For Aaron Ninnemann, his family’s dairy farm is a classic example of a generationally run business whose family members have worked diligently for decades, making a name for themselves within the dairy industry. The Ninnemanns embraced automated milking in a tiestall barn retrofit to keep dairying alongside a growing cash crop operation.

Whether or not a dairy is using sand bedding, nuisance sand can infiltrate manure systems through feed, equipment and environmental exposure, creating hidden operational headaches. While removing 100% of sand from manure is not realistic, proactive manure management strategies can significantly reduce its impact, helping to preserve both the longevity of your equipment, your manure system’s performance and the quality of your bedding.

At the Animal Agriculture Alliance, we are committed to fostering a sense of unity and collaboration among all food chain partners. Our recent annual Stakeholders Summit in Arlington, Virginia, was a testament to this, as we brought together supply chain stakeholders to discuss sustainability and other critical topics.

Through our experience of working with numerous dairies to troubleshoot early calf health challenges, we’ve identified several critical, nonnegotiable colostrum management practices.

Today we're joined by Renee Smith, Western sales manager at Virtus Nutrition, a manufacturer of calcium salts of fatty acids, to discuss benchmarking for fertility, the top KPIs that every dairy should watch.