The 27th American Dairy Science Association Discover Conference, held the last week in May, focused on strategies for improving dairy cattle welfare. The objective of the conference was to engage the dairy industry in a conversation of the growing importance of addressing key welfare concerns industry-wide.

Just like in the U.S., the 1980s was a decade of unrest for New Zealand agriculture. It was during this time the New Zealand government decided to change the way the state interacted with industry, agriculture and services, and made the dramatic switch toward a free-market approach. In a free-market system, government involvement with production, distribution and consumption is strongly discouraged. Australia and New Zealand are commonly seen as the most pure free-market systems in the world, particularly in regards to agriculture. This means there are no subsidies, tariffs or production quotas, and most research comes from non-governmental groups.

Mastitis prevention is contingent upon having operational protocols in place that reduce the likelihood of developing infections or of transmitting the disease. But having the right procedures in place isn’t enough if your employees don’t follow them. Perhaps the employees aren’t trained effectively, don’t fully understand the training they received or aren’t providing feedback on what is or is not working in the day-to-day operations.

The question of whether or not human resource (HR) management is needed is not unique to dairies; in fact, it’s not unique to any industry. It is a question which is relevant for any small business anywhere, and the answer is both yes and no. In small businesses with 10 or fewer employees, it’s unlikely you could keep an HR person busy full-time. However, regardless of how many employees you have, incorporating some HR management strategies proactively can really pay off over time.

The milking unit fall-off test measures the change in vacuum that occurs in a milking system to simulate what happens when a unit falls off a cow. It is an indication of the adequacy of the effective vacuum reserve or the margin capacity of the system. The change in vacuum when one unit in 12 is sucking air should be less than 0.6 inches of mercury. If it fails, then a unit falling off will cause a drop in the vacuum that affects the rest of the units, allowing them to squawk or even fall off. Vacuum margin is essential.

Summer is here and the cows are getting hot. Our dairy cows are large fermentation vats on legs, and they generate a lot of heat. The thermoneutral zone for an adult dairy cow is typically in the range of 40 to 70ºF, and cows suffer heat stress above the upper critical temperature – before most humans become bothered by heat.

Did you know that even if your farm is located in Canada or the northern U.S., heat stress will negatively impact your farm profitability? Although many dairy herds are in a higher northern parallel, they are suffering from high temperature and humidity during summer months.

Case studies are often the best way to communicate how management and facility factors affect various outcomes on individual dairies. Detailed below are two case studies from dairies in the Midwestern U.S. that act as great examples of how management plays a large role in cow comfort.

Dairy cattle face numerous sources of stress, expected and unexpected, throughout their life cycle. One of the most predictable is heat stress, which can compromise cow health and production, both of which can have a significant economic impact on the profitability of a dairy. The effects of heat stress are estimated to cost the dairy industry up to $1.5 billion annually. Primary economic losses may include lower milk yields, reduced reproductive efficiency and even death.