John Law published a paper in 2006 in the journal Environment and Planning about the situation “developed” countries of the world find themselves in. They are precariously vulnerable to an incursion of a fast-moving animal disease that exists elsewhere in the world.

The impacts of management during the transition period can make or break future lactations and overall herd health, putting at risk investments in genetics, farm profitability and welfare.

Progressive Dairy hosted these technologies along with PDPW on the Nexus Innovation stage – a live-format presentation that is a cross between a TED Talk and a Shark Tank pitch.

In a flooded market of animal monitoring systems, it can be easy to get caught up on what is new or flashy. But flashy does not always translate to what you need – efficiency, profitability and, ultimately, a solution that makes your day-to-day herd management tasks easier.

“We know that how a transition cow completes her transition period really sets her up for her entire lactation,” Dr. Erin Horst, Ph.D., said as she began her presentation about the Best Practices for Transition Cow Success at the recent Great Lakes Regional Dairy Conference. 

Observing the effects of disease outbreaks in other animal agriculture industries creates an opportunity for dairy producers to look more closely at their biosecurity practices and ask, “Is my dairy prepared for a foreign animal disease threat?”

Are you feeling anxious about the upcoming change of over-the-counter medically important antibiotics shifting to a prescription status in June? Don’t be. It can be a very smooth transition by focusing on what you’ve always been focusing on: excellent animal husbandry.