Herd Health

Progressive Dairyman invited several prominent companies and organizations to discuss the current state of antimicrobial drug use on dairy farms. Those contacted said most producers do an exceptional job; this roundtable highlights areas to further perfect.

A good start in life and lactation are paramount to dairy profitability, and Kathryn Proudfoot, assistant professor at Ohio State University, explored using cow behavior as a management tool for maternity pen design.

The area of most confusion related to herd health management on dairies continues to be the vaccine program. It is rare to find just one vaccine protocol for any farm.

Chances are, you don’t spend a lot of your day thinking about the various bacterial or other microscopic species that inhabit your dairy. And much of the time, these unseen organisms don’t affect your herd to a point that warrants your attention.

Twenty-one countries have eliminated bovine leukemia virus (BLV) from their cattle populations. The U.S. is not one of them. Years ago, it deemed the effort cost-prohibitive.

Infectious bovine keratoconjunctivitis (“pinkeye”) has been a problem for cattle producers for more than 100 years. It is a highly contagious ocular disease that results in serious monetary losses for cattle producers.