Herd Health

Three dairymen who installed rumination and activity monitoring systems over five years ago share their experiences and advice from the East, Midwest and West regions.

The benefits of a healthy transition period are more than simply the convenience of not having to deal with cases of ketosis or twisted stomachs.

Hypocalcemia impacts cows on all types of dairies. Historically, dairy producers have focused on clinical hypocalcemia, often called milk fever, because without treatment these cows don’t recover.

Making dry-cow management a priority sets cows up for a successful next lactation. Since mastitis is the most common clinical disease reported on U.S. dairy farms, and one of the top reasons cows are sold, it’s critical to maintain a high level of care throughout the dry period.

Knowing what is really going on with the health of your transition cows is not just important – “It is critical to overall profitability and production. The financial impact of transition cow disease is greater than we realize,” said Dr. Mike Overton.

Currently, one of the biggest opportunities for increased performance on our dairy farms centers around our fresh cow programs. Fresh cows have a great opportunity for production potential, but if we do not set them up for success properly, they will not be able to achieve an optimal level of production.