Antibiotics

Case study: How a high-producing dairy herd cuts antibiotic use by 78%

gepalas@iastate.edu — Tue, 02 Jun 2026 00:00:00 -0400

For this herd, the opportunity wasn’t solving a visible problem, it was uncovering unnecessary cost. By using individual cow data to guide dry-off decisions, they reduced treatment, maintained herd performance and captured additional value.

Assurance Watch: Resources for responsible antibiotic use

jjonker@nmpf.org — Fri, 22 May 2026 00:00:00 -0400

By focusing on prevention, early detection and timely treatment decisions, U.S. dairy farmers promote animal well‑being while safeguarding the long‑term effectiveness of antibiotics.

Agriculture’s role in antimicrobial resistance and how antibiotic alternatives can curb the spread

d.iscovich@mileutis.com — Wed, 31 Dec 2025 00:00:00 -0500

Immune-based biologics are a solution with the potential to reduce (and perhaps eliminate) antibiotics use across dairy farms worldwide and ultimately mitigate the spread of antimicrobial resistance.

Dairy reduces residue violations with responsible antibiotic use

jjonker@nmpf.org — Mon, 10 Mar 2025 23:00:00 -0400

Dairy continues to reduce animal drug residues found in milk and meat, supporting its greater mission countering antimicrobial resistance, as shown in the 2024 annual report from the National Milk Drug Residue Database (NMDRD) released in December.

Assurance Watch: Dairy highlights wins in antimicrobial stewardship

jjonker@nmpf.org — Thu, 21 Nov 2024 00:00:00 -0500

Antimicrobial resistance is one of the most urgent global health threats and development challenges scientists face today. And dairy is responding with stewardship and materials that advance our industry’s interests in combating the threat.

Get mastitis treatment right the first time: The power of bacteriological cure

Fri, 05 Jul 2024 00:00:00 -0400

Clinical mastitis cure versus bacteriological cure … is there a difference between the two? Does it really matter? In a word, yes. In a few more words, it matters because the difference between achieving one and not both can be the two things that make or break a dairy’s bottom line: lost productivity and increased costs.

Assurance Watch: Continued dedication to responsible antibiotic use bolsters the industry

mhanselman@nmpf.org — Sat, 18 May 2024 00:00:00 -0400

For the past several years, the U.S. dairy industry has continued to reduce antibiotic and antimicrobial residues in milk and dairy beef. To support producers in the dairy industry’s commitment to antimicrobial stewardship, the FARM Program released its 2024-25 Milk & Dairy Beef Drug Residue Prevention Reference Manual.

Benchmarking antibiotic usage on the farm

Fri, 05 Apr 2024 00:00:00 -0400

“Overuse of antibiotics is a very significant threat to our industry,” stated Pamela Ruegg, DVM, Michigan State University as she addressed a crowd of dairy producers at the Great Lakes Regional Dairy Conference in Mt. Pleasant, Michigan.

Antimicrobial drug use and resistance in dairy cattle

matti@agproud.com — Mon, 15 May 2023 11:08:45 -0400

“We have to communicate and demonstrate our shared values with consumers,” said Terry Lehenbauer, professor and researcher at the University of California – Davis, during a question-and-answer portion of a presentation on antimicrobial drug use and resistance in dairy cattle at World Ag Expo in Tulare, California, on February 14.

Assurance Watch: Antibiotic residues trending down, but we shouldn’t stop here

jjonker@nmpf.org — Tue, 09 May 2023 08:16:51 -0400

Dairy farmers realize the importance of reducing the risk of creating drug residues in milk and dairy beef and take that responsibility of prudent antibiotic use seriously, taking precautions every day to ensure that milk or meat from antibiotic-treated animals does not enter the food supply. T

Preparations to treat mastitis after June 2023

audrey@agproud.com — Wed, 22 Mar 2023 00:00:00 -0400

Are you feeling anxious about the upcoming change of over-the-counter medically important antibiotics shifting to a prescription status in June? Don’t be. It can be a very smooth transition by focusing on what you’ve always been focusing on: excellent animal husbandry.

Regulations update for medically important over-the-counter antibiotics

audrey@agproud.com — Wed, 08 Mar 2023 00:00:00 -0500

In a recent Penn State webinar on Dec. 6, 2022, Hayley Springer, DVM, discussed how over-the-counter “medically important” drugs will shift from an over-the-counter status to a prescription status effective on June 11, 2023.

Managing nutrient absorption: Dealing with poor absorption, antagonisms

sblez@verizon.net — Fri, 09 Dec 2022 11:46:36 -0500

Millions of cows around the world consume diets that have been formulated as optimally as possible.

Reduce Your Dairy's Risk for Violative Residues

Mon, 31 Oct 2022 00:00:00 -0400

Judicious antibiotic use is key to maintaining consumer demand

linda.tikofsky@boehringer-ingelheim.com — Sat, 07 May 2022 13:00:01 -0400

As milk alternatives continue to fill the shelves, it’s important for dairy producers to pay attention to how their product stacks up.

Research review: New research: Surveillance of antimicrobial use and resistance to improve stewardship practices and animal health on dairy farms

Mon, 01 Feb 2021 14:00:01 -0500

Researchers are developing a surveillance program to measure antimicrobial use (AMU) and antimicrobial resistance (AMR) on Canadian dairy farms, as well as the effectiveness of antimicrobial stewardship protocols and programs.

Antibiotic therapy: It’s not the drugs; it’s how we use them

erskine@msu.edu — Thu, 11 Jun 2020 13:00:01 -0400

Mastitis is the most common reason for antimicrobial use for cows on U.S. dairy farms – about 80% of all antimicrobial use was for treatment or prevention of mastitis, which included dry cow therapy.

Ask a Vet: VFD questions answered

Wed, 27 Nov 2019 14:00:01 -0500

What is the Veterinary Feed Directive (VFD)? A change to the guidelines by the FDA regarding antibiotics for food animals in feed or water took effect in January 2017.

Nutrition management without antibiotics

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

As of January 2017, the FDA began a stricter regulation of antibiotics commonly used in the animal-feeding industry. Livestock and poultry producers alike have been accused of overfeeding various antibiotics, largely for growth promotion purposes (i.e., for increased feed efficiency and profitability).

Tracking empty drug containers on-farm detects more antibiotic treatments

diego.nobrega@ucalgary.ca — Mon, 15 Jan 2018 23:57:55 -0500

The emergence and spread of antimicrobial resistance is a major concern for human and animal health worldwide. Consequently, there is increasing pressure to reduce antibiotic use in food-producing animals.

Antibiotic test kits for on-farm use

Wed, 29 Feb 2012 16:34:41 -0500

Antibiotic residues in milk and meat will continue to be a hot topic of discussion in 2012. Dairy producers who have not done so already should review their residue avoidance programs to ensure compliance. The use of antibiotic test kits by dairy farms is an important part of a comprehensive residue avoidance program.