Milk Production

Using the tools available to manage mastitis in automated milking systems

john@cow-corner.co — Mon, 08 Jun 2026 00:00:00 -0400

We can categorize automated milking system data into tools for detecting new infections in individual cows and tools for monitoring the herd level of existing infection. The tools will be more valuable if we use them correctly.

Dollars down the drain: What one case of mastitis can cost you

dtnolan@illinois.edu — Fri, 26 Dec 2025 00:00:00 -0500

We often hear that mastitis costs the U.S. dairy industry $2 billion per year. But what does this mean on a case level?

Maintaining a low somatic cell count is a ‘whole-farm challenge’ at Shiloh Dairy

matti@agproud.com — Tue, 23 Dec 2025 00:00:00 -0500

When Travis and Gordon Speirs of Shiloh Dairy set out to improve milk quality in their Holstein herd, they were aiming for a somatic cell count (SCC) below 120,000. The dairy currently runs a SCC of 77,000. Their secret sauce? Milk quality isn’t a parlor issue.

Cow, milk increases evident in USDA November estimates

audrey@agproud.com — Mon, 22 Dec 2025 17:31:41 -0500

Twenty states including California, Kansas and Idaho boosted milk production a combined 863 million pounds in November.

Bimodality explained: How it impacts your farm

ppeetz@lely.com — Tue, 12 Aug 2025 00:00:00 -0400

Bimodality can strongly impact both milk production and cow health. Let’s examine its impact on dairy farm performance and outline strategies to effectively reduce its occurrence.

Weighing the costs of mastitis treatment? Ask these five questions

john.champagne@merck.com — Tue, 29 Jul 2025 00:00:00 -0400

We, as dairy caretakers, often feel an immediate need to do something in response to seeing abnormal milk. However, it may be more prudent to pause, take a strategic step back and weigh the options before proceeding with blanket treatment for all clinical mastitis cases.

7 parlor hygiene tips to improve milk quality

ernesto.tapia@delaval.com — Mon, 05 May 2025 00:00:00 -0400

Every person reading this article likely has some idea of what it means to produce good, quality milk. But consider that milk quality varies depending on the perspective of consumers, processors and farmers.

The effect of clinical mastitis in the milking behavior of Holsteins, Jerseys and their crosses

Thu, 24 Apr 2025 00:00:00 -0400

Our research group conducted a study at a large organic multibreed dairy equipped with an automated milking system. The goal was to describe and compare the milking behavior of cows from different breeds during the week before and after the diagnosis of clinical mastitis.

Trace minerals boost immune function, reduce mastitis

louderdvm@gmail.com — Mon, 24 Mar 2025 23:00:00 -0400

At freshening, with milk production and the risk of mastitis, the cow finds herself with the lowest levels of trace minerals to support her immune system. Even with properly balanced trace minerals going into the ration, the cow is unable to absorb them quickly enough to return her mineral stores to the levels needed to support immune function in her system and in the udder.

Looking at Regulatory Factors of Milk and Selling Dairy Products

Wed, 31 Jul 2024 00:00:00 -0400

The safe consumption and distribution of milk and dairy products is highly regulated to keep customers safe. All farms are required to submit milk bulk tank samples for testing to ensure that there are no antibiotics present in the milk. When a milk tanker is contaminated, it costs farms and milk cooperatives money. That’s where services offered by a milk analysis laboratory come in to help prevent this problem from happening for dairies.

Using milking speed information can lead to dairy profitability

dtnolan@illinois.edu — Thu, 11 Jul 2024 00:00:00 -0400

Efficiency is key to making the milking system as profitable as possible. Parlor turns can greatly impact milk collected per stall, and milkabilty measures of individual cows, like milking speed and milking duration, will impact how quickly cows make their way through the parlor.

[Podcast] Lucas Fuess: Dairy markets, economics and what dairy producers should know

Tue, 02 Jul 2024 02:00:00 -0400

In this episode, Lucas Fuess from Rabobank joins host Kimmi Devaney to chat about economic conditions, the factors affecting them and key insights from recent Rabobank reports related to milk production, on-farm margins and more.

Do optimized forage sampling and monitoring protocols benefit the productivity and efficiency of dairy farms?

kfr3@cornell.edu — Thu, 14 Mar 2024 16:31:29 -0400

Failure to detect and intervene in feed composition changes during the production and delivery of dairy cattle diets increases the uncertainty of the nutrients actually delivered which, in turn, increases the risk of underfeeding or overfeeding cows.

Who's taking up parlor space?

dtnolan@illinois.edu — Fri, 26 Jan 2024 00:00:00 -0500

Economic culling decisions can be very complex and challenging to make. Ensuring every cow that passes through the milking system holds value will help lead to increased farm profitability.

Integrity and honesty aid in low SCC at Eagle Ridge Dairy

matti@agproud.com — Sat, 25 Feb 2023 00:00:00 -0500

Establishing a “culture of integrity and honesty” might be something you hear in a human resource meeting, not a parlor. But for Eagle Ridge Dairy, it’s a core concept in the barn and key to maintaining a somatic cell count of 80,000.

Getting milk yield right

asha.miles@usda.gov — Fri, 16 Sep 2022 16:32:43 -0400

Milk, fat and protein yields are the primary drivers of dairy farm revenues. Knowing yields at the herd level helps owners estimate their milk checks and guides economic decisions.

Stabilize milk production this fall

askidmore@lallemand.com — Fri, 09 Sep 2022 14:24:48 -0400

It’s common for dairy producers to experience a “fall slump,” or a time when cows fail to reach their full production potential. Producers also might notice decreased feed intake or loose manure.

How does age at first calving affect the bottom line?

rhfourdr@ncsu.edu — Sun, 08 May 2022 13:00:01 -0400

Data show that earlier calving may result in less milk produced during the first lactation. However, by the time the cow reaches her third lactation, production levels are almost the same.

What happened to your herd last summer?

sue@artexbarn.com — Wed, 31 Mar 2021 13:00:01 -0400

If there was a way to review your dairy’s results last summer in the areas of pregnancy rates, milk production, feed intakes and lying time, then make proactive changes to your heat abatement program before the dog days of summer arrive, would you do it?

Mammary development is critical to lifetime milk production

ageiger@zinpro.com — Tue, 30 Jun 2020 13:00:01 -0400

The mammary gland is an extremely unusual organ because it is undeveloped at birth. The mammary gland is just a collection of cells inside the teat when a dairy calf is born, and only then does its development truly begin.

5 strategies to decrease milk production

qmlkdoc@gmail.com — Tue, 14 Apr 2020 18:21:51 -0400

As domestic and global food supply chains attempt to sort themselves out during the COVID-19 pandemic, many dairies are being asked to cut back on milk production to mitigate the dumping of milk.

3 factors to consider before dropping to 2X-milking

peggy@upleveldairy.com — Fri, 10 Apr 2020 20:58:12 -0400

Across the country, milk processors and co-ops are calling for dairy farms to reduce the amount of milk they ship, in some cases by as much as 20% of their current volume.

How seasonal rhythms impact milk production

peggy@upleveldairy.com — Thu, 19 Dec 2019 17:29:11 -0500

It’s not out of the ordinary for milk production and components to vary by season; in fact, Dr. Kevin Harvatine believes it’s a natural response to seasonal changes.

10 ways to get more milk from homegrown forages

mderbedrosian@vitaplus.com — Mon, 30 Sep 2019 13:00:01 -0400

It’s every dairy producer’s goal: Get more milk out of homegrown forages and spend less on purchased feeds. It sounds so easy but, in reality, getting more milk out of our homegrown forages is accomplished in many small steps rather than giant technological leaps.

Climbing the peak milk mountain

Mon, 30 Sep 2019 13:00:01 -0400

Climbing a mountain is no easy task. It takes preparation, planning and hard work to reach the summit. And there’s added value in the rewarding trip back down.

Three ways monitoring helps manage milking strings

Tue, 06 Aug 2019 13:00:01 -0400

As more dairy farms adopt electronic monitoring technologies, managers find sensor-driven data goes well beyond activity monitoring, rumination monitoring, health status and milk measurement.

Keep your cows happy at milking time

pdv3@cornell.edu — Thu, 18 Jul 2019 21:59:02 -0400

With all the things going on around your dairy, have you ever thought about whether cows actually like being milked? How would you know if they were happy or unhappy with the milking process?

Using data to manage milk quality

john@cow-corner.co — Mon, 01 Jul 2019 13:00:01 -0400

Advanced milking technology provides more data points than many dairies are able to use in their day-to-day routines and management decisions.

See your start-up milk clearly

rsmith@virtusnutrition.com — Fri, 22 Feb 2019 14:00:01 -0500

Of all the performance indicators you can monitor on the dairy, fresh cow performance ranks near the top, since the start of the lactation really determines the rest of the lactation.

100-pound herds: What are the secrets to their success?

tom@rennut.com — Tue, 30 Jun 2015 07:00:00 -0400

Over the years I’ve had the privilege of working with and visiting a number of herds across the country that were producing 100 pounds of milk or more per cow per day. What are the secrets of these herds with a bulk tank average that mirrors high-group production levels for many herds?