In many cases, cattle death is the first sign of a blackleg outbreak. By the time the disease can be identified, it’s often too late. In the last month, the number of blackleg cases in beef and dairy herds have been up all across the Southeast.

Editor’s note: This article is the second in a two-part series about how transition cows’ immune systems are impacted by metabolic factors. Read Part I Metabolic factors affecting the immune system of the transition dairy cow. 

Nine researchers were the beneficiaries of the first-ever U.S. Alfalfa Farmer Research Initiative (USAFRI), a farmer-funded investment in alfalfa-related research.

It should be one of the happiest days of any parent’s life: the day the son or daughter – the presumptive successor of the family dairy farm – gets married. Often unspoken, the day can also bring worry about the future of the family’s dairy farming legacy.

As hard as it may be to initiate legal and business strategy conversations related to divorce or death, a family farm successor and his or her spouse or intended spouse have good reasons to openly discuss and plan for their financial relationship.

“They just don’t make ’em like they used to.” I’m sure every reader has heard that phrase, and many of us have uttered it ourselves. If you’re talking about cars and trucks, then you are absolutely right; they don’t make them like they used to – they make them far better than they used to.

You vaccinate your cows and heifers, but are they immunized? Not necessarily. To get a good immune response, you need to set your animals up correctly.

Dairy farming can sometimes feel like a merry-go-round. There are times when things are going well. The cows are comfortable and milking at their full potential. You’ve got a great crew operating at exceptional efficiency. The only thing higher than the morale is the milk price.

What separates the top-performing herds from the bottom? This is one of those questions people are constantly asking and attempting to answer. As a result, we have a multitude of complicated calculations measuring everything from energy-corrected milk to income over feed costs.

It’s no secret managing the transition period (three weeks before and three weeks after parturition) is a critical determinant of productivity and profitability on the dairy farm. During this time frame, animals have large abrupt variations inside and outside their bodies.