The Dairy Nutrition Blackbelt Podcast

In this episode of The Dairy Nutrition Blackbelt Podcast, Dr. Dwain Bunting from Barentz Animal Nutrition North America discusses how summer humidity affects the stability of potassium carbonate, mineral buffers, and dairy concentrate mixes. He explains ingredient reactivity, moisture risks, formulation considerations, and practical strategies to improve mix stability during periods of hot, humid...

In this episode of The Dairy Nutrition Blackbelt Podcast, Dr. Susanna Räisänen, Assistant Professor at Aarhus University, discusses the growing importance of histidine in dairy cow nutrition. She explains how lower-protein diets affect amino acid balance, the role of microbial protein, and the challenges of improving nitrogen utilization while maintaining milk production. Learn how histidine may s...

In this special rerun episode of The Dairy Nutrition Blackbelt Podcast, Dr. Massimo Bionaz from Oregon State University explains how nutrigenomics can support dairy cow performance. He details how bioactive compounds can regulate gene expression to reduce inflammation, improve transition periods, and support metabolic balance. Understand the science behind transcription factors and fatty acid inte...

In this episode of The Dairy Nutrition Blackbelt Podcast, celebrating National Dairy Month, Dr. Alexandre Pedroso, dairy specialist and senior consultant at Plenteous Consultoria, continues the discussion on how animal welfare shapes dairy cattle nutrition, herd health, and production efficiency. He explores the impact of heat stress, cow comfort, lying time, feed intake, and labor challenges on m...

In this episode of The Dairy Nutrition Blackbelt Podcast, celebrating National Dairy Month, Dr. Alexandre Pedroso, dairy specialist and senior consultant at Plenteous Consultoria, discusses how productive longevity, animal welfare, and CowSignals principles support more sustainable and efficient dairy production. He explains how cow health, comfort, and management practices directly impact milk pr...

In this episode of The Dairy Nutrition Blackbelt Podcast, Dr. Brian Campbell, ruminant product manager at Fortiva, explores how heat stress affects dairy cattle across multiple lactations and generations. He explains nutritional strategies, including yeast, chromium, and betaine, and why combining approaches improves resilience, intake, and milk production under varying climate conditions. Learn h...

In this episode of The Dairy Nutrition Blackbelt Podcast, Dr. José Santos, Professor at the University of Florida, explains calcium regulation in dairy cows and how mineral-related disorders during transition affect health, intake, immunity, and lactation outcomes. Learn the differences between clinical and subclinical hypocalcemia and why recovery after calving matters. Listen now on all major pl...

In this episode of The Dairy Nutrition Blackbelt Podcast, Dr. Renée Petri, Research Scientist at Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, explains how rumen microbiome dynamics influence dairy cow performance, feed efficiency, and environmental outcomes. She explores diet changes, adaptation periods, and microbiome-informed nutrition strategies to improve milk components and sustainability. Discover how...

In this episode of The Dairy Nutrition Blackbelt Podcast, Dr. Tatiane Fernandes, Assistant Professor at Virginia Tech, explains how stable isotope tracing improves dairy nutrition research. She explores amino acid absorption, rumen-protected product evaluation, and how labeled nutrients help track milk protein synthesis. Get practical insights on tracer design, nutrient metabolism, and precision f...

In this episode of The Dairy Nutrition Blackbelt Podcast, Dr. Richard Paratte, dairy nutritionist at Vetagro, explains how lysine drives milk production efficiency beyond crude protein. He explores amino acid balance, rumen protection technologies, and how precision delivery improves milk protein and fat synthesis. Get practical insights on microencapsulation and metabolic coordination to improve...

In this episode of The Dairy Nutrition Blackbelt Podcast, Dr. Frank Delfino, owner of Delfino Nutrition and Management, shares practical strategies for managing potassium and DCAD in dairy cattle under extreme heat stress conditions. He explains sourcing challenges, ration adjustments, and global constraints affecting implementation. Get key insights, including potassium supplementation methods an...

In this special episode of The Dairy Nutrition Blackbelt Podcast marking Earth Day, we welcome Dr. Larry Chase, Professor Emeritus at Cornell University, who explains how precision feed management improves dairy efficiency and sustainability. He shares on-farm research showing how reducing excess protein lowers nitrogen excretion while maintaining milk production and increasing profitability. Prac...

