The most neglected nutrient
Water's role in milk production is under the microscope
by Christina Clark
esearchers are working to make the effects of water quality on milk productivity crystal clear.
Water looks pretty simple, but it contains all kinds of nutrients. And because it makes up 87 per cent of the milk produced by cows, water can have a big impact on quality milk production.
Vern Osborne of the Department of Animal Science at Ridgetown College is studying the water-intake behavior of dairy cows. Lactating cows drink up to 100 litres of water in a day, but few studies have concentrated on the effects of water quality on milk production.
"Water is the most neglected nutrient when it comes to dairy production," says Osborne.
He's looking closely at the effects of water properties on cow productivity. His goal is to establish the relationship of factors such as water temperature and mineral content to milk production, cows' health and reproduction.
Water characteristics can vary greatly from one community to the next and even between neighboring farms. The levels of chemicals, bacteria and pollutants in water are not uniform across the country.
Osborne wants to know if these differences can significantly affect milk productivity. His research will enable him to identify what nutrients in the water positively -- or negatively -- affect dairy production. Then, water-delivery and -filtration systems could be designed to enhance water quality so that dairy farmers can supply their cows with the best water possible.
"We want to circumvent the negative factors in water so that the cows are drinking pure water of the highest quality," he says.
Information from Osborne's epidemiological study on water quality in Canada and how it relates to the on-farm performance of cows could be used in the future to supplement cows' diets with nutrients through the water. In this way, water could act as a vehicle for feeding the cows electrolytes, amino acids and other essential components of a ruminant's diet.
This research is sponsored by the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs and the Dairy Farmers of Ontario.
