The treatment of clinical mastitis has dramatically changed in the approximately 50 years of my veterinary career. The major focus has been on the proper and judicious use of antibiotics in dairy cattle and assuring the public there are no antibiotic residues in the milk supply. 

Among the more problematic pathogens affecting cattle, Mycoplasma bovis (M. bovis) stands out for its involvement in chronic infections. The interaction between the outer makeup of the microorganism and the animal’s immune response contributes to its insidious nature, making treatment as well as prevention difficult.

Antimicrobial resistance is one of the most urgent global health threats and development challenges scientists face today. And dairy is responding with stewardship and materials that advance our industry’s interests in combating the threat.

Smaller producers often simply accept as fact that their production costs are going to be higher than their larger counterparts. However, there are ways to become more cost-effective and profitable.

A new era of calf prices begs the question: What’s one more worth? An extra weaned calf can be a result of improved reproductive success in conjunction with reducing morbidity and death loss.

Anybody who has raised cattle for any length of time has probably had to deal with lame cattle. The odds are great that the animal was either suffering from foot rot or a physical injury to the leg or foot.

For nearly 40 years, the alliance has been connecting those involved in getting food from the farm to our forks and arming them with the resources necessary to respond to emerging issues facing the animal agriculture community.

Over recent decades, cattle disease management, prevention and treatment have changed dramatically. Vaccines, antibiotics, technology and even diseases have altered course.

Former heavyweight boxing champion Mike Tyson famously said, “Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the face.” While he was referring to strategy in the boxing ring, the same holds true for starting lightweight (sometimes called peewee) calves.