I see a future where lameness rates are lower than ever before, and cows have a longer, more productive and profitable lifespan. I believe there is a day in the not-too-distant future when cows move to and from the parlor with little to no lameness.

There are few things more invigorating than gathering with like-minded individuals and hearing from industry experts to bring home new concepts and ideas to your business. That is what the Hoof Trimmers Association (HTA) will accomplish at their 20th Hoof Health Conference Aug. 21-23 in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.

An automated footbath that could already fill, clean out and refill on its own now has a new capability – computer vision. Hoofcount’s footbath counts cow passes through the bath, dumps solution after a designated number of cows have used it, sprays out the bath and refills the bath with solution automatically.

As I’ve talked to producers, almost everyone can experience improvements – even those who were satisfied with their trim losses and health outcomes. Surprisingly, the protocol offering these results has been around for decades: the humble footbath.

Good hoof health is a core factor for productive, problem-free cows. Longevity and lifetime production directly improve profitability on dairy farms; however, management must remain vigilant with respect to the health and welfare of the animal.

There seems to be a lot of confusion in the dairy industry about the ability to benefit from an anaerobic digester and still use copper in a hoof care program. 

In a recent Progressive Dairy Podcast episode, Jamie Sullivan of Rippleview Hoofcare addressed some misconceptions surrounding hoof care, gave his thoughts on where hoof health priorities should lie and challenged the dairy industry to reframe thinking around lameness.