Knowing what is really going on with the health of your transition cows is not just important – “It is critical to overall profitability and production. The financial impact of transition cow disease is greater than we realize,” said Dr. Mike Overton.

Making dry-cow management a priority sets cows up for a successful next lactation. Since mastitis is the most common clinical disease reported on U.S. dairy farms, and one of the top reasons cows are sold, it’s critical to maintain a high level of care throughout the dry period.

Hypocalcemia impacts cows on all types of dairies. Historically, dairy producers have focused on clinical hypocalcemia, often called milk fever, because without treatment these cows don’t recover.

The benefits of a healthy transition period are more than simply the convenience of not having to deal with cases of ketosis or twisted stomachs.

Three dairymen who installed rumination and activity monitoring systems over five years ago share their experiences and advice from the East, Midwest and West regions.

Currently, one of the biggest opportunities for increased performance on our dairy farms centers around our fresh cow programs. Fresh cows have a great opportunity for production potential, but if we do not set them up for success properly, they will not be able to achieve an optimal level of production.

The importance of transition cow management is well-known. But until recently, there have been unknowns about early disease indicators which impact the health of transition cows and heifers.

As of January 2017, the FDA began a stricter regulation of antibiotics commonly used in the animal-feeding industry. Livestock and poultry producers alike have been accused of overfeeding various antibiotics, largely for growth promotion purposes (i.e., for increased feed efficiency and profitability).

Bovine tuberculosis (bTB) is a chronic disease of cattle caused by the bacteria Mycobacterium bovis. In its early stages, infected cattle do not show clinical signs, which makes it difficult to diagnose.

Milking with single-box automated (robotic) milking systems (AMS) has revolutionized the way we can manage and milk dairy cows. Adoption of this technology continues at an exponential rate here in North America.