Cow monitoring technologies bring real-time data to the dairy and are used to inspect every aspect of reproductive management, herd health and ration changes.

What is the difference between ‘genetics,’ ‘genomics’ and ‘genome’? Genetics is a branch of biology focused on heredity and variation of organisms. In simpler terms, genetics focuses on the characteristics or traits that are passed from parents to children, from one generation to another.

It was time for a change. After the passing of my grandfather in the fall of 2013, it became clear to my uncle, Marty Costello, the 70-cow dairy needed a major update from the facilities that had been built before he was born – or he would have to stop dairying altogether.

The genetic code for all of life is written using just four letters: A,G, C and T. Armed with a powerful gene-editing tool known as CRISPR, humans can now erase and rewrite small segments of this code to generate big impacts in scientific fields from medicine to agriculture.

Not surprisingly, producers milking in robotic environments – or planning to – select differently for their genetics. There are traits that become increasingly important to these producers, and a number of companies have highlighted the sires best suited for producing cows for robotic milk machines.

The American Dairy Science Association (ADSA) and the American Society of Animal Science (ASAS) organized their 2016 joint annual meeting this past July in Salt Lake City, Utah.

At Jerseyland Dairy LLC, dairy manager Tanner Schmidt knows a solid reproduction program depends on more than just shots and semen; it comes down to having the right people in place, doing the right things at the right time.

Can you believe up to 60 percent of embryos don’t “make it” in the lactating dairy cow? That’s right. In addition to poor estrus expression and low conception rate, embryonic loss is another significant contributor to poor reproductive efficiency, with combined pre- and post-fertilization losses exceeding 70 percent.

Dr. Don Niles, partner on Dairy Dreams in Casco, Wisconsin, said there is no single miracle for a good breeding program and transition of heifers into the dairy herd; rather, there are several very important factors.

How are genomics working on your farm? That was the topic of a panel discussion at the Great Lakes Regional Dairy Conference held in February in Mount Pleasant, Michigan.