Supporting resilient cows: ADM’s approach is boosting transition cow performance

13 January 2026

5 minute read

By: Sarah Mikesell

North America

For dairy producers, the weeks surrounding calving mark one of the most physiologically demanding phases of a cow’s life. During the transition period – from late gestation through early lactation – cows must adjust to dramatic hormonal, metabolic and nutritional shifts while sustaining both fetal growth and the onset of a new lactation  

Dr. Gabi Acetoze, North American Director of Creation, Design and Development at ADM Animal Nutrition, believes that success or failure in this short window can define a cow’s productivity for months to come.

“When we look at cow’s transition period, these animals are going from pregnant, non-lactating to the start of a new lactation after calving,” Acetoze explained. “So, there’s a lot of metabolic changes that the cow goes through from pregnancy, to development of the fetus, to preparing the udder to fully support milk production.”

ADM’s focus, she said, is helping the cow navigate optimally through the transition period focusing on the right management, proper nutrition and diet balancing and good husbandry. The key is to provide the animal with everything it needs from an energy and nutrients standpoint to give them the best kick-start into lactation possible. 

The ultimate goal, she added, is to “enable them to have as much metabolic resilience as they can to overcome all these changes and set them up for a successful lactation to come.”

The concept of metabolic resilience is drawing more attention in ruminant nutrition. In order to meet higher energy demand in early lactation, cows tend to mobilize body reserves to support lactation, a natural metabolic pathway to support their energy demands spike while intake may lag behind. Negative energy balance can trigger a cascade of metabolic disorders that compromise both animal health and profitability.

Dr. Acetoze emphasized that nutritionists and producers should align on feed formulations and management practices to help cows adapt smoothly. The right rations must balance energy density with rumen health. 

Precision nutrition in action

ADM’s research and product development efforts are directed at that very objective. ADM’s Nexulin is a rumen bypass capsicum-based feed additive designed to support milk production efficiency during early lactation. 

“Nexulin is unique in terms of its manufacturing and intellectual property (IP) technology. It’s a capsicum-based product, designed so the capsicum bypasses the rumen and reaches the small intestine where it’s recognized by a specific receptor. Then through a cascade of hormonal events, it works in the process called glucose sparing.”

The “glucose-sparing” mechanism, she explained, helps drive gluconeogenesis, or the cow’s own glucose production, which is then absorbed by the mammary gland and converted into milk. 

“It’s one of the most unique benefits of Nexulin,” Acetoze said, “The precision delivery on the site of action is what really sets it apart.”

By allowing more dietary energy to be converted into usable glucose, ADM’s technology aims to reduce the metabolic bottleneck that often limits early-lactation performance. The product’s design ensures that its bioactive compounds are absorbed where they can act most effectively after bypassing the rumen.

Multi-region study shows consistent response

Field data from commercial herds have reinforced those physiological insights. 

“Nexulin has been very successful for us, not only here in North America, but across all five regions where we have a presence,” Acetoze said. “Recently, field demonstrations have shown a bump in milk production of about 5 - 6 lbs. on average per cow per day in the first 100 days.”

That increase translates directly into improved farm economics. 

“Producers see it as a huge benefit to improve their milk production efficiency, which also improves their income over feed cost and their overall farm economics,” she added.

Those observations have been confirmed by a multi-study analysis combining seven separate trials conducted worldwide. 

“This year in particular, we ran a multi-studies analysis,” Acetoze said. “We ran statistical analysis combining data from e seven trials across many different regions, from New Zealand to France to Brazil to Canada and the US, and the results showed a consistent repeatability response of 5.7 lbs. per cow per day on average during the first 100 days in milk.”

Along with the increase in milk yield, producers also saw greater output of milk fat and protein, in pounds, driven by the greater milk yield. Such improvements, she said, are giving producers confidence that the benefits they see on-farm are backed by science and data. 

Economic returns that matter

Even modest gains in milk output can yield strong returns when margins are tight. 

“When we look at milk prices and the cost of the feed additive, our ROI is greater than 7:1, and it’s 10:1 in many cases,” Acetoze explained. “When milk prices are higher than what they are currently are, during the fall of 2025, it can be an even bigger impact.”

That kind of return on investment resonates with producers navigating volatile markets and rising input costs. By focusing on nutrient utilization, efficiency, and metabolic stability, Nexulin offers a measurable pathway to improved profitability.

The future of ruminant nutrition

Looking beyond the immediate transition window, Acetoze sees a rapidly evolving future for dairy production – one shaped by both global protein demand and environmental stewardship.

“We look at the globe and see a growing population and a growing demand for high-quality protein. There’s a continued drive for milk production that also aligns closely to improvements in efficiency,” she said.

She believes the central challenge will be to produce more with fewer resources. 

“It’s continuing to drive efficiency so the animals can produce more with the resources that they have,” she said. “That not only provides better economic metrics on milk production but also when we look at the environmental impact which is a hot topic within the dairy industry.”

Acetoze also pointed to emerging research on the rumen microbiome as a frontier with enormous potential. 

“New developments on microbiome understanding are helping scientists to determine what are the microbes that are within the ruminant, how are they working, what are they turning on and off, and how can dietary strategies impact the play of those microbes into production,” she said. 

Ultimately, she said, “dairy farmers want to continue to be profitable, they want to continue to be part of a protein solution and for us in the allied industries, we want to continue to enable them to do so with efficiencies across the entire production system, not only milk but also the environmental impact and the ecosystem delivered in that dairy system itself.”

Collaborative innovation at ADM

Within ADM’s Creation, Design and Development (CD&D) group, that mission translates into a cross-species, collaborative approach. 

“Our CD&D team is a highly talented team working across many species,” Acetoze said. “We have nutritionists and formulation expertise, across three main species, swine, poultry and ruminants. Our focus is to find solutions to customers’ challenges. If we don’t have a solution, then how we can co-partner on designing something that would be a potential solution to address such challenge.”

She described the team as “very dynamic, very creative, and working every day to help livestock producers.”

That spirit of innovation grounded in data and delivered through practical nutrition solutions continues to define ADM’s contribution to global dairy performance. 

Learn more about ADM's dairy solutions.