With heat stress comes lameness and negative impacts on hoof health. In fact, heat stress is one of the biggest factors contributing to dairy cow lameness.

Due to the significant negative impact on cow welfare and the complexity of the issue, multiple farm advisers are often involved in lameness management.

During the summer, cows face additional challenges due to heat stress and can become stuck in a negative cycle of lameness and ultimately decreased productivity.

Lameness is a costly issue for dairy farms, with an average prevalence of 25% of dairy cows on U.S. dairies experiencing lameness. Much of these costs are associated with milk loss and can add up to $200 to $500 per case. 

Hoof health impacts every aspect of your beef herd’s profitability. Managing for hoof health through environmental challenges and seasonal change is critical for your cattle to achieve lifetime performance.

Digital dermatitis (DD) has been a problem in dairies for a long time and is becoming more prevalent in beef cattle, says Terry Engelken, a professor in the college of veterinary medicine at Iowa State University.

For some time now, producers have known that lameness causes major loss in the dairy industry, including both economic injury and a decline in animal health and well-being.