Lameness, tetracycline residues and common foot ailments were among the trending topics at the 2014 Hoof Health Conference. University experts, including Dr. Chuck Guard from Cornell University, Dr. Nigel Cook from University of Wisconsin – Madison and Dr. Gerard Cramer from University of Minnesota, shared their research and observations with an international audience of hoof health professionals gathered in Brookfield, Wisconsin, in July.

Every dairy farmer has an overabundance of demands on both time and mind. It’s a very easy (and expensive) mistake to neglect to pay attention to the hooves and mobility of animals. While there are many management practices that can control and reduce lameness in the herd, there is really no “one-time quick fix” practice that is effective.

Calving and the subsequent transition into lactation are the greatest challenges in the productive life of a dairy cow. Cows must deal with a high demand for energy and nutrients to make colostrum and milk. But this demand cannot be met by feed intake alone – which leads to negative energy balance (NEB) and nutrient deficiencies.

Today’s increased investment cost for replacement animals has producers examining their heifer inventories and replacement needs. There are several key metrics that are used to determine each of these heifer-related needs and are the basis for the Penn State Extension Dairy Team’s newly released app, PSU Herd Metrics.

A blood calcium sampling program involving more than 5,000 transition dairy cows showed subclinical hypocalcemia in an average of 55 percent of the cows tested. In most cases, producers were unaware their herd was at risk, since this form of low blood calcium often goes undetected.