Cows experience heat stress when the temperature-humidity index (THI) is above 72. During heat stress, respiration rates increase, while milk production and reproduction decrease. One practice in heat stress control is to install sprinkler systems over the feed line and in the holding pen. The objective of the sprinkler system is to wet the cow’s back, but to avoid moisture accumulation on the udder or in freestalls. Evaporative cooling occurs when the moisture is evaporated by natural or mechanical ventilation.

The byproduct of industry: One thing that has made America great through the years is our abundance of natural resources. Many of these raw materials are buried deep underground. So there are logistical issues with bringing the resources to the surface and then transporting them through the refining processes. One solution to moving material is the development of conveyor systems. The main component of these conveyors is the long, long pieces of rubber that the material rides on. Of course, we know this as conveyor belting. There are miles and miles of this rubber belting throughout our country. And just like with any wear part, it eventually has to get replaced.

After the introduction and live demonstration of DeLaval's newest robotic milking parlor in Gamleby, Sweden, there were many questions about the possibilities for future adaptions of the technology. DeLaval's Jonas Hallman, director of automatic milking, fielded most of these questions. He's been working with the company's robotics division for the past three years and has seen how far the technology has already come. In the video below Hallman discusses the technology's potential in the future.

This article was #1 in PDmag's Top 5 most-well read New Technology articles in 2011. to jump to the article. Summary: The public display of a robotic rotary was arguably one of the most important announcements of 2011, so we weren't surprised to see this particular article top the list. Had it been included in the Top 25 most online-read articles, it would have ranked second, beat only by the raw milk poll. In fact, the YouTube videos accompanying this article, featuring a tour of the rotary and interviews with DeLaval leaders, received more than 2,000 views. Because this article was so popular, we asked DeLaval Marketing Manager Mark Futcher some follow-up questions: Q: What type of interest have you received? How do you quantify that interest? A: In the U.S., the interest in DeLaval Automatic Milking Rotary (AMR) from dairy producers has varied from those who are curious about the technology to those desiring to have the country’s first commercial installation. Most of the interest has come from farmers with herd sizes ranging from 300 to 900 lactating cows.

Imagine watching your cows’ herd health decline while the somatic cell count continued to rise. Now picture bringing in a wide array of dairy industry professionals, only to have them all pointing toward a different solution that never seemed to solve the problem completely. This was a reality for more than 11 years for Joan Hohag and her husband, Dean, on their 175-cow operation in Waverly, Minnesota. The problems started escalating in 1999, when they put in a new facility. Minnesota requires an equipotential plane, which is installed in a concrete floor, connected to the electrical grounding system and supposed to reduce stray voltage.

Last year, we wrote about a producer from North Dakota who was constantly changing his inflations (see “Time to change the inflations … again,” Progressive Dairyman, September 22, 2010, pg. 85). You may recall … we associated the old Dunkin’ Donuts commercial “Time to make the doughnuts” with this producer’s tedious task of changing inflations. Here’s an update on that “inflation devastation”: The results are a slam-dunk where time, money and milk quality are concerned.

The following is the first part of a two-part series of articles regarding freestall design and its impact on the cow’s comfort and health. The dairy expansion era in North America, which gathered pace throughout the 1990’s and continues to this day, has resulted in the migration of dairy cattle from traditional tiestall and stanchion barns to the freestall facility, which has emerged as the dominant form of dairy cattle housing worldwide. The basic premise of milking more efficiently through a parlor, while being able to keep larger groups of cows together in management groups in larger herds, is sound from a management and economic perspective.