Pregnancy rate is a standard measure of the success of a dairy reproductive program. It is the percentage of females eligible to become pregnant in a 21-day period that actually become pregnant. The good news is that average pregnancy rate (PR) has been increasing again over the last decade.

One of the things I like about my job as sales and marketing manager for Simplot Animal Sciences is the variety of activities I can be involved in. My office is located on a 400-acre Idaho ranch stocked with 350 cows we use as recipients for our in vitro fertilization (IVF) research and other assisted reproductive technologies.

We’ve all heard the statement, “Genetics don’t matter without first creating a pregnancy.” This insightful truth has shifted our global breeding strategy to a stronger focus on fertility.

Faculty at the University of Florida are exploring an alternative treatment for infections from an unlikely source: crustaceans. The shells of lobster, shrimp and crab are treated with an alkaline substance such as sodium hydroxide to produce chitosan (pronounced ky-to-san), a fibrous sugar with a chemical structure similar to cellulose.

Editor’s note: This article is the first in a two-part series featuring the steps to a successful transition period. Dry cow nutrition and management of the dry dairy cow has been extensively researched over the last 25 years.

Every dairy producer’s goal is to have uncomplicated calving. But their practices aren’t always conducive to reducing dystocia risk. Eutocia, or normal birth, requires prevention and preparation and is dependent upon many factors.

“If you look at modern, large or expanding farms, the ‘big three’ headaches are transition problems, excessive calf death loss and mastitis,” points out James K. Drackley, professor of animal sciences at the University of Illinois – Urbana-Champaign.

What have we learned in the last five years? In this first of a two-part series, the authors detail the challenge of subclinical hypocalcemia.

How to control digital dermatitis (DD) is probably the most frequently asked question a hoof trimmer gets. The quick answer is: DD will always have to be dealt with, and your trimmer and trim day can do little to nothing to control it. So how do we break the cycle of digital dermatitis?

When severe cases of digital dermatitis (DD) are identified in the field, it is common to find “square” feet, characterized by overgrown heels and shortened claws. These animals typically exhibit visible signs of lameness due to active, painful DD lesions (M2 stage), as well as a marked transformation of the original claw shape.