Gail Carpenter: You can’t outfeed bad management

In this episode of the Progressive Dairy Podcast, Gail Carpenter, who is an assistant professor and state dairy specialist at Iowa State University, and host Kimmi Devaney discuss a variety of topics ranging from dairy nutrition, reproduction, silage management and advice for dairy youth.

Visit the Iowa State Extension Dairy Team website for resources.

Here is an episode overview:

1. [~0:55] Meet Gail Carpenter
2. [~2:45] “You can’t outfeed bad management” and back to basics on stocking density, cow comfort, water trough management and more
3. [~10:30] Research: the impact of molasses supplementation on sorting with transition cows 
4. [~13:45] Strategies to improve fiber digestion
5. [~15:05] Silage: disease pressure and silage inventory 
6. [~17:35] Considerations for silage season
7. [~19:30] Planning for the 2026 silage season 
8. [~20:35] Heifer performance strategies 
9. [~24:20] Tips to reduce involuntary culling 
10. [~28:00] Top challenges Carpenter is hearing from producers 
11. [~31:50] Greatest opportunities for dairy producers right now 
12. [~36:35] What Carpenter is most excited about with the next generation of the dairy industry 
13. [~39:15] The collegiate dairy activities that had the greatest impact on her and set her up for success in her career 
14. [~34:10] Carpenter’s advice for students and young people interested in a dairy career
15. [~50:55] Rapid-fire questions