Changes in consumer preferences, the availability of substitute products and the increased role of environmental and farm animal welfare concerns in milk choice pose significant challenges to the U.S. dairy industry.

Over the last two decades, initially through improvements in feeding and nutrition and subsequently through facility design changes and enhanced management, we have seen positive progress in early lactation milk performance and health improvements in those farms that have chosen to embrace these changes. Much of the effort has been focused on the dry period – in particular, the pre-fresh or close-up period – and the maternity or calving area.

As an ethicist, I am interested in the respectful treatment of animals. Respectful treatment coincides with being mindful of the physical and mental states of animals throughout their entire lifespan in the system in which they are being reared.