The Farmers’ Almanac is predicting “the winter of the great divide” for the 2020-21 season – cold and snowy in the north with drought in the west. Time will tell if this prediction will hold true but one prediction that will be 100% accurate is that cold winter weather can make even the simplest chore much more difficult. A simple winterization routine for your water supply can help eliminate any icy, frozen surprises.

Here are some general guidelines for how to handle water in the colder months, particularly in the Midwest, Northeast and Pacific Northwest.

Water is the most important nutrient we can give our cattle, yet it is often overlooked. Dairy cows drink on average 30-50 gallons of water a day and produce 1 pound of milk for every 4.5 pounds of water consumed.

Dairy cows need water to turn feed into milk – a product that is already nearly 90 percent water. Achieving ideal water intake comes down to two criteria: quantity and quality.

Water – which makes up 86 percent of a newborn calf’s bodyweight – is the most important nutrient for dairy calves, but it is often overlooked.

In difficult economic times, dairy producers look for ways to do more with less. In the case of clean drinking water, however, the rule is to do more with more. Water intake may be the bottleneck preventing more efficient production on your dairy.

What causes calf scours? As new calves arrive, so does the threat of the common condition known as calf scours or neonatal calf diarrhea.