HERD HEALTH

After making several tweaks to their transition cow program over the past few years, Dirk and Erica Kiestra have found their sweet spot in getting cows from dry-off to freshening.

Although somatic cell counts (SCC) have long been used as an indicator of udder health and milk quality, several common myths and misunderstandings remain.

Since the Canadian Johne’s Disease Initiative (CJDI) began in July 2009, several provincial programs have been coordinated, and a lot of dairy producers participated in the start of the control efforts.

Twenty-one countries have eliminated bovine leukemia virus (BLV) from their cattle populations. Canada is not one of them.

It was a massive undertaking, and continues to be an ongoing project, but Canada now has its own nationwide numbers to better understand disease prevalence and herd management practices throughout the industry.

Milk quality is affected by numerous factors, many of which we can control through appropriate management. One major area that encompasses many intertwined factors influencing milk quality is cow comfort, which is the focus of this article.