Degree Dairy Feed Program
The Degree Dairy Feed Program from NEMO Feed delivers comprehensive, science-based nutrition for every stage of your herd’s life—from calves and heifers to dry and lactating cows. Backed by expert on-farm consulting, each formula is crafted with high-quality, highly digestible ingredients and organic trace minerals to promote optimal health, performance, and profitability. Whether you're feeding conventional, non-GMO, or organic herds, the Degree Dairy Feed Program offers tailored solutions designed to fit your farm’s goals and maximize return on investment.
Organic Trace
Minerals
All Degree Dairy products contain organic trace minerals for increased bioavailability.
Customized On-Farm Formulations
Rations tailored to your herd and available forages to maximize ROI.
Trusted Guidance & Support
Free consultation and feed formulation from experienced dairy specialists.
Product Creation
- Formulations based on the gold standards published in National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine (2021); And use of the computer models developed by cutting edge university research programs.
- Only quality ingredients used; monitored by the Supplier Approval Program.
- Ingredients tested for nutrient levels and used to optimize the rations nutrition profile.
- Extensive background work and formulation experience have gone into the development and manufacturing of the Degree Dairy family of products.
Product Benefits
- Primary objectives are related to best animal health and maximum efficiency.
- Diets are optimized for the reduction of feed costs and increase in profitability.
- Complex biological models handled by sophisticated computer software aid us in knowing with accuracy the nutritional value of feeds and their actions at the digestive level.
- This makes it possible to optimize rumen fermentation and ensure maximum microbial yield, thereby avoiding feed waste that is detrimental to profitability, animal health, and the environment.
- Superior nutrition program at a very competitive price.
Consultation Services
The use of NEMO Degree Dairy products comes with free on-farm ration formulation and management consulting from our nutritionists. Our nutritionists are dedicated to providing professional, experienced, and educated advice to all of our clients.
Profitability is the cornerstone to longevity of any business, and maintaining profitability can be especially challenging in the dairy industry. Because nutrition costs often add up to more than half of a dairy’s operating expenses, the nutrition program has a tremendous influence over profitability. Therefore at NEMO Feed we have built a team that strives to excel in every aspect of the feed business, most importantly quality and service, to ensure we deliver a nutrition program that fosters profitability.
We believe the knowledge, talent, and energy of NEMO’s dairy team sets us apart from the competition and we would be glad to visit with you about these details.
Nutritional Consultants
Sean Cornelius, Dairy Specialist
Sean is a third generation dairy farmer from Hamilton, MO, where he and his family own and operate the only Grade A dairy in Caldwell County. His family dairy embraces technology and has installed box robotic milkers. He now offers his lifetime of on-farm dairy experience and his 20+ years of continuing education to you.
Chad Mullins, PhD, Nutrition Specialist
Dr. Mullins brings a breadth of knowledge and technical support to our region’s dairy farmers. His work centers around providing nutrition management consultation services.
Our Products
- All Products
- Feeds
- Supplements & Minerals
Calf Starter Pellet
Used for making on-farm calf starters with corn, roasted soybeans, and oats. Includes Rumensin for feed efficiency and coccidiosis control.
20% Calf Starter Complete
Built from the Calf Starter Pellet, this feed delivers the nutrition required for today’s accelerated calf feeding programs.
16% Calf Grower
Built from the Heifer Pellet mixed with corn, oats, and molasses. Balanced to provide all necessary nutrients to weaned calves and growing heifers.
Heifer Developer Pellet
Used for on-farm blending with on-farm grains. Includes Rumensin® for feed efficiency and coccidiosis control.
Heifer Mineral
Used for making on-farm feeds and Total Mix Rations. Rumensin® used for increased rate of weight gains and coccidiosis prevention.
Dry Cow Mineral
Designed to mix with on-farm forages and grains for Total Mix Rations or grain mixes.
Close-Up Pellet
Palatable source of anions to lower blood pH which improves fresh cow health and performance.
Lactating 38% Concentrate
Pellet or meal; provides protein and minerals essential for milk production.
Lactating 14%–16% Complete
Pellet or meal; balances of protein, carbohydrates, and minerals to support milk production.
Feeding Tips
| Time Stage | Feed Type |
|---|---|
| Birth | Colostrum & milk |
| Day 3 | Calf Starter Free Choice |
| 2 Months | Wean from milk |
| 2.5 Months | Transition to Grower |
| 4 Months | Feeding Grower pellets, now at this time high quality hay can be introduced up to 10% of diet |
| 5 Months | Transition to 38% Heifer Developer or Heifer Mineral |
| Approximately 13 Months | Breeding |
|---|---|
| 22.5 Months | Close-up ration |
| 24 Months | Calving |
The colostrum program, environmental conditions, the volume and solids of milk fed, and disease occurrences will impact performance and timeline.
