Dr. Normand St-Pierre, Extension Dairy Management Specialist, Department of Animal Sciences, The Ohio State University
Columbo is computer software that calculates the optimal forage sampling program in dairy herds. Based on 12 inputs, such as herd size and price of milk, Columbo determines: 1) the optimum sampling frequency (i.e., how often you should sample), 2) sample size (i.e., how many samples), and 3) intervention level (i.e., when you should re-balance the rations). It is the outcome of a USDA funded research and Extension project conducted by Dianne Shoemaker, Normand St-Pierre, and Bill Weiss (OSU, OARDC, and OSU Extension). A copy of the self-extracting set-up program to install the Columbo software on a Windows operating system is available at: https://dairy.osu.edu/resource/OSU%20Dairy%20Pubs.html#computer.