Often, we hear things like, “Perhaps you should change your treatment; maybe the ‘bugs’ on your farm are building up a resistance to what you are using.” I’ve heard arguments that this could happen and arguments that this is not a concern for dairy farmers. But has anyone ever suggested this about teat dip disinfectants? I don’t think I’ve heard that discussion too many times, if ever.

Mastitis is a complicated and costly problem for the dairy farmer. No simple solutions are available for its prevention. Some aspects are well understood and documented in scientific literature. Others are controversial and opinions are often presented as facts. However, from the dairy farm perspective, two simple product mandates are required – simplicity in use and cost.

Editor’s note: The following information is reprinted with permission from a National Mastitis Council fact sheet. DefinitionOrganic dairy production in the U.S. is regulated by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) via its National Organic Program (NOP). The NOP was established with the passage of the Organic Foods Production Act (OFPA) by Congress in 1990.

Functional claw trimming was devised by Toussaint Raven in the 1970s. The protocol for claw trimming was developed based on animals and housing systems at that time. Today, the housing conditions and the appearance of animals have changed remarkably.

Best management practices allow all the good things for the baby calf that keep her properly nourished and comfortable as she grows from heifer into her first lactation. We like to think these include automatically good feet and legs that will walk right into the fresh cow group ready to create farm profit.

When a manure spill resulted in a large fish kill, officials in Dane County wanted to be able to address the issue of manure and water quality without hindering the dairy industry. A public/private partnership led to the creation of a community digester in Waunakee, Wisconsin.

Industry representatives attending the Western Dairy Air Quality Symposium April 17 in Boise, Idaho, described a regulatory environment that’s about as predictable as the weather. The gathering, sponsored by the Western States Dairy Producers Trade Association, looked at how producers have been affected. A few examples:

Anaerobic digestion is a natural process where solids are broken down into a slurry and gases in an oxygen-free environment. In nature, this continually happens on the floors of bodies of water. Similarly, a cow’s digestive system turns feedstocks into manure and biogas, a methane-containing gas that is expelled into the atmosphere.