HERD HEALTH

Lameness is our dairy industry’s most visible animal welfare issue as well as being detrimental for cows’ longevity, reproductive performance and productivity. In addition, the dairy industry is faced with increasing pressures from the public to ensure our cows are well cared for.

Making the move to a robotic milking system can have a big impact on the finances of a farm as well as the well-being and quality of life of the animals and people involved.

With the changing of the seasons comes new challenges for dairy producers. As day length, temperature and environmental pests and pathogens change throughout the year, we see swings in intakes, production and animal health.

Salmonella dublin is a multi-drug-resistant bacterial disease that has become an emerging threat in Canada. Historically, it has been found in the U.S. and sporadically in Alberta, but cases of Salmonella dublin have been recently found in both Ontario and Quebec.

Three dairy veterinarians shared their experiences working with automated milking systems and offered some valuable pieces of advice to dairy farmers during the Lely North America FMS Conference held in Fair Oaks, Indiana, in May.

In my grandfather’s day, everyone milked cows before and after work. My grandfather milked eight “dairy” cows that resembled polled Herefords, traded the cream for corn meal, and my grandmother cooked with the skim.