A list of risk factors for the most common infectious foot lesion, digital dermatitis (DD, also known as hairy heel warts, Mortellaro’s disease), includes multiple aspects related to the cow, the farm’s management and environment.

Efficiency, innovation and automation are all under one roof in a 12-robot, 900-cow barn at Herrema Dairy.

The right combination of management techniques, a good support system and optimal barn design makes it both possible and effective to incorporate robots into a grazing dairy operation.

In the mid-2000s, cross ventilation was introduced as the “dairy housing of the future.” Agriculture engineer Joe Harner and his colleagues at Kansas State University pioneered the concept of these mechanically ventilated, low-profile barns.

When building a new freestall barn, what seems like a small decision in the designing phase can make or break efficiency later on. On the other hand, a few simple tweaks can save time and stress after the barn is built.

Headlocks are a versatile feed front solution for any farm; they give any farm manager who walks on-site the ability to choose the management style that works for them.

More and more, we’re beginning to understand and appreciate the importance of cow cooling. It’s easy to see the effects of heat stress in your lactating herd; there will be a milkfat depression, milk yield will drop, cows will stand more often and for longer periods of time, and subsequently, lameness rates will increase.

The health and productivity of any tracked machine starts with its undercarriage. Representing a significant portion of a piece of equipment’s purchase price, the undercarriage also represents a high percentage of a machine’s lifetime operating costs, so proper maintenance and operation practices are critical for protecting your equipment investment.

Should I fix that aging tractor or piece of equipment or trade it (or scrap it) and purchase a new one? That has always been a daunting question and, in times of tight- to no-profit margins, that question takes on all kinds of new layers.

Controlling energy costs on the farm is one way to reduce input costs. But turning off lights when a space isn’t being used just isn’t enough to make a big change in that monthly power bill.