Editor’s note: A recent upgrade to our website, Progressive Dairyman, also meant an upgrade in our online commenting system. Check out some recent reader questions and the authors’ responses. Visit the site today to ask a question on any article or leave a comment for the author.

What you need to know about A2 Originally published: Dec. 31, 2015

Chrissy Meyer, marketing editor with Alta Genetics, provided an overview of a recent industry hot topic, A2 milk, which can only be produced by cows that carry the A2 gene for beta casein.

Meyer went on to explain how dairy producers could alter their breeding programs to capitalize on this trend while keeping in mind other goals for their genetic program.

Mary Sanford Miner asked:

“So is a cow that is an A1A2 hybrid cow not going to be considered a valuable cow? If you started breeding today, how long would it take to transition your herd to milking 100 percent A2A2?

Are A1A2 hybrid cows that have the A2 gene considered throwaway cows? Not understanding the whole thing. I am curious what would be the transition time.

The author replied:

Each animal receives genes from each parent for every trait. Beta casein is no different. An animal receives either an A1 or A2 from its sire, and an A1 or A2 from its dam. Cows with one or two copies of the A1 gene just mean they received that gene from one or both of their parents. It doesn’t make the cow less valuable, it just means she will not produce A2 milk.

However, at this point in the U.S., the A2 milk market reach is very limited. So producers will not yet see a monetary benefit by producing only A2 milk. Once A2 milk is available on a wider scale, it will likely be marketed as a premium product. So the majority of milk in the foreseeable future will still be from cows with one or two copies of the A1 gene.

If you are looking to transition to all A2A2 cows, the length of time it would take to make that transition depends on how aggressively you want to make it happen. If you test all of your animals, cull the ones that are not A2A2 and then use only A2A2 sires in your breeding program, the transition can happen very rapidly.

However, since that approach is not very practical for most farms, a more conservative approach means keeping all of your cows – regardless of A2 status – but then use only A2A2 sires going forward. This will take several generations to completely transition to a full herd of A2A2 cows.

Read it for yourself: What you need to know abut A2

Heating box does more than just warm calves Originally published: Jan. 18, 2016

Pennsylvania dairy producer and regular blogger Kelli Woodring shared her farm’s success with a calf warming box.

Emily asked:

Excellent idea. Question though, isn’t feeding the calf colostrum within a few hours after birth the #1 way to get a calf off to a good start? Sounds like it was next morn before this calf got hers, or am I wrong?

The author replied:

Actually we have a great night shift crew who got momma milked and fed the baby for me. We aim to get colostrum in quickly and I cannot be there 24/7 to do it. Thanks for the question!

Read it for yourself: Heating box does more than just warm calves.  PD