Hoof Health

Why early lameness detection matters for reproductive performance

arnold.harbers@nedap.com — Mon, 01 Jun 2026 00:00:00 -0400

Mildly lame cows, or those just starting to decline, often go unnoticed. This hidden group is where the real losses begin to accumulate, especially when it comes to reproduction.

Continuing education for hoof trimming professionals

jwalker@kinderground.org — Wed, 27 May 2026 00:00:00 -0400

Continuing education for professional hoof trimming is more than just reading articles and sitting in meetings. Finding opportunities where your practices and habits are put to the test to sharpen your skill set is the type of practice that separates exceptional professional hoof trimmers from experienced ones.

Hoof health and heat: A dangerous combination

jenn@agproud.com — Tue, 12 May 2026 00:00:00 -0400

Hoof health is crucial to a dairy cow’s overall well-being – and in turn milk production and the farm’s bottom line. Different seasons put greater pressure on hoof health in a dairy herd than others and call for a pivot in management. Summer heat is one of those times.

Turning lameness data into measurable ROI

terry.canning@gea.com — Tue, 14 Apr 2026 00:00:00 -0400

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.

Obtain buy-in for proper hoof health management on farms

kburgi@savecows.com — Tue, 07 Apr 2026 00:00:00 -0400

Here are six key hoof health management factors to consider and implement, which will have a significant impact on animal well-being.

Balancing efficacy, precision and sustainability: How advanced footbath automation supports the dairy industry’s 2050 goals

dlessley@specialtysalesllc.com — Wed, 18 Mar 2026 08:19:57 -0400

Digital dermatitis (DD) remains one of the most persistent and costly challenges on dairies. Effective prevention requires proper hoof immersion, consistent chemical concentration and repeatable exposure.

Is this the best dairy in the world?

alvaro@dellait.com — Fri, 27 Feb 2026 00:00:00 -0500

Is this the best dairy in the world? That depends on how excellence is defined. If success is measured by scale or throughput, perhaps not. But if it is measured by how long cows remain healthy, comfortable and economically productive, this family-scale herd makes a compelling case.

3 Open Minutes with Demetrio Bautista Ortiz

jenn@agproud.com — Fri, 02 Jan 2026 00:00:00 -0500

Progressive Dairy connected with Demetrio Bautista Ortiz, a hoof care consultant with Save Cows Network, to discuss on-farm training, employee engagement and creating a support network for improved hoof health on U.S. dairy farms.

Measure It to Manage It: How two Arizona dairies slashed their lameness rates

Fri, 07 Nov 2025 00:00:00 -0500

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.

Hoof trimming: Time to rethink the playbook

lerickson@zinpro.com — Fri, 07 Nov 2025 00:00:00 -0500

As dairies have grown, the game has changed for operation managers as well. Issues like lameness are no longer an afterthought because we have learned a dairy cow’s hoof health is directly tied to her performance and the dairy’s profitability.

Teamwork at the trimming chute

jwalker@kinderground.org — Mon, 20 Oct 2025 00:00:00 -0400

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.

5-point map of hoof lesions guides prevention, treatment

lerickson@zinpro.com — Sun, 19 Oct 2025 00:00:00 -0400

Lameness from hoof lesions is one of the top reasons for culling dairy cows and is a major welfare concern, costing producers hundreds of dollars per affected cow.

A simplistic approach to hoof trimming

kburgi@savecows.com — Thu, 16 Oct 2025 00:00:00 -0400

Great hoof health advances the well-being of dairy cows while improving overall farm sustainability. Managing hoof health on farms requires proper and timely execution of preventive hoof trimming.

Seeing the future of lameness management

mnelson@specialtysalesllc.com — Mon, 13 Oct 2025 00:00:00 -0400

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.

Artificial intelligence detection brings lameness into focus

terry.canning@gea.com — Mon, 04 Aug 2025 00:00:00 -0400

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.

Execute an insight-driven hoof health program

creese@bovisync.com — Wed, 23 Jul 2025 00:00:00 -0400

Maintaining optimal hoof health in dairy herds is paramount for ensuring peak productivity and minimizing lameness, a prevalent issue that can severely affect cow welfare and farm economics.

Hoof Trimmers Association to host 20th sesquiannual conference

jenn@agproud.com — Sat, 24 May 2025 00:00:00 -0400

There are few things more invigorating than gathering with like-minded individuals and hearing from industry experts to bring home new concepts and ideas to your business. That is what the Hoof Trimmers Association (HTA) will accomplish at their 20th Hoof Health Conference Aug. 21-23 in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.

