Over the years, I have come to understand that nutrition and foot health go hand-in-hand. I learned that rations are directly related to laminitis, and laminitis is often the reason we have sole ulcers, which are a major lameness concern.

It is now becoming common on dairy farms to have a dedicated area for hoof-trimming cattle. This is perhaps not surprising given the importance of lameness prevention to overall successful herd management.

Many dairy producers rely on footbath programs to help prevent and control active and chronic infectious claw lesions, such as digital dermatitis (DD), in their herds. Maximizing the effectiveness of a footbath program hinges on three key factors: foot hygiene, proper footbath design (size, length and depth) and effective footbath management (chemical concentration, cow passes per change and frequency of use).

A variety of equipment is used in a dairy operation – from tractors and skid steers to compact track loaders – yet they all have tire or tracks that need to be maintained. With replacement tracks and tires costing upward of $1,500, ensuring your tires and tracks will run as long as possible is imperative to reducing maintenance costs and downtime.

When it comes to lameness, most dairy herds have room for improvement. More than 40 percent of cows have “something on their foot,” according to University of Minnesota associate professor Dr. Gerard Cramer. That “something” is likely to be a sole ulcer, digital dermatitis or white-line disease.

While most of my big realizations hit me faster than cow poo hits a clean pair of clothes, my latest one seems to have taken a while. Let me explain.