There’s a great deal of industry buzz around programs and technology that promise to create healthier cows for your herd, but don’t forget about the tool you already have available.

Dairy cow fertility has improved significantly over the past 10 to 15 years. Recent USDA data show that on most farms, 21-day pregnancy rates are on the rise, with many herds achieving 20 percent or better on a regular basis.

You spend time and effort measuring and monitoring animal performance metrics on your dairy. Just as football or basketball coaches pour over player stats to help improve team success, dairy producers track individual, group and herd data to enhance their operations’ productivity and profitability.

Animal welfare is more than simply understanding animal health; however, by learning what it means to farmers, veterinarians, customers and consumers, you might find it’s also not as complex as some people make it out to be.

We often get questions from dairy farmers about how they can become more effective at telling their story to build and convey trust and confidence in dairy to consumers.

A single bolus – that is all a cow may require to increase her milk yield and longevity, according to a study recently published in the Journal of Dairy Science.

Dairy cows experience a state of negative energy balance (NEB) during the transition from pregnancy to lactation when the energy demand of milk production cannot be met by feed intake alone. The drop in dry matter intake around the time of calving leads to insufficient amounts of protein intake and available blood sugar needed for the production of milk protein and lactose.

When it comes to hoof trimming, are you getting precision balance – or are you just getting smaller hooves? Hoof comfort has a major effect on milk production, reproduction, longevity, cull rate and overall herd health.

The buzzwords in the industry right now are animal welfare, lameness and cow comfort. The general public and food retail giants such as Walmart and Tim Horton’s that purchase our dairy products want more than just a quality, well-priced glass of milk; they want assurance the animals producing this product are well cared for.

The state of California has been battling a drought for the past four years which has emptied reservoirs, fallowed orchards and dried up thousands of domestic wells. It has also led to new groundwater regulations for the agriculture sector.