Short Stature Corn Hybrids: What we know so far on how they impact lactating cows

Dr. Mike VandeHaar has been a professor of dairy nutrition at Michigan State University since 1988. He grew up on a dairy farm in Iowa and completed his Ph.D. at Iowa State University. His appointment is 60% research, 30% teaching, and 10% service. His research area is dairy cattle nutrition, and he is internationally known as an expert in the feed efficiency of dairy cattle. He teaches nutrition and mammary physiology. He also is active in leadership of the American Dairy Science Association and is currently serving as its President. Research Dr. VandeHaar’s research centers on finding new ways to feed, breed, and manage dairy cows to improve feed efficiency and sustainably feed people. He is part of a multistate project to develop genomic tools to improve feed efficiency and reduce methane emissions in the dairy industry. He led the group from 2010 to 2023 and that work culminated in the addition of the FeedSaved trait to the US Net Merit Index. Net Merit is used to select genetically superior animals for breeding the next generation so the cows of the future will be even more efficient than the cow of today. Dr. VandeHaar also studies how to feed calves and heifers for improved growth, health, and mammary development, how to feed for decreased methane emissions, and how to feed cows in later lactation for optimal nutrient partitioning. Because of his expertise in energy metabolism and growth, he was selected to be a member of the committee of the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine to revise the Nutrient Requirements of Dairy Cattle; that work was published in 2021.