Progressive Dairy

Heat stress in heifers: Causes, effects and management

Cows aren’t the only ones who struggle with heat stress – heifers do too. Mitigating heifer stress is essential to avoid decreased performance, fertility and growth.

April 14, 2025

Abby Healy

Heat stress is a challenge many dairy operations face, particularly during the summer and fall months. When temperatures rise and humidity increases, livestock are forced to adapt to try to cope with the heat. This can lead to a wide range of health and productivity issues.

April WASDE report forecasts higher milk output per cow, higher cow inventories

The milk production forecast for 2025 is raised on larger cow inventories and slightly higher milk output per cow.

April 11, 2025

Audrey Schmitz

The USDA’s World Ag Supply and Demand Estimates (WASDE) report offers forecasts for dairy, beef and feedstuffs.

Practical strategies to enhance animal welfare on your farm

Animal welfare is a complicated issue that changes constantly. Farm values, labor challenges, workplace relationships, community relationships and veterinary involvement are all key to good animal welfare.

April 11, 2025

Melissa Hart

The topic of animal welfare is broad, complex and multifaceted, encompassing scientific, ethical, economic, cultural, social, religious and political dimensions. Michelle Calvo-Lorenzo, Ph.D., with Elanco Animal Health, addressed this ever-evolving topic at the Great Lakes Regional Dairy Conference held in February in Mt. Pleasant, Michigan.

[Podcast] The influence of embryo quality on embryo transfer success

April 10, 2025

Dairy farmers have several options when designing and implementing beef-on-dairy programs. One approach is breeding dairy cows to beef sires, producing crossbred calves that enter the beef value chain. However, an increasing number of dairies are choosing HerdFlex beef embryos, which result in full-beef calves. Evaluating embryo quality is crucial for dairy farmers when considering beef-on-dairy options.

Joining forces for repro success: Technology and synchronization protocols

A new approach to reproduction — targeted reproductive management (TRM) — is gaining dairy producers' interest based on eye-opening research results. Learn how one dairy is cashing in on TRM protocols.

April 10, 2025

Todd Bilby

We now know that a successful repro program can seamlessly leverage monitoring technology while joining forces with synchronization protocols. In tandem with the tremendous strides of genetics, we are pushing the boundaries of what we thought was possible. Let’s discuss the research and on-farm experiences leading to even greater reproductive advancements.

InFocus: National DHI test-day somatic cell count unchanged at 181,000

April 9, 2025

Audrey Schmitz

Nationally, the average 2024 DHI test-day herd SCC was 181,000 cells per milliliter, unchanged from 2023, according to a summary report from the Council of Dairy Cattle Breeding (CDCB) and compared to previous reports from CDCB and the USDA’s Animal Improvement Programs Laboratory.

HPAI: Questions multiply, answers remain elusive

The Great Lakes Regional Dairy Conference panel discussed experiences, tracking, research and the industry response to bird flu.

April 9, 2025

Bev Berens

HPAI has left the dairy industry scrambling for treatment, fast-tracking vaccines, developing containment strategies, implementing biosecurity protocols and reassuring the public that dairy products are not the source of a potential foodborne public health crisis.

[Podcast] A new type of AI: How to use artificial intelligence on your dairy with Shari van de Pol

April 8, 2025

There’s a new type of AI in town, and one you might not be as familiar with. Shari van de Pol, CEO of Cattleytics, joins host Matti McBride to explain how and why dairies can benefit from artificial intelligence (AI). Learn the different types of AI, what applications you might use it for and understand the benefits and limitations of this technology.

Practical treatment of HPAI outbreaks in dairy herds

Three actionable insights to help dairies mitigate the impact of bird flu on their herds.

April 8, 2025

Audrey Schmitz

As the highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) or bird flu continues to present challenges in dairy herds, the need for practical treatment strategies arises. This article walks through the critical first steps dairies should take when faced with a positive bulk tank test, common clinical signs to watch for, recommended treatment strategies and equipment to manage sick cows effectively.

Measure It to Manage It: Cow monitoring system transforms herd health and reproduction efficiency

Calori-D Dairy improved herd health and reproduction by implementing a monitoring system to detect illness early, enhance heat detection, reduce treatment guesswork and optimize breeding.

April 8, 2025

Audrey Schmitz

Managing herd health and reproduction on a dairy farm is a constant challenge that requires keen observation, experience and timely interventions. For Calori-D Dairy, implementing the CowManager monitoring system in December 2022 marked a turning point in how they managed their cows – both for health and reproduction.