Poor hoof care is exceptionally detrimental to robotic milking facilities. Due to their unique traffic flow and design, proper planning and thought is needed for incorporating a footbath or wash system.

During the past decade, the dairy industry has widely adopted higher-fiber, lower-energy pre-calving diets. With these diets, cows are fed closer to their energy requirements, and an improvement in postpartum metabolic health has been demonstrated in a number of research studies and in numerous field experiences.

Without ever speaking English, your cows are telling you tons about what they need. What if I told you your cows are telling you how to improve milk production? And they always tell the truth. These girls never lie.

Dairy cows face year-round stress that can make them more susceptible to disease, resulting in reduced production and significant economic costs to a dairy. Recent research continues to demonstrate the important role nutrition can play in promoting herd health by helping to manage stress by supporting a cow’s natural immune system.

When looking at pregnancy rate data for many dairies, you can instantly tell when summer begins without even looking at the date. It’s not uncommon to see pregnancy rates cut in half during the hottest periods of the summer. Pregnancy rates commonly slide back as conception and insemination rates are reduced from the summer’s heat.

Good calf and heifer management is essential for any dairy or heifer-growing operation. Everything producers and calf growers do, from colostrum to calving, affects the health of their heifers along with the bottom line of their business.

Dairy feeding programs have become so sophisticated that sometimes the basic goals of feeding ruminants are forgotten. Many feeding issues can be resolved by tending to the basics of rumen physiology.

The goal in feeding a TMR is to minimize the number of hours during the day when rumen pH is below 5.8. Low rumen pH inhibits rumen microbial growth and causes subacute rumen acidosis (SARA).

You can always tell when the Lord is trying to teach you a principle because on-task real-life on-the-job experiences come in multiples. Lately, I have been inundated with opportunities to forgive.