of animals, antibiotic-use and many more hot topics. 

In honor of dairy month, I was offered the chance to interview a dairy nutritionist to gain insight from her perspective and what a day in the life is like for a dairy nutritionist. Check out my interview below to discover the huge variety of foods cows can eat, how many different diets cows can have, and much much more!

Interview with Jenna Taylor, Dairy Nutritionist

Tell me about yourself and your background. 

I grew up in Stockbridge, MI on my family’s 100 cow dairy farm, we also raised holstein steers and farm 2,000 acres of corn, wheat, soybeans, and hay.  In 2008 we sold our milk cows but my Grandpa, Dad, Uncle and Brother still raise steers and crops.  I was also involved in 4-H, showing Guernsey heifers and Holstein steers at our local fair and participated in Dairy Judging and Quiz bowl at the State show.

How and why did you become a dairy nutritionist?

When I participated in Quiz bowl, each year had a focus for the questions such as health, reproduction, or nutrition.  I always found the nutrition topic interesting and I guess that is when my interest in nutrition really started.  After high school I attended MSU but in the Dairy Tech program which is a 2 year short course in Dairy management.  While in the tech program I had some amazing professors that really helped me to focus on nutrition.  I also did an internship during my tech program with a feed company and after I finished my Animal Science degree from MSU  I went to work for that company and still work there to this day!

What is your role as a dairy nutritionist?

As a Nutritionist it is my job to ensure the cows are healthy and eating the most nutritious diet possible.  I work with the farmer to help balance the diet using forages and grains they grow or buy and supplement where needed.  I also work with the farm vet because cow health is our number one goal and nutrition is key to the cows health, especially when the cow has a calf. Metabolic disorders can happen very easily during this time and making sure the diet is balanced as perfect as possible is extremely important.

What do cows eat?

Cows can eat lots of different things because of their unique digestive system, but the most common diet in Michigan consists of alfalfa silage or dry hay, corn silage, high moisture or dry ground corn, soybean meal, canola meal, minerals and vitamins.  But I have some farms that feed apple pulp (only lasts 4 or 5 days) or bakery waste, that’s the great thing about cows they can take what would be waste and would end up in a landfill and turn it into milk or meat.  They are great recyclers!

(Jenna also mentioned cows eat citrus pulp, almond hulls and even cotton seeds in other parts of the United States! Who knew?!)

Are there different types of cow diets?

There are many different types of diets on a farm from calves to dry cows every group has different requirements.  One farm may have 3-4 different diets a cow will receive based on her stage of lactation, a fresh diet for right after she has a calf until about 30 days then a high diet (a higher energy dense diet) which she will be on during her peak lactation and lastly a mid or late lactation diet once she reaches the end of her lactation is is ready to become dry.  The term dry is used to describe the 2 months a cow will not be milking while she is in the end of her pregnancy.  And she will get two different diets during her dry period a far off dry and close up dry so yes there are lots of different diets on a farm I could keep going!

How important is your role to the dairy farm families you work with?

My role is very important on the farm and I don’t take the responsibility lightly, how well I do at balancing the diets directly affects the farm families livelihood.

How often do you visit the dairy farms you work with?

I am on the farms that I work with weekly.

I’ve heard dairy cows eat a better balanced diet than most humans, is that true? Why is planning the diets of cows so important?

Yes that is true I feed my cows better than I do myself!  I balance the diet for over 40 different nutrients and it gets pretty precise right down to the amino acids.  This is important because if I don’t have it right and not giving the cow what she needs then she can not reach her full potential or may be putting her health at risk and my number one goal is health happy cows.

Do cows really have four stomachs? Does that impact the way they eat?

Yes they do or you could say a 4 compartment stomach, this is why they can digest things we cannot.  The main stomach or Rumen is actually a 50 gallon fermentation vat that uses anaerobic fermentation to breakdown the feed.  So I am actually feeding the “bugs” in the rumen not the cow 🙂

What’s one thing you wish people knew about dairy farming or dairy foods that they may not be so familiar with?

I wish people knew how much Dairy farmers care about their cows, cow health is their number one goal and I feel there is a huge misconception from the public.  Also I wish everyone would eat more dairy products it’s one of the most nutritious foods we have!

What is the biggest misconception that you wish people knew in regards to treatment of cows, their diet, lifestyle, etc?

Probably the biggest misconception is antibiotics in milk, there are no antibiotics in milk ever!  Yes cows that get sick we treat with antibiotics just as you would treat your kids if they get sick but it has to be completely cleared from their system before the milk can be sold.  Another misconception is cow comfort, these cows have it made!  They sleep on beach sand, have fans and sprinklers to keep them cool in the summer and have an endless buffet of nutritious food!

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I want to thank Jenna for the interview and offering some insight into her job! I hope you all enjoyed it as much as I did. As a nutritionist (registered dietitian) for humans I can definitely relate to the importance of proper nutrition and what it means in terms of long term health. 

Check out Milk Means More for more insight into Michigan dairy farmers, their families and favorite recipes along with #MIFarmFamilies on Twitter.

Disclaimer: I am proud to be an ambassador for Milk Means More to bring you nutritious recipes and insight into the dairy industry your entire family will enjoy.  These partnerships allow Chocolate Slopes to continue to provide you with healthy recipes, nutrition tips and more. Thank you for your support! As always, my views and opinions are and will always be my own.

 This The Life of a Dairy Nutritionist post first appeared on Chocolate Slopes.

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