Nutrition in the postfresh pen may be the true determination of a successful lactation. Often referred to as the most critical time in a cow’s life, the transition period sets the stage for milk production, reproduction and overall health. While this time frame extends three weeks on either side of calving, the majority of research has focused on the nutritional demands of the prefresh cow.

As most producers are aware, sick cows behave differently than healthy cows. However, recent research now shows that certain behaviors may also help us identify cows that will become sick in the future. This topic has been a focus of researchers working at the University of British Columbia’s Animal Welfare Program, focused primarily on early behavioral indicators of metritis and lameness.

Observation skills and experience are extremely beneficial to managing the health and performance of a dairy herd. Perceptive practitioners of animal husbandry can often tell you at a glance whether an animal is under the weather or is feeling perfectly fine by walking pens, observing feed intakes and monitoring cow behavior for important hints. And they are investing in technology like rumination monitoring to help with this essential task.

Some of the best inventions are inspired by nature. The idea for Velcro, a handy closure replacing zippers, buttons, tying, etc., came from observing tenacious seedheads of the burdock plant.

Dr. Grooms, president of the American Association of Bovine Practitioners, defined what vaccines do for our cattle and the industry, the types of vaccines and how to properly store and administer vaccinations in a webinar he led Jan. 13 titled “Basic Vaccinology: Why Vaccines Work or Don’t Work.”

DuPont range and pasture specialists offer the following regional strategies for getting pasture and rangeland grasses off to a good start this spring.

My grandfather, a World War I veteran, died when I was 13. He was always an old man when I knew him, but the memories I have of him are mostly good ones.

Would you like to have more than half your cows pregnant in one morning? With the latest technologies available, timed A.I. programs can result in more than 50 percent conception rates on the first day of your breeding season without the added labor and expense of heat detection.

I suppose it’s treasonous for me to say this, but I can think of at least three animals that deserve to be on our national emblem and our money more than the bald eagle. Dogs and cows, for instance. Better still, the horse.

It had been a long day for Steffan. Frozen pipes, touchy tractors, cranky cows and a stuffy nose. A headache had kept him banging his head against the wall from 6 a.m. to sundown.