By Tessa Kelly, TDA Lab Manager
Every bite matters. If your cows eat it, we can test it.
At The Dairy Authority (TDA) Feed Lab we know that feed quality and feed composition play a vital role in keeping your cows healthy and productive and that, in turn, impacts profitability. Accurate feed analysis allows you to make informed decisions about nutrition, which helps your cows get the most out of every bite. That’s why the TDA Feed Lab was started: to empower our clients with quick, accurate information they could depend on. Dry matters, harvest panels, nitrates and NIR analysis – we do it all in-house, six days a week.
Feed and forage samples can be sent via mail, UPS, FedEx, or picked up by our courier service. Once we receive the samples, turnaround times are usually within 24 to 48 hours, depending on the time of day the sample is received. We do try to run samples the same day they arrive.
At the TDA Feed Lab we offer an extensive range of services. Each is tailored to address specific aspects of dairy herd nutrition and management. We can test individual ingredients, forages, corn silage, hay and haylage at harvest, TMRs, and more. It is really whatever the client needs. We are not a cookie-cutter service. Our job is to understand what the client needs and deliver actionable results.
The most commonly run tests include forage NIR, forage wet chemistry, forage dry matter, particle size, and harvest panels for corn silage, hay, and haylage.
NIR is a rapid test to determine nutrient composition of forages in order to make real-time adjustments to feeding strategies when needed. As a satellite of Cumberland Valley Analytical Services, we run their comprehensive NIR equations which are continually updated. NIR tests for a wide range of factors including dry matter, moisture content, crude protein, ADFCP, NDFCP, soluble protein, ADF, NDF, lignin, starch, sugar, fat, ash, calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, potassium, and pH on ensiled forages. In addition, calculated values are provided for available protein, adjusted protein, degradable protein, net energy of lactation, maintenance and growth (NEl, NEm,NEg), NSC and NFC.
Harvest panels are used to monitor the quality and nutrient composition of corn silage, hay, and haylage to help producers make informed decisions about harvest timing and storage management. All harvest panels include dry matter, protein, ADF, NDF and, ash. The corn silage panel also includes NEl and the hay/haylage panels also include RFV.
To learn more about the Feed Lab please go to: https://www.dairymd.com/lab/feed-lab
The lab services at TDA are extensive. In addition to the testing we do on feeds, we also culture milk samples, run PCR and ELISA tests, and we regularly process BVD ear notches, blood, tissue, bedding, towels, manure, and DHIA samples. If needed, we can also run antibiotic susceptibility tests to determine which antibiotic will work best to treat a specific issue. With our veterinary staff we also have the ability to create custom panels if one is not available commercially. We work with each individual customer to meet their needs and ensure their herd’s peak health and productivity.
Let us know what we can do for you. You can contact the TDA Lab at info@dairymd.com.
