Animal Nutrition

SoyChlor Makes Life Easier at this Idaho Dairy

Soychlor makes life easier at this idaho dairy mtime20180523085830

Mike and Connie Thompson were new to the dairy business when they started taking care of 300 Holsteins in 1999. But they rose to the challenge. Over the years they developed a successful business with Standing 16 Ranch in Jerome, ID, and tripled the size of their herd. Connie attributes much of their success to hard work, late nights, and lots of research.

As their dairy has grown and evolved, so too has their knowledge of proper feeding and nutritional practices. But since the beginning, the Thompson’s have believed in DCAD (Dietary Cation Anion Difference).

“I can never understand why other dairies don’t do DCAD. It just seems so obvious to me how important it is,” Connie said.

Connie has never considered this integral piece of their management as extra work. To her, it’s a necessary act of prevention that eliminates the time and heartache bound up in treating sick cows. Any time the Thompsons have stopped their DCAD program with SoyChlor, the population of their hospital pens has instantly increased.

The Thompsons have included SoyChlor in their close-up dry cow rations for more than 15 years as part of their DCAD approach. They are able to adjust the amount of SoyChlor by 0.25 lb/cow increments on the farm, as changes in forage mineral content makes DCAD adjustments necessary.

“If you wait until after that cow is sick you have to treat the sickness. You can treat a symptom, but you aren’t really fixing the problem,” Connie said. Years spent tending to the dairy’s hospital pens 5-6 days a week have taught Connie that preventative practices, from the start, allow for a truly healthy and profitable herd.

And the consistency of SoyChlor has allowed the Thompsons to consistently and easily prevent milk fever and the other costly disorders related to subclinical hypocalcemia.

“SoyChlor is one of those products that truly works,” said Connie. “SoyChlor makes life easier.”

To learn more about why SoyChlor is the preferred chloride supplement for close-up dry dairy cows, watch a series of new videos showcasing the product’s consistency and the team who oversees it.