Today’s episode is sponsored by Novus International, Inc. Novus marketing specialist, Megan Niehmeyer took time to interview Dr. Karen Luchterhand, C.O.W.S. program lead, on the importance of cow comfort. She shares key management strategies for achieving optimal production without sacrificing animal well-being. At the end, Dr. Luchterhand shares a C.O.W.S. assessment story that shows the power that teamwork, management practices, and nutrition can all have in transforming a dairy. Thank you for listening!

A lame cow is a drag on the morale and fiscal economy of any dairy farm. Neither management nor employees are happy to see cows that shuffle about the dairy.

Lameness affects nearly 25% of dairy cows worldwide. Data from the last five years suggests that when lesions occur in first lactation or before, there is a high probability the same lesion will occur again in consecutive lactations.

It’s the middle of winter and your dairy cows have likely dealt with seasonal lameness this fall. This has probably led to lower production levels, weaker reproductive performance and a pile of bills for additional hoof trims, wrappings and other treatments.

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.

More than 1,500 records comparing lameness and lesion presence data among Alberta freestall herds reveals most cows with lameness have a lesion. However, not all cows with a lesion are lame.