Ruminate This | Agrarian Solutions
Ruminate This by Agrarian Solutions is your trusted source for insights on safeguarding ruminant health for a lifetime. From tackling the hidden threats of mycotoxins to optimizing gut health, immune function, and nutrition, we break down the biggest challenges impacting animal performance and producer profitability. But it’s not just about the science—we also explore workplace culture, leadership, and people development, because a strong team drives success. Tune in the second and fourth Monday for insights, research, and real-world strategies to keep your herd and team thriving.
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Episodes
71 episodes
72: Heat Stress in Dairy Cows Isn’t Just the Problem. It’s the Multiplier
Most dairy conversations treat heat stress in dairy cows as the primary problem.But what if it is not the root cause. What if it is the multiplier?In episode 72 of Ruminate This, Scott and Dr. Larry Roth explore a different way to th...
71: Forage Quality ROI: Stop Losing Money in the Bunk
In this episode of Ruminate This with Agrarian Solutions, host Scott Zehr continues the conversation with Joe Lawrence of Cornell Pro-Dairy, shifting from forage strategy to what matters most right now: return on investment.With...
70: Forage Quality Decisions That Drive Dairy Profitability
In this episode of Ruminate This with Agrarian Solutions, host Scott Zehr sits down with Joe Lawrence of Cornell Pro-Dairy to discuss one of the most critical and often underestimated drivers of dairy profitability: forage quality.As fir...
69: Cow Reproduction Is Improving… So Why Aren’t Heifers?
Dairy cow reproduction has improved significantly over the past decade, but virgin heifer reproduction has remained relatively flat. Why?In this episode of Ruminate This, Scott Zehr explores whether mycotoxins in virgin heifer TMRs could...
68: Why Multiple Mycotoxins in the TMR Increase Dairy Herd Risk
Multiple mycotoxins in the TMR do not just add up. They multiply damage in dairy cows.In this episode of Ruminate This, Scott Zehr and Vice President of Nutrition Dr. Larry Roth connect their previous episode discussions and explain why ...
67: T-2 Exposure and Hemorrhagic Bowel Syndrome in Dairy
T-2 mycotoxin, often called the assassin toxin, is one of the most aggressive and overlooked feed risks in dairy production. In this episode of Ruminate This, Dr. Larry Roth explains how T-2 disrupts protein synthesis, damages the rume...
66: Inconsistent Herd Performance? Take A Closer Look at Fumonisin
Fumonisin is one of the most overlooked mycotoxins in dairy production, and its impact goes beyond immune suppression. In this episode, Dr. Larry Roth explains how fumonisin disrupts cell-to-cell communication in the gut (often called quorum se...
65: Beyond Fertility | Zearalenone’s Impact on Herd Health
Zeralanone is often labeled a reproductive mycotoxin, but that barely scratches the surface. This reproductive mycotoxin, is an estrogen imposter that disrupts fertility, immunity, liver function, and overall metabolic stability.In this ...
64: How DON Mycotoxin Slows the Rumen and Erodes Dairy Performance
In this episode of Ruminate This, Scott Zehr is joined by Dr. Larry Roth (VP of Nutrition, Agrarian Solutions) for a discussion about DON (deoxynivalenol/vomitoxin)—one of the most common and most misunderstood mycotoxins in dairy rations.<...
63: Best of Ruminate This: The Dairy Nutrition Conversations That Still Matter
This is the final episode of the year for Ruminate This, and we’re closing it out with a “best of” reflection on five episodes that continue to matter on dairy farms today.In this year-end episode, Scott Zehr revisits some of th...
62: Why Culture Builds Better Calves
Everyone talks about “culture” on dairies, but for calves, culture quietly determines which calves grow into healthy, high-performing cows and which struggle.In this episode, Scott explores how Agrarian Solutions’ RISE core values, Relat...
61: Mycotoxins & Subtle Stress: Why Cows Look Fine but Performance Drifts
What do you do when the cows look perfectly fine but performance keeps drifting? In this episode of Ruminate This, Scott Zehr breaks down the quiet, hard-to-detect issue plaguing many dairy herds: subtle biological stress, especially f...
59: Nine Months of Pain All Because Testing Came Too Late
Mycotoxins like DON, zearalenone, and fumonisin silently drain herd health and profits, but too often, testing only happens after the damage is done.In this episode of Ruminate This, Scott Zehr and Dr. Larry Roth discuss why rou...
58: The Truth About Calcium Carbonate in Dairy Nutrition
Most people see “calcium carbonate” on a label and assume it’s all the same, cheap limestone that barely gets absorbed. However, now we know: Not all calcium carbonate is created equal.In this episode of Ruminate This, Scott Zeh...
57: The True Cost of Staying the Same on Your Dairy
What if the biggest hidden cost on your dairy isn’t feed, labor, or genetics, but the pain of not changing?In this episode of Ruminate This, Scott Zehr and co-host Jeff Hostetter, Product Manager at Premier Select Sires, explore...
56: Shaping the Future of Transition Cow Health
Most dairies focus on calcium deficiency during the transition period, but what if that’s just a symptom, not the root cause? In this episode of Ruminate This, Mark Carpenter, CEO of Agrarian Solutions, shares why the real enemy is inf...
55: Best practices for disbudding
Disbudding is performed on nearly 94% of U.S. dairy farms. Dr. Alycia Drwencke, PhD, Tucker Lab Member at the University of California, Davis, shares research comparing methods and why proper pain management requires both a local block and NSAI...
54: The next generation of transition cow care
Preventing milk fever is important, but it’s not the whole story. The real wins in transition care happen when you go beyond calcium.In this episode of Ruminate This, John Lawlor, Managing Director of Anchor Life Science a...
53: Silage inoculants: what they do and don't do
Do forage inoculants really work, or are they just “insurance”?Can they prevent or reduce mycotoxins in silage?In this episode of Ruminate This, Agrarian Solutions’ Vice President of Nutrition, Dr. Larry Roth, explains the real role ...
52: Corn Silage Secrets: Stop Shrink, Boost Quality
In this episode of Ruminate This, we discuss simple, no-nonsense strategies to set up your silage season for success and stop costly feed losses before they start. Agrarian Solutions’ Vice President of Nutrition, Larry Roth, Ph.D., PAS...
51: Optimizing Transition Cow Health to Boost Fertility and Milk Production
The first week after calving is a critical window that impacts reproductive performance and overall lactation success in dairy cows. In this episode, we discuss how supporting transition cows’ immune systems and addressing common nutritional de...
50: Drone Technology for Accurate Silage and Feedstuff Inventory
Accurate feed inventory management is crucial for dairy producers and nutritionists to optimize ration formulation, improve herd performance, and meet lender requirements. In this episode of Ruminate This, discover how drone technology...
49: Mycotoxins, Inflammation, or Something Else?
Are mycotoxins really limiting performance, or is something else happening? In episode 49 of Ruminate This, we tackle common questions from dairy professionals. When should you consider an immune enhancement product? How can you tell i...
48: Fishing for Feedback: Its Role in Building Strong Teams and Culture
In this episode of Ruminate This, we explore how creating a culture of openness and trust can transform your dairy. Whether you're a producer, nutritionist, or team leader, the ability to foster honest communication and welcome feedbac...
47: Invest in Yourself: The Power of YDLI
In Episode 47 of Ruminate This, we’re joined by Jodi Hoynoski, a driving force behind the Young Dairy Leaders Institute (YDLI), to explore how this program is shaping the future of the dairy industry. YDLI isn’t just another leadership...