Are you overfeeding your lactating cows? Victor Cabrera says if you are feeding all your cows the same ration, that is likely the case. Cabrera is an assistant professor at the University of Wisconsin Dairy Science Department and a dairy management extension specialist for UW-Extension. He presented a session on grouping strategies at the Four-State Dairy Nutrition and Management Conference held June 13 in Dubuque, Iowa.

Conscientious feeders want to do the best job possible for both their owners and cows. Their goal, whether written or not, is to manufacture and deliver a high-quality, accurate and consistent ration in an efficient manner. Too often, though, obstacles unnecessarily impede the feeder’s process, quality and/or accuracy – and the ration suffers. This was the case recently when a dairy requested a TMR audit. Its feeders were struggling to deliver a consistent total mixed ration (TMR) to the pens prior to cows returning from the parlor.

Teat dips are complex chemical formulas and all the ingredients hang in a delicate balance. The correct amounts of each ingredient are important to keep the teat dip stable, effective and safe to use on your cows’ teats. In my article, which can be found by clicking here, I discussed popular germicides often found in teat dips. Germicides, however, are just one aspect of teat dip chemistry. There are many other aspects to formulating a good teat dip.

The transition from the dry period to lactation is the most stressful part of a dairy cow’s life. Physiological and hormonal changes accelerate during the eighth month of gestation as the milk secretion glands enlarge in the udder and the cow prepares to give birth.

Direct-fed microbials (DFM) are a source of live, naturally occurring microorganisms used as feed additives in the dairy industry. DFM are primarily composed of beneficial bacteria and live fungi (yeast) and have been recommended for use in cattle to mitigate rumen dysfunction and the effects of being off-feed and to improve feed efficiency, cow health and production performance.

It never ceases to amaze me how some dairy farmers treat their dry cows. I mean, they build these incredible palaces to house their milk cows, feed these cows diets balanced to the fourth decimal point and worry and fret on how they are performing. But dry cows are second-class citizens on many farms: stuck in sub-par facilities, overcrowded and fed rations that are neither balanced nor high-quality.

An on-farm assessment program developed by Novus International Inc. and the University of British Columbia (UBC) Animal Welfare Program, led by Drs. Marina von Keyserlingk and Dan Weary, is cracking the code in measuring, tracking and improving animal welfare. The acronyms in C.O.W.S. stand for Comfort, Oxidative Balance, Well-Being and Sustainability. Those performing the assessments look at a number of factors including facility design, lying behavior, stall maintenance and the health of hocks and knees.