Real Science Exchange-Dairy

This episode features Andrea Lendewig, Head of Research & Development at IFCN, discussing her Real Science Exchange webinar presentation Global Dairy Market Status and 2035 Perspectives. Joining the conversation are Philipp Goetz, Head of Sales and Business Development at IFCN; Lucas Fess, Senior Dairy Analyst with Rabobank; and Jeremy Painter, Vice President of Global Commercial Operations for Animal Nutrition & Health at Balchem....

Dr. Mike Van Amburgh begins by outlining how amino acid nutrition has historically been viewed almost exclusively through the lens of milk protein. He explains that emerging research clearly shows amino acids play far broader roles in the cow, influencing milk fat synthesis, energy metabolism, and overall efficiency. As genetic potential has increased, amino acids are now supporting many biological pathways beyond simple milk prote...

Dr. Baumgard opens by explaining the origin of the “immune suppression” theory in transition cows. Research dating back to the late 1970s showed slower neutrophil infiltration into the mammary gland in early lactation, which led to the assumption that cows are immunosuppressed after calving. This idea has shaped industry thinking for more than 40 years. (10:43)

He outlines two primary mechanisms traditionally blamed for immune supp...

Dr. Penner presented “Progress in the gut: What we know about ‘gut health’” to lead off the symposium. He highlights using rumen acidosis as a model for gut health, focusing on key structures and how paracellular permeability is maintained or dysregulated, absorptive function, and microbiology. He notes that rumen acidosis affects other parts of the gut besides the rumen. (4:52)

Dr. Laarman wrapped up the  symposium with “Gut healt...

Recommendations for identification and selection of bioactive compounds to develop antimethanogenic feed additives. Dr. Yáñez-Ruiz (8:23)

How can we search for molecules that modify how feed is fermented in the rumen? Conventionally, we have used scientific literature to look for plant extracts and compounds that have been researched before. Now, we have computational technology that offers opportunities to model how molecules inte...

Dr. Nichols opens by outlining her background in protein nutrition research spanning Canada, the Netherlands, industry R&D, and now academia at UC Davis. Her research has focused on mammary amino acid metabolism, nitrogen efficiency, and the interaction between protein and energy supply in dairy cattle. (1:00–4:05)

Dr. Räisänen shares her path from Penn State to Finland, Switzerland, and now Aarhus University, where she is leading ...

Dr. Ricklefs-Johnson talks about bone health and the cardiovascular health benefits of cheese. Calcium, phosphorus, and vitamins D, K, and B12 are all important for bone health, and cheese is a good source of each. In the past, saturated fat in cheese would have been demonized, but research is finding that saturated fat isn’t created equally across all food types, and cheese has many unique fatty acids. Cheese consumption is associ...

Dr. Rico’s presentation was titled “Of cows and bugs: Using insects as alternative feeds in dairy cattle nutrition.” He gives an overview of his presentation, noting that while insects are not a major focus of US dairy nutrition, they are of interest in other parts of the world as a protein source to substitute for soybean or fish meal. (2:12)

Dr. Dou’s talk was “Alternative feed for livestock: Opportunities and challenges to suppor...

This episode’s guests were speakers on a Hot Topic Panel titled “Farm Management for the Future - Managing for Health, Welfare, and Performance” at the 2025 ADSA annual meeting. 

Dr. Nelson gives some background on how the Hot Topic Panel idea came to be and introduces the rest of the guests. (1:07)

Dr. Devries describes his research program in dairy cattle behavior and nutrition, particularly using behavior as a metric for understan...

Genetic resilience and the dynamics of inbreeding and diversity in dairy breeding. Dr. Maltecca (6:43)

The main issues in managing genetic diversity in dairy cattle include inbreeding depression and continuing selection without exhausting the available variability in the population. These are difficult to investigate in a breeding population, as there is not a model algorithm where there is the luxury of designing an experiment. Dai...

Host Scott Sorrell begins the episode by setting expectations for a science-first conversation on chelated trace minerals, noting panelist affiliations while emphasizing that the discussion is grounded in research, not promotion. Stephen Ashmead, Senior Fellow for Chelates with Balchem, shares the origins of chelated mineral technology through Albion Laboratories, founded in 1956 by his grandfather, Harvey Ashmead, after recognizin...

Greg Nye introduces himself and Mountain View Dairy, where he manages three facilities and associated farm ground. He outlines the design and construction timeline of their fully enclosed feed center and shares the three primary benefits behind the project: reduced shrinkage, improved ration consistency, and enhanced employee safety. (1:41)

Greg explains how external receiving and intentionally separated traffic flows eliminate cros...

This episode’s guests were speakers on the Joint ADSA-CSAS Breeding and Genetics Symposium:

Dairy Welfare—Breeding and Management Strategies at the 2025 ADSA annual meeting. 

Jessica’s talk was titled “Herd Sustainability Index: Using milk recording data to evaluate dairy herd sustainability.” This index provides a national percentile ranking benchmark for producers relative to sustainability from DHI data. The index evaluates ten in...

Rob and Adrian share their family’s journey, from Dutch immigrant roots to managing large-scale dairy operations in California and Colorado, and discuss how communication, leadership structure and disciplined decision-making have helped them successfully scale their operation. The conversation also dives into lessons learned from facility design, sustainability initiatives and the launch of a consumer colostrum brand rooted in dair...

In the Real Science Exchange Legacy Series, we celebrate the pioneers who have shaped the dairy industry. In this episode, we honor Dr. Don Beitz, a distinguished professor at Iowa State University. At the 2025 ADSA Annual Meeting, a symposium was held titled “Donald C. Beitz Recognition Symposium: 50-Plus Years of Dairy Science Research.” The guests on this episode, all former graduate students of Dr. Beitz, were speakers at the e...

This episode features Dr. Glen Broderick and Dr. May Beth Hall, speakers at the 2025 ADSA Ruminant Nutrition Symposium: Anomalies in Analyzed Nutrient Composition of Feedstuffs.

Dr. Broderick’s presentation was titled “Protein analysis methodology.” The high points of his talk include recommendations for nitrogen analysis in feeds, potential improvements in determining protein degradability and undegradability in the rumen, and near...

This episode features Dr. Jocelyn Johnson with STgenetics, a speaker at the 2025 ADSA Breeding and Genetics Symposium: Creating Carbon-Friendly Cows and Leveraging Omics to Improve the Sustainability of Dairy Production.

Dr. Johnson’s presentation was titled “Advancing dairy sustainability through feed-efficient genetics and genomics: Research insights and applications.” She gives an overview of her talk, which focused on data STgen...

Eve gives an overview of current and future consumer trends where dairy can play a role. Functional foods, health and wellness, high protein foods, fermented and cultured foods, women’s health, brain health, and aging are all part of the mix. (7:26)

The panelists discuss the healthfulness of saturated fats, the resurgence of butter, milk’s bioactive compounds, and how best to reach the public about the health benefits of dairy. (10:...

Dr. Lock presented a Real Science Lecture Series webinar on June 3, 2025. This episode takes a deep dive into the current science and applications of feeding high-oleic soybeans in dairy diets. You can find the original webinar at balchem.com/realscience. 

Dr. Lock gives an overview of the evolution of our knowledge of biologically important fatty acids in dairy cows. Much like we think more about amino acids than crude protein thes...