A Wisconsin-based company aims to help dairies improve herd health and milk production with a new technology that levels up the usefulness of on-farm water troughs. The company’s new trough design eliminates organic materials with minimal water usage before they inhibit cleanliness.

Long-day lighting for heifers follows the same recommendations as lactating cows. The goal is to provide constant and evenly distributed light levels for a period of 16 to 18 hours of light and six to eight hours of darkness in the barn.

Controlling pathogen outgrowth in recycled manure bedding is possible. When a bacillus-based bedding additive was tested on-farm, a significant reduction in bulk tank SCC and mastitis cases was noticed.

The first six years after starting their dairy were action-packed for the Windemuller family as they purchased their property, economically grew their herd and converted existing buildings – including a turkey coop and a tiestall barn – into functional dairy facilities.

The recent mysterious disease affecting cattle in the U.S. is avian influezna, and the source is wild birds. My research team has been studying pest bird management on dairies for over eight years, and we have learned a few tricks that we would like to share with you.

Although no single disease transmission pathway has been identified for the highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI), one highly probable transmission route is through consuming contaminated water.

The USDA, the FDA and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) jointly released a statement on March 25 confirming the identification of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in dairy cattle. Here are several preventive measures for farms to protect their animals and best practices for herds affected by the avian influenza.

When it is time to consider new equipment or a new facility project, these three key principles will help provide clarity of purpose and ease of process.

Failure to permit cows to rest when they want to, for as long as they need to, has a negative impact on their ability to produce milk, become pregnant, stay healthy and remain in the herd.