Latest News From Dairy Cattle

As we transition the cows into a new facility, take time to watch the cows' usage of the facility. Cow behavior in the facility will indicate what may need to be adjusted.

Real-time monitoring of the environmental conditions for baby calves during transport would be highly beneficial to their comfort and health. Now, that task is becoming a possibility.

Scoring teat ends tells a story of how happy a cow is with how she is milked and treated. It also provides insights into whether the milking process is harmful to the animal and needs to be changed.

A breeding indicator can help alleviate labor and uncertainty during breeding.

Imagine receiving a phone call from the government telling you to euthanize your entire herd. That’s the nightmare Art Schapp, owner of Highland Dairy in Clovis, New Mexico, wished had never come true.

There’s a new face in the winner’s circle for the most lifetime milk produced by a U.S. Holstein cow, and it belongs to Chrome-View Charles 3044, owned by Mason’s Chrome View farm in Nottingham, Pennsylvania.

Veterinarians and researchers have hypothesized why H. somni is becoming more widespread and increasingly prevalent, but there is not a clear culprit.

The new indication is for control of pyrexia in dairy cows due to acute mastitis. There is a short milk withhold of 48 hours. 

Making culling decisions can often be difficult for many reasons. In the process, estimating cow value around the time of culling is oversimplified.

A high school dance proposal used to simply consist of asking your date to the dance, but now there is a lot of hype about when and how you ask. Recently my daughter's proposal included a trip to the cow barn.

The latest USDA Milk Production report saw a mere 0.8% increase in December’s milk production over the prior year. While states, like Texas and South Dakota continue to lead the way in year-over-year cow number growth.

Somatic cell counts have long been an indicator of milk quality and udder health. But can a cow’s SCC get too low?

If you listed the top three disease problems in young dairy calves, diarrhea and pneumonia would likely come to mind immediately. The third one might not be as obvious: umbilical infection.

This article, developed by Margaret Masterson, DVM, The Ohio State University, covers surgery basics for supernumerary teats, slow milkers, teat obstructions, teat spiders, fistulas and teat lacerations.

Have you ever noticed that cows who calve during the fall and winter months tend to produce less colostrum than their herd mates who calved during the spring and summer? Here's why.

Phibro recently conducted several studies to test various DCAD strategies and their relationships with key minerals and vitamins.

Could reproductive hormones have an impact on the gut microbiota of cattle.

Move over, artificial insemination. There’s a new “A.I.” in town, and it’s more intelligent than you.

Hear from experts as they review and explain ideas on best feeding and management practices for transition cows.

Sometimes called “sudden death syndrome” or “bloody gut,” Hemorrhagic Bowel Syndrome is characterized by dark, tarry, and sometimes bright red, bloody feces; dehydration; and decreased feed intake.

Decision-making for treating tough diseases in dairy calves is complex and challenging. Sometimes timely euthanasia is needed. More training and support for calf caretakers are needed in the process.

In our quest for healthy, growthy, efficiently raised calves, have we lost some of the more fundamental elements of what makes calves tick?

“Similar to Staph aureus and mycoplasma, Prototheca [mastitis] is hard to detect, has no known cure, and is contagious by intermittently shedding from cow to cow."

Pennsylvania teenager Reese Burdette continues her medical recovery from a 2014 housefire and returns to the showring at a Harrisburg dairy competition.

Compared to Holsteins, is calving time with crossbreds more difficult in terms of calf weight, stillbirth, gestation length, or dystocia?

Veterinarians can enhance their relationship and business with producers by identifying ways they can be more efficient. Two good starting points: management of the parlor and the parlor environment.

National Dairy Herd Information Association is accepting applications for $1,500 scholarships that will go to third- or fourth-year college of veterinary medicine students.

This is the story of one dairy producer's struggle with the impact of stray voltage on her cows and family. She wants her family's experience to be something veterinarians and dairy producers can learn and benefit from.

Updates from the Dairy Cattle Welfare Symposium 2022

Adopting a heifer synchronization program can pay dividends. The sooner heifers become pregnant, the sooner they can enter the milking string and become productive members of the herd.

There are three main threats to dairy sustainability: lowering the carbon footprint, assuring continued availability of affordable water and a qualified labor force.

Dairy farms are a hustling and bustling place. Last year, the Berning family in Illinois opened their dairy farm barn doors and offer Farm Camp for kids of all ages. Camp includes farm chores, scavenger hunts and more.

Neospora is the most commonly diagnosed cause of abortions in cattle both domestically and worldwide.

With beef prices soaring and milk prices in favorable conditions, producers are keeping a keen eye on cows who are not pulling their own weight.

When forced to make a choice, cows will pick resting over eating.

As the thermometer starts to creep its way into the upper 80s, 90s or even the 100°F mark, nobody wants to put in physical work during the hottest part of the day - cows included.

In 2021 the USDA reported the state with the largest milk production growth by percentage in the nation was South Dakota.

Paying attention to feed-bunk behaviors can alert dairy producers to issues with diet, feed management or delivery that impact health and performance.

While many alternatives to palpation have evolved over the years, a quick, convenient, on-farm pregnancy test kit has remained elusive...until now.

A recent study at a northern Colorado dairy showed whether cows had to wait a long time to be milked or a little did not have much impact on their subsequent activity and resting behavior.

The time of consistent heat stress is upon us. Heat-stressed cows produce less milk, have reduced fertility, and have higher SCC. Providing proper heat abatement can have both an economic and welfare impact on the farm.

Are your producers getting heifers bred earlier than is beneficial? DVM Gavin Staley thinks that's the case too often. He offers three practices to focus on for hitting the “sweet spot” in heifer-breeding maturity.

Jesse Goff, Iowa State University dairy veterinarian and professor, attributes hypocalcemia, including the subclinical stage, to metabolic alkalosis. He says the issue has to do with potassium in forages being fed.   

Art Schaap, owner of Highland Dairy in Clovis, New Mexico, has been living a nightmare for the past four years. His nightmare is finally coming to an end, but not without the heartache of euthanizing 3,665 cows.

Check out the photographs of nine common problems Dr. Ahmed Tibary, Washington State University, says he most often sees in the sperm of bulls that fail breeding soundness exams.

A new insurance concept is being launched to allow dairy producers around the world to financially insure against the production losses caused by heat stress.

All feed types are costing more, and there's no way around that. However, several management practices can be used to potentially lower costs without sacrificing cow health or the animal's next lactation.

To help producers obtain a lower SCC, it is important to know what you are up against in the herd and how to treat for specific problems, says Peter Edmondson, DVM.

Progesterone is a key hormone in the establishment and maintenance of a pregnancy. Increasing its concentration can boost pregnancy rates and decrease pregnancy losses after embryo transfer.

The new Calf Care & Quality Assurance program is ready to engage some arms and legs to carry out its mission. The second CCQA Instructor training is planned for June 2022.