Teat dips are complex chemical formulas and all the ingredients hang in a delicate balance. The correct amounts of each ingredient are important to keep the teat dip stable, effective and safe to use on your cows’ teats. In my article, which can be found by clicking here, I discussed popular germicides often found in teat dips. Germicides, however, are just one aspect of teat dip chemistry. There are many other aspects to formulating a good teat dip.

The transition from the dry period to lactation is the most stressful part of a dairy cow’s life. Physiological and hormonal changes accelerate during the eighth month of gestation as the milk secretion glands enlarge in the udder and the cow prepares to give birth.

Direct-fed microbials (DFM) are a source of live, naturally occurring microorganisms used as feed additives in the dairy industry. DFM are primarily composed of beneficial bacteria and live fungi (yeast) and have been recommended for use in cattle to mitigate rumen dysfunction and the effects of being off-feed and to improve feed efficiency, cow health and production performance.

It never ceases to amaze me how some dairy farmers treat their dry cows. I mean, they build these incredible palaces to house their milk cows, feed these cows diets balanced to the fourth decimal point and worry and fret on how they are performing. But dry cows are second-class citizens on many farms: stuck in sub-par facilities, overcrowded and fed rations that are neither balanced nor high-quality.

An on-farm assessment program developed by Novus International Inc. and the University of British Columbia (UBC) Animal Welfare Program, led by Drs. Marina von Keyserlingk and Dan Weary, is cracking the code in measuring, tracking and improving animal welfare. The acronyms in C.O.W.S. stand for Comfort, Oxidative Balance, Well-Being and Sustainability. Those performing the assessments look at a number of factors including facility design, lying behavior, stall maintenance and the health of hocks and knees.

This past year, I have given numerous talks on the importance of managing for cow comfort. We know that the on-farm management environment explains over half of the variation among farms in milk production. Increasingly, producers are realizing that modest investments in housing, or changes in their cow management routines, can pay large dividends in greater cow health and performance.

Promoting agriculture and specifically the dairy industry is something I think is very important. I enjoy telling people and educating them about the industry that I love so much. I’m often asked how I manage to juggle promoting the dairy industry, family life and farm life.

Hannah Miller, 21 Stephenville, Texas Student; Assistant Account Manager Throughout the several BSE investigations in the United States since the first case in late 2003, the safety of milk and dairy products has never been in question. To learn more about modern dairy farm practices, Click here.