Herd Health

Body condition scoring (BCS) is a simple and powerful technique that, by evaluating the thickness of subcutaneous fat and therefore its mobilization, evaluates animals’ energy balance, which is highly associated with health and performance.

Feeding a prepartum ration with a negative dietary cation-anion difference (DCAD) minimizes the risk of both clinical and subclinical hypocalcemia.

Rules, rules, rules. Use only low-potassium forages, don’t feed buffers, feed lots of wheat straw, chop straw to 1-inch particle size, thoroughly blend all ration ingredients into a TMR, move cows onto the pre-fresh diet 21 days before calving, check urine pH for a minimum of eight cows, at four to six hours after feeding, every week.

Tell me and I forget, teach me and I may remember, involve me and I learn — Xun Kuang

Establishing and teaching protocols for crucial farm tasks forms the foundation of training farm employees.

The economic impact of Johne’s disease on the dairy industry rivals that of clinical mastitis. In the U.S., well over $250 million each year is lost due to reduced milk production, premature culling and reduced reproductive efficiency.