At this year’s American Dairy Science Association annual meeting held in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in June, several invited speakers presented ideas about how they saw the dairy industry in 50 years.

Over the past decade, reproductive tools used to get cows pregnant have evolved tremendously. Automated activity monitoring technology has developed to deliver accurate detection of heats.

Historically, dairy cattle breeders had limited tools to work with. Genetic selection was based only on what could be seen. Decisions were handicapped to visible and subjective conformation traits.

When we think about successful Olympic athletes, one of the first names that comes to mind is Michael Phelps. He has won an incredible 28 Olympic medals and is one of the most finely tuned athletes of our generation.

Today, a grazing dairy operation is not just a small farm with a handful of cows on a hillside. In fact, the definition of grazing has evolved – and all grass-based operations can fall under different categories.

Three Idaho dairy establishments have set out on a unique business venture by coming together to form WinStar Genetics in an effort to improve their herds and the Holstein breed.

A new herd health strategy, in addition to vaccination and biosecurity, is to change the health and reproductive efficiency of the herd through genetic selection.

Key takeaways for improving milk quality Let’s think about what makes for a profitable cow on your dairy. Yes, the cow is productive – strong milk production, the right balance of fluid and solids, and breeds back in a timely manner to tackle the next lactation – but, also, the cow is healthy.

Inventory should be updated every time semen enters or exits the tank. Always ensure hands, gun and all equipment are kept clean and themometer is working properly.

As concerns over falling reproductive performance escalated around the turn of the century, dairy cattle breeders and advisers decided to take on this trend by putting more emphasis on reproduction-related genetic traits (e.g., Daughter Pregnancy Rate [DPR] and Sire Conception Rate [SCR]) and seeking out effective heat detection tools.