TRENDING TOPIC ARTICLE: HERD HEALTH Published: March 23, 2009 issue of Progressive Dairyman This 2009 article recently received an increase in online traffic. Scroll down or to jump to the article. Back then, Dykstra Dairy’s herd manager Eric Van Wyk talked with freelance writer Loretta Sorenson about trimming hooves on the operation’s 3,000 cows. The northwest Iowa farm employs a hoof trimmer who spends 80 percent of his time focused on hoof health. Because this article was so popular, we asked Van Wyk, “What protocols have you changed in your hoof health program since 2009?” He says, “We now trim all of the cows at both mid-lactation and at dryoff. We were only trimming at dryoff before and were monitoring hooves on a visual basis. We also purchased a new chute that’s made hoof trimming easier on the cows. Plus, we’re able to get cows trimmed more quickly.” Click here to see other trending topic articles. ARTICLE Lame cattle are in pain, produce less milk, can take longer to conceive and often have to be culled earlier than they should have been.

Do modern dairy barns make cows lame?

Bovine lameness ranks third among the leading causes of cows leaving their herd.

Let it be a glorious occasion where many stand to witness that indeed we put our feet in His tracks and let our hands be His hands in extending mercy across the span of our lives.

At the time of this writing, I am one day away from departing U.S. soil for my assignment in Baghdad.

Along with beautiful weather, Tuesday, February 24th and Wednesday, February 25th brought hundreds of people to the annual New Mexico Ag Expo, held in Portales, New Mexico 150. Vendors from around the United States, tailored primarily to the agriculture industry, had booths set up in four buildings, making this year’s Expo one of the largest.

Biosecurity continues to be a key part of animal production. With the recent ruling by the FDA concerning the rendering of cattle to prevent the spread of bovine spongiform encephalopathy, people raising cattle are looking for alternatives to deal with unexpected animal loss. Many rendering plants throughout the U.S. have recently increased fees related to this ruling or have decided not to render cattle in any form.

Manure can contain significant amounts of nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), potassium (K) and other essential plant nutrients. Concentration of these nutrients in livestock manure can also be highly variable and depends mainly upon the animal species, age, diet and how the manure has been stored and handled. Therefore, laboratory analysis is the best way to determine the level of nutrients in the material to be applied.

In today’s uncertain economy, business owners from all walks of life are looking for opportunities to create new income streams, cash flow and decrease potential liabilities. Farmers are in a unique position to use carbon credits as a means of achieving all three goals.

Ration changes occur for a variety of reasons on a commercial dairy.