HERD HEALTH

Recent research from dairy universities (such as Cornell University) suggests we’re still unsure of the “best” protocols for supplementing fresh dairy cows with calcium.

Every dairy producer knows the health of the herd is invaluable when working to achieve the highest production and profit. The old adage “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure” certainly goes a long way to not only prevent the reduction in production but to reduce the difficulties and expense in reaching that pinnacle of profitability.

When a farm begins a footbath program, a lot of thought and evaluation goes into it. What chemicals to use, where to place the bath and the type of bath are all considerations.

Heat stress can impart significant economic and production ramifications on your livestock operation. Some ramifications are apparent right away (lower feed intake and milk production) and some delayed (lameness).

There’s nothing more important to a dairy farmer than to keep milk production booming, which requires them to pay attention to anything that could possibly impede uptime.

Zero lameness is not about never having a cow go lame. We know if there are cows, there will be a time when one of them will become lame. But how we respond to that event will determine whether that cow will become part of the chronic lameness problem our industry is experiencing.