Detection, prevention and treatment of lameness

alvaro@dellait.com — Thu, 08 May 2025 00:00:00 -0400

Spring often brings heavy rains and melting snow, especially in regions of the Northern Hemisphere, creating humid conditions that can significantly increase the risk of lameness in dairy cows. Maintaining hoof health through regular trimming and the use of footbaths is essential. Noninvasive tools like 3D camera systems have also transformed how producers detect and respond early to these health issues.

Nexus awards: Automated footbath gains computer vision capability

walt.cooley@agproud.com — Tue, 06 May 2025 00:00:00 -0400

An automated footbath that could already fill, clean out and refill on its own now has a new capability – computer vision. Hoofcount’s footbath counts cow passes through the bath, dumps solution after a designated number of cows have used it, sprays out the bath and refills the bath with solution automatically.

Partnering with farm consultants to enhance hoof health management

lerickson@zinpro.com — Thu, 24 Apr 2025 00:00:00 -0400

Lameness negatively impacts milk production, fertility and longevity, making proactive hoof care essential for any dairy operation. By partnering with farm owners, on-farm consultants can play a crucial role in enhancing key skill sets and implementing a comprehensive hoof health management plan.

Busting footbath myths

joey@specialtysalesllc.com — Mon, 21 Apr 2025 00:00:00 -0400

As I’ve talked to producers, almost everyone can experience improvements – even those who were satisfied with their trim losses and health outcomes. Surprisingly, the protocol offering these results has been around for decades: the humble footbath.

Fine-tune the trim schedule

kburgi@savecows.com — Tue, 01 Apr 2025 23:00:00 -0400

Good hoof health is a core factor for productive, problem-free cows. Longevity and lifetime production directly improve profitability on dairy farms; however, management must remain vigilant with respect to the health and welfare of the animal.

Let's Get Social: The Hoof Cowboy

jenn@agproud.com — Tue, 25 Mar 2025 23:00:00 -0400

In the hoof-trimming arena, we deal very closely with animal welfare, which is where these images focus on. I wanted to take on the challenge, and my goal was to show the care and effort that goes into caring for animals.

Have your digester and copper too

bryan_franks@specialtysalesllc.com — Mon, 03 Feb 2025 00:00:00 -0500

There seems to be a lot of confusion in the dairy industry about the ability to benefit from an anaerobic digester and still use copper in a hoof care program.

Tips from an expert: How to improve hoof health on your dairy

matti@agproud.com — Tue, 28 Jan 2025 00:00:00 -0500

In a recent Progressive Dairy Podcast episode, Jamie Sullivan of Rippleview Hoofcare addressed some misconceptions surrounding hoof care, gave his thoughts on where hoof health priorities should lie and challenged the dairy industry to reframe thinking around lameness.

Beyond hooves: The human element in tackling lameness

laura.solano@wisc.edu — Mon, 27 Jan 2025 00:00:00 -0500

Lameness is an issue that impacts every part of the supply chain – not just the welfare and health of cows but also the farmers and their teams working to maintain herd productivity, as well as the dairy processors and retailers seeking to build trust in their brand.

Managing metritis in dairy cows

sleblanc@uoguelph.ca — Fri, 17 Jan 2025 00:00:00 -0500

Most dairy cows have potentially disease-causing bacteria in their reproductive tract in low abundance. Cows develop uterine infection and disease when the pathogens overgrow and become dominant. Cows need to have a rapid, robust and well-regulated inflammatory response in the uterus during and immediately after calving to detach the placenta, keep bacterial pathogens in check and start uterine repair.

Address lameness while the trimmer is away

lerickson@zinpro.com — Wed, 18 Dec 2024 00:00:00 -0500

It is important to provide excellent hoof care to cows because lame cows can go from bad to worse quickly. If a lame cow has to wait to be treated, she can experience longer recovery time, and more necrotic tissue and permanent damage to her pedal bone.

Hoof care academy focuses on the basics for improved standard practices

jenn@agproud.com — Tue, 01 Oct 2024 00:00:00 -0400

The team of Dr. Jen Walker, Dr. Gerard Cramer and Jamie Sullivan are using their expertise and experience to educate, train and promote the principles of hoof care, and proper functional and therapeutic trimming techniques for improved animal welfare on farms through the Kinder Hoof Care Academy Trimmer Training.

Management of lame cows to improve animal welfare

jks@iastate.edu — Tue, 27 Aug 2024 00:00:00 -0400

The welfare of a lame cow is affected in at least three ways: 1) it interferes with natural behaviors such as walking, lying down and interacting with herdmates; 2) it impairs normal function by reducing milk production and reproductive efficiency; and 3) the pain impacts the cow’s affective states of physical and mental well-being. What can we do to manage lameness more effectively and improve the welfare of cows that develop lameness?