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Feed newborn calves 3 quarts of high-quality colostrum as soon as possible after birth. And then again approximately 12 hours later (or at the next feeding). The calf loses the ability to absorb colostrum very quickly so prompt delivery is important. Blood protein can be checked to assess immune transfer.
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Often, producers let the calf nurse its dam. Research has shown that many of these calves do not nurse enough colostrum from their dams. Thus they may not receive adequate immunity to fight off disease. Hand-feeding newborn calves is recommended so that a dairy farmer knows how much colostrum an individual calf receives.
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Following colostrum, milk (or milk replacer) needs to be fed for the first 6-8 weeks of the calf’s life. Closely follow label directions for mixing milk replacer and deliver to the calf at approximately 103 degrees. Wash bottles, nipples, buckets, and all mixing equipment with soap and hot water after EACH use.
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Begin offering the Dry Starter Feed at 3 or 4 days of age.
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Place Starter in a shallow bucket (ideally less than 6 inches deep).
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Keep the Starter fresh by feeding small amounts (approximately half of a coffee cup), with the refused feed removed daily and fed to older calves.
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Provide fresh water at feeding times to increase Starter intake. During hot weather water should be refreshed mid-day.
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Increase amount of Starter offered as needed to ensure free-choice access. Calves will consume approximately 1.6 lbs of Calf Starter per 100 lbs of body weight.
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Wean calves once Starter consumption is consistently above 3 lbs per day.
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Wean by feeding milk or milk replacer at half rate for 2-3 days and offer Starter Feed ad libitum. Starter intake will increase at a rapid rate following weaning, and generally doubles during the first week after milk is removed.
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To help calf thrive through weaning feed Calf Starter until 1 to 2 weeks post-weaning. Then gradually blend a Calf Grower Feed into a Calf Starter Feed until the calf is consuming all Calf Grower Feed.
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Feed NEMO Grower until the heifer is approximately 5 months of age.
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Young heifers do well without forage until about 4 months of age. At 4 months, gradually introduce high quality forage until forage is 10% of the diet.
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Provide access to fresh, clean water at all times.
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Around 5 to 6 months of age transition to the Heifer Developer Feed program, and higher amounts of forage can begin to be fed at this time.
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Heifer Developer Concentrate is designed to be mixed with home corn. If a producer has protein commodities on the farm (such as ddg/bean meal/roasted beans) the Heifer Mineral can be used.
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High-quality forage is paramount to milk cows. There is no substitute for having high-quality forage.
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Degree Dairy Complete Pellet is to supplement dairy forage. Feed 15 lbs/cow daily. Increase feed by 5 lbs for each 10 lbs of milk over 70 lbs; up to a maximum of 25 lbs/cow daily.
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Degree Dairy Concentrate is a protein-dense complete protein and mineral source for supplementing dairy quality forage and corn grain. Feed Degree Dairy Concentrate at 5 lbs/cow daily.
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Degree Dairy Complete Mineral is a mineral formulated to be fed at 1 pound per cow to meet the needs of most milk cows.
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Degree Dairy Pre Pac Micro Blend is a proprietary blend of micro minerals and vitamins designed to be fed at 0.1 pounds per cow.
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Milk cows and dry cows should have at least 18-24 inches of bunk space per cow, with 24-30 inches required per cow for prefresh and postfresh cows. The lower levels mentioned are only recommended in very well-managed herds.
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NEMO nutritionists are always available to help balance feeds for your lactating herd.
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High-quality forage is paramount to milk cows. There is no substitute for having high-quality forage.
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Degree Dairy Complete Pellet is to supplement dairy forage. Feed 15 lbs/cow daily. Increase feed by 5 lbs for each 10 lbs of milk over 70 lbs; up to a maximum of 25 lbs/cow daily.
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Degree Dairy Concentrate is a protein-dense complete protein and mineral source for supplementing dairy quality forage and corn grain. Feed Degree Dairy Concentrate at 5 lbs/cow daily.
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Degree Dairy Complete Mineral is a mineral formulated to be fed at 1 pound per cow to meet the needs of most milk cows.
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Degree Dairy Pre Pac Micro Blend is a proprietary blend of micro minerals and vitamins designed to be fed at 0.1 pounds per cow.
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Milk cows and dry cows should have at least 18-24 inches of bunk space per cow, with 24-30 inches required per cow for prefresh and postfresh cows. The lower levels mentioned are only recommended in very well-managed herds.
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NEMO nutritionists are always available to help balance feeds for your lactating herd.
Feed That Works As Hard As You Do
Give your animals the nutrition they deserve. Find a dealer near you or schedule a consultation to ensure your animals get the nutrition they need for optimal health and performance.
