Herd Health

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.

On July 22, 2017, New Zealand’s Ministry of Primary Industries (MPI) confirmed the first detection of Mycoplasma bovis (M. bovis) in New Zealand in a dairy herd in South Canterbury, a region on New Zealand’s South Island.

One of the most frustrating situations for a dairy owner is to find a dead or dying cow and not understand the cause. In the case of sudden death, hemorrhagic bowel syndrome (HBS) should be considered, especially if you own a large, high-producing herd.

Whenever farmers get sick, have a fever or sprain an ankle, there are countless options of aspirin or ibuprofen to take for pain relief. However, when a dairy farmer’s animal experiences pain through disease or injury, the options are extremely limited.

The 2014 National Animal Health Monitoring System (NAHMS) dairy report shows that on average, 5.6 percent of all full-term pregnancies terminate in a dead calf. Dead on arrival (DOA) or stillborn calves are defined as being full-term but not surviving beyond 48 hours after birth. This average indicates there is a lot of room for improvement in the dairy industry.