Over time, selection pressure for improved growth efficiency and earlier reproductive maturity in cattle has focused heavily on muscle development, fat deposition and reproductive performance, while the skeletal system is often overlooked. However, these same selection pressures also influence skeletal growth and maturity, making proper bone development critical to overall cattle performance.

For decades, hoof health programs relied on routine schedules and human observation. Cows were trimmed at set points in lactation or flagged by employees who noticed visible signs of lameness.

Nearly 900 attendees convened in Red Deer, Alberta, for the 2026 Western Canadian Dairy Seminar on March 10-13. Sessions covered a variety of topics, such as milk components, heat stress, feeding trace minerals, calf management, biosecurity and more.

Lameness continues to be one of the most persistent challenges in modern dairy herds. Herd manager Skylar Gericke, overseeing both Triple G Dairy and LegenDairy – owned by the Gingg family in Buckeye, Arizona – has firsthand experience.

Following the most recent Kinder Ground’s Hoof Care Academy (KHCA) in Minnesota, the host dairy farm’s professional hoof trimmer and veterinarian spoke of the importance of collaboration to manage hoof health on a dairy. Here are the big takeaways.

I see a future where lameness rates are lower than ever before, and cows have a longer, more productive and profitable lifespan. I believe there is a day in the not-too-distant future when cows move to and from the parlor with little to no lameness.

Many farms underestimate the challenge of identifying lameness, thinking only 5% to 10% of their herd is lame, when in reality, it may be closer to 20% to 25%. That’s where artificial intelligence (AI) detection comes in – spotting signs the human eye might overlook.