As temperatures continue to increase, so does the anticipation for summer shows and fairs. When planning to exhibit any animal species, the most important requirement is having a healthy animal.

Eighty percent of all problems arise in the transition period – 80 percent. Problems like milk fever, ketosis and metritis are a direct result of shortcomings in dry cow management. This is cutting cow lives short. Why don’t we take better care of our pregnant ladies?

Given the high prevalence of subclinical hypocalcemia (SCH) and the high losses associated with this disease, the focus must be on prevention. There are two main approaches to prevention of SCH – dietary manipulation pre-calving and strategic oral calcium supplementation post-calving.

Editor’s note: This article is the second in a two-part series featuring 10 steps to a successful transition period. Steps 6-10 are discussed in this article. In our previous article (Progressive Dairyman, February 25, 2017, 10 steps for a successful transition period, part 1) we started the conversation that nutrition and management of the dry dairy cow has been an area of extensive research over the last 25 years.

Recently, a client of mine had been losing what little premium co-ops are still offering for milk quality – to the tune of around $50,000. With this past year’s milk price, this extra cash for achieving quality was a huge loss for my client.

In my grandfather’s day, everyone milked cows before and after work. My grandfather milked eight “dairy” cows that resembled polled Herefords, traded the cream for corn meal, and my grandmother cooked with the skim. The cow’s calf got to “milk” the cow between milking times.

Editor’s note: This article is the first in a two-part series about how transition cows’ immune systems are impacted by metabolic factors. Read part 2 More metabolic factors affecting the immune system of the transition diary cow. The transition from pregnant, non-lactating to non-pregnant, lactating is too often a disastrous experience for the cow.

For the owners of Rosy-Lane Holsteins, healthy cows are the heart of a profitable dairy operation.

Water quality can affect land and cattle productivity. Let’s face it, cattle are naturals at drinking as long as there is a water source and access. What else is there to think about? The importance of water deserves the time and attention of cattle producers. Cattle simply cannot be healthy and gain well without good quality water. What’s more, ensuring pastures have a high-quality, sustainable and uncontaminated water source is a key component to environmental stewardship.

We’ve all been there: lying on the couch after a nap, searching for the remote control between the couch cushions and, instead of the remote, we find a quarter, a popcorn kernel, a few blocks, a missing sock ... or something worse.