How to investigate health problems

What was the “tipping point” that caused a health problem on your farm? Todd Duffield, veterinarian and dairy scientist at the University of Guelph in Canada, recommends using the W-5 approach to find out:

• What is the problem? Define it, calculate incidence, and determine if it’s old or new.
• Who has the problem? Does the problem occur within a certain parity of cows, stage of lactation or body condition score?
• When did it occur? Is it tied to days in milk or to the calendar?
• Where did it occur? Determine if the affected animals are in the same pen or portion of the farm.
• Why it occurred? Evaluate what has changed — cows, feed, people, and facilities — to try and find out why.

1. Ag markets posted mixed showing on Tuesday
2. Plains storms cause minor harm to Oklahoma/Kansas wheat
3. Chocolate milk a top post-workout food
4. Another reason for adults to drink milk
5. Penn State Dairy Team schedules “Tools for Teams” webinars
6. Ag markets generally mixed again Tuesday morning

1. 4 rules for growing a business or industry
2. Seven jobs more dangerous than farming
3. D.C. Watch: Farm bill progressing
4. April milk production up 0.3 percent
5. Chocolate milk a top post-workout food
6. Class III futures close out quietly last week

1. Commentary: Slanting the statistics
2. World food supply depends on character, virtuous leadership
3. Buffet concerned about soil and starvation
4. Cold spring stunts upper Midwest hay crop
5. N.M. rancher charged with 43 counts of animal cruelty
6. 2014 Farm Bill: Are we near an agreement?