While there are no proven vaccines or products for the control of the highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI), sound immunity is a core component of the cow’s physiology and ability to produce efficiently and economically. A sound nutrition program supports immunity in both the long and short term and certainly will have positive effects on reducing HPAI incidence. 

Managing and achieving a successful fresh-cow transition is a critical component of a profitable and sustainable dairy business. Despite significant achievements through research and improved management strategies, there are still numerous on-farm and individual cow risk factors that come into play, resulting in a fine line between achieving a successful transition and one that always seems to be a work in progress.

Hemorrhagic bowel syndrome (HBS) is a silent, confounding killer in dairy herds. It’s particularly stressful because the exact cause of HBS is unknown. There are few symptoms, it often impacts older high-producing cows, and it’s nearly always fatal. Often you don’t know a cow has HBS until it’s too late.

Most dairy cows have potentially disease-causing bacteria in their reproductive tract in low abundance. Cows develop uterine infection and disease when the pathogens overgrow and become dominant. Cows need to have a rapid, robust and well-regulated inflammatory response in the uterus during and immediately after calving to detach the placenta, keep bacterial pathogens in check and start uterine repair.

The USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) announced that 15 additional states have enrolled in the National Milk Testing Strategy (NMTS), bringing the total number of states to 28 in roughly one month since the program launched.