Herd Health

Typically, when the topic of heat stress comes up, northern New York is not the first region that pops into most people’s minds. Although it is true we do not tend to suffer from prolonged, extreme heat here in the north country, it is also true that it does not take much heat for high-producing dairy cows to begin experiencing the physiological distress that can ultimately lead to compromised production, immune function and reproduction.

New Veterinary Feed Directive (VFD) regulations were implemented on Jan. 1, 2017, by the FDA and required producers to get authorization from a veterinarian before purchasing and administering antibiotics that can also be used to treat human diseases for livestock.

Chromium supplementation minimizes the negative effects of the stress response by consistently decreasing serum cortisol during stressful periods for cattle and other species.

Whether expanding, starting up a robotic dairy using first-lactation animals, or transitioning parlor or tiestall cows to a robot, many dairy farmers run into the same problem: There are some cows that struggle to adapt to the new system. 

As the saying goes, a chain is only as strong as its weakest link. Is it possible there are “weak links” in your fresh cow treatment protocols that could set your dairy up for vulnerabilities, either for antibiotic residues or lack of efficacy?

A case of ketosis comes with a cost, but it is possible to manage this metabolic disease to minimize its impact on dairy herds.