Open. It is a word no veterinarian enjoys saying during the herd check. While researchers continue to look for ways to improve the outcomes of live births, improving the trace mineral status of the cow may be a promising way to reduce hearing that dreaded word: open.

While automated milking systems are widely recognized for their capacity to increase milk yield and enhance cow welfare, their sophisticated data collection capabilities offer substantial advantages for optimizing reproductive management in dairy cattle.

This article outlines the economic outcomes of alternative breeding strategies that combine sexed, beef and conventional semen. Using both short-term decision support tools and long-term simulation models, we explored how reproductive performance and semen use strategies interact to shape profitability on dairy farms.

The placenta isn’t just a passive support system; it is an active, highly regulated organ that can make or break a pregnancy. The better we understand how it works, the better we can care for our cows and make smarter breeding decisions.

Dairies using activity monitoring technology to measure the effects of heat stress on their cows can unlock a valuable opportunity: integrating this data into breeding decisions as part of a comprehensive, data-driven herd management strategy.