Physical dehorning of dairy cattle is a standard practice to protect both human dairy workers and other animals from injury. However, it is not only costly for producers, but also painful and stressful for the animals. As a result, dehorning is currently facing increased public scrutiny as an animal welfare issue. Despite these factors, 94 percent of U.S. dairy cattle producers report routine dehorning.

Bovine respiratory disease (BRD) is commonly observed in dairy calves and has both acute and long-term effects on the performance of those calves. This disease is the most common and costly disease affecting the North American cattle industry. The key to preventing respiratory disease is to reduce stress and vaccinate animals against viruses and bacteria that cause disease.

DNA markers have come a long way in the past decade, moving from a one-marker single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) test to tests that now simultaneously involve tens of thousands of markers. Scientists have learned a lot along the way, and the technology is starting to come of age.

The most expensive health problem facing the cattle industry is bovine respiratory disease (BRD), or shipping fever.