In this episode of The Dairy Nutrition Blackbelt Podcast, Dr. Lance Baumgard, Distinguished Professor at Iowa State University, explains how stress affects gut barrier function and dairy cow productivity. He highlights how immune activation redirects nutrients away from milk synthesis and discusses key stressors like heat, overcrowding, and transition periods. Learn how stacked stressors amplify b...

In this special re-run episode of The Dairy Nutrition Blackbelt Podcast, we bring back our conversation with Dr. Mutian Niu, Assistant Professor at ETH Zurich, who explains exhalomics, an approach for assessing rumen fermentation by analyzing volatile organic compounds in cattle breath. He discusses how this technique can provide valuable insights into rumen function and help improve cattle health...

In this episode of The Dairy Nutrition Blackbelt Podcast, Dr. Eduardo Rico, Assistant Professor at the University of Pennsylvania, explains how omega-3 fatty acids influence inflammation and metabolic balance in dairy cows. Discussion includes the biological role of essential fatty acids, the control of inflammation during critical periods such as calving, and challenges related to dietary supply...

In this episode of The Dairy Nutrition Blackbelt Podcast, Dr. Arthur Behling Neto, professor at the Federal University of Mato Grosso in Brazil, explains the role of sorghum varieties for silage production in tropical regions like Brazil. Discussion highlights productivity, nutritional quality, dry matter management, and how sorghum performs compared with corn under limited rainfall conditions. Le...

In this episode of The Dairy Nutrition Blackbelt Podcast, Dr. Michael Van Amburgh from Cornell University explains how modern dairy cows respond to balanced essential amino acids and why energy-based models reshape requirement predictions. He explains new insights from the CNCPS model, unexpected links between amino acids and milk fat synthesis, and what future high-component cows may be capable o...

In this episode of The Dairy Nutrition Blackbelt Podcast, Dr. Sonia Rodríguez, Ruminant Technical Innovation Manager at Vetagro, explains how rumen protected organic acids and botanicals support intestinal health in lactating cows. She discusses micro encapsulation technology, heat stress mitigation, inflammation control, and performance outcomes. Learn how improving gut integrity can enhance milk...

In this episode of The Dairy Nutrition Blackbelt Podcast, celebrating International Women’s Day, Dr. Megan Abeyta from GPS Dairy Consulting breaks down the physiological and metabolic costs of stress, inflammation, and leaky gut in dairy cattle. She explains how heat stress, acidosis, and management practices influence immune activation and productivity losses. Learn how to use practical indicator...

In this episode of The Dairy Nutrition Blackbelt Podcast, Dr. Mike VandeHaar from Michigan State University discusses his recent studies on short-stature corn hybrids and their impact on dairy cow performance. He breaks down how these hybrids perform in yield, fiber digestibility, and milk production, and what that could mean for on-farm feed efficiency. Listen now on all major platforms! "The...

In this episode of The Dairy Nutrition Blackbelt Podcast, Dr. Marcos Marcondes from the William H. Miner Agricultural Research Institute discusses key insights into calf and heifer nutrition. He shares findings on feed intake modeling, pre- and post-weaning transitions, and how feeding strategies influence mammary gland development and long-term milk yield. Listen now on all major platforms! "...

In this episode of The Dairy Nutrition Blackbelt Podcast, Dr. Dwain Bunting, Technical Service Dairy Nutritionist at Barentz Animal Nutrition, explains how DCAD products can influence palatability and short-term feed intake in dairy cows. He shares insights from controlled research evaluating cow behavior, intake patterns, and product formulation strategies. Dr. Bunting highlights practical implic...

In this special rerun episode of The Dairy Nutrition Blackbelt Podcast, Dr. Laura Hernandez, from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, explores key insights on managing hypocalcemia in dairy cattle. She discusses strategies to prevent both delayed and persistent hypocalcemia, as well as the concept of transient hypocalcemia, highlighting their impact on cow health and lactation performance. Don&#3...

In this episode of The Dairy Nutrition Blackbelt Podcast, Dr. Melissa Cantor from Penn State University unpacks new research on beef-on-dairy calves and their long-term performance. She explains the surprising impacts of early-life respiratory disease, what it means for marbling and carcass traits, and how management practices can reduce risks. Learn how dairy calf health decisions carry lasting v...

In this episode of The Dairy Nutrition Blackbelt Podcast, Dr. Melissa Cantor from Penn State University breaks down the science and management of pair housing for dairy calves. She explains the benefits and challenges of early pairing, behavioral concerns, and the latest findings from her team’s recent study. Explore strategies to support calf health and optimize early-life performance. Listen now...