SHOW / EPISODE

Dr. Elizabeth French and Barbara Dittrich: Cover Crop Forages for Dairy Cows | Ep. 222

Season 3 | Episode 222

41m | Nov 3, 2026

In this episode of The Dairy Podcast Show, Dr. Elizabeth French and Barbara Dittrich discuss how cover crop forages can support dairy nutrition and farm sustainability. They examine rye, triticale, and mixed forages, highlighting milk production, feed costs, forage quality, and methane emissions. Discover practical strategies for improving dairy feeding programs. Listen now on all major platforms!

"When you think of only 4.7% of our cropland is used for cover crops, there's a huge opportunity here to improve not only our agronomic, but also our economic outputs from our farmland." - Dr. Elizabeth French

Meet the guests:

Dr. Elizabeth French is a Research Animal Scientist at the USDA Dairy Forage Research Center, specializing in precision dairy nutrition, forage utilization, and animal productivity. Since joining USDA, her research has focused on optimizing dairy cow diets, improving forage digestibility, and integrating nutritional strategies with animal monitoring technologies. Her work explores how alternative forages can support milk production, feed efficiency, and sustainable dairy operations.

Barbara Dittrich is a Dairy Focus Consultant at Cargill Animal Nutrition. She earned her master's degree in Dairy Science from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where she conducted research at the USDA Dairy Forage Research Center. Her research focused on alternative cover crop silages and their effects on early lactation dairy cows, including milk production, forage digestibility, and methane emissions. Her work connects dairy nutrition research with practical strategies for improving farm profitability and sustainability.

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What you'll learn: