U.S. milk quality – measured in terms of somatic cell counts (SCC) – improved in 2017, according to the annual summary of Dairy Herd Improvement (DHI) test-day results.

Fat and fatty acid (FA) digestion and metabolism in dairy cattle is of considerable interest to the dairy industry. The subject has received renewed interest for a number of reasons. First, the addition of supplemental FA sources to diets is a common practice in dairy nutrition to increase dietary energy density and to support milk production.

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.

Many factors can impact milk yield and milk composition. In today’s milk market, where income generated from units of milkfat and protein account for the bulk of your milk check, optimizing fat and protein yields and percentages is a goal for most dairy farmers.

The lactation curve of milk production on some farms can be complicated. The question of how we get more production from cows comes up in many conversations between nutritionists and their producer customers. A “normal” lactation curve can be broken down to some simple basic principles.

Harvesting high-quality milk involves interactions among humans, cows, milking equipment and the environment. Implementing and training staff on milking routine standard operating procedures can influence the outcome, but efforts in the parlor shouldn’t end there.

Two very different ways of milking cows can teach us some of the most basic lessons for maintaining low somatic cell counts (SCC) and achieving milk quality goals.

Two hundred and 50 dollars. That’s what a single case of clinical mastitis could be costing you. If you’re like most dairy farmers right now, you could find many uses for an additional $250.

The FDA annual analysis shows dairy consumers remain safe when it comes to animal drug residues in milk.

Abraham, in the Bible, has always been one of my heroes. He was always perfect and upright and made decisions based on the love of the Lord rather than his own desires and passions. Last Sunday, I learned some interesting information about the life of Abraham I had not contemplated before.