Herd Health

The heat and humidity of a typical Arkansas summer combine to make a stressful environment for lactating dairy cows. During hot summer weather, milk production may decrease by as much as 50% and reproductive proficiency of lactating dairy cows is greatly diminished. Some data indicate that only 10% to 20% of inseminations in heat-stressed cows result in pregnancies.

The mammary gland is an extremely unusual organ because it is undeveloped at birth. The mammary gland is just a collection of cells inside the teat when a dairy calf is born, and only then does its development truly begin.

Teat dip is an integral part of keeping good milk quality numbers. There are many methods to apply the dip and an even greater number of germicides to choose from today.

Late at night, after the drone of the pumps are quiet, every producer has wondered, “How could I get more out of my cows?” As most good questions do, this too leads to another question. “Nutritionally, what is holding fresh cows back from maximum production?”

According to the American Institute of Stress, a popular definition of stress is “a condition or feeling experienced when a person perceives that demands exceed the personal and social resources the individual is able to mobilize”.

For many, summer weather is here, and along with it are high temperatures, high humidity and heat stress.