“Effects of restricted dietary phosphorus supply during the dry period on productivity and metabolism in dairy cows.” Journal of Dairy Science Vol. 105 No. 5, 2022. This article, from German researchers, investigated levels of phosphorus in dry cow diets.

The discussion around increasing productive lifespan is not new. With tight margins, very high feed costs and a limited increase in milk prices, it is essential to fine-tune every aspect of your dairy operation to make sure your farm is profitable and sustainable.

In 2018, U.S. Holstein cows in the Dairy Herd Improvement (DHI) program remained in the milking herd for an average of 28.4 months. Looking back to those born in 1975, they stayed an average of 34.4 months – a full half a year longer. This interval, coined Productive Life, runs from the day of calving in the first lactation to the day the cow left the herd. Some have suggested cows aren’t staying as long because “they are subjected to more stress.”