The Rumen Room Podcasts

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...

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 deta...

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...

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 speci...

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 fi...

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 t...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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), c...

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...

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 in...

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...

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...

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 st...

“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 we...

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...

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...

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 a...

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 o...

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. Episod...

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 tran...

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 tur...

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 ‘photosensitisati...