Dairy Reproduction
The intricacies of transition-cow nutrition and its role in lactation success may be made a bit easier with the Liver Functionality Index.
Here’s a breakdown of just how much these seven transition period diseases could be costing you.
To keep an efficient and profitable reproductive program humming, proactive reproductive management practices need to be practiced daily.
Sit down to watch a football game and you’ll likely see players sporting wristband playbooks, allowing coaches to improve communication between players. The same kind of concept is being used on dairy farms.
Feed costs, labor costs and material increases all have increased the cost of production, resulting in a steep year-over-year decline in milk production that was illustrated in the recent USDA Milk Production Report.
“The more we understand about how specific nutrition components influence health and performance responses, the more we can support cows in their production cycles.”
Could too many ovarian follicles, at too young of an age, mean a shortened herd life for dairy females? Researchers at Michigan State University think it’s a possibility.
Over-conditioned cows that lose weight after calving subsequently have lower fertility, produce fewer quality embryos and face higher rates of health problems.
Is lowering the age at first breeding still on the industry’s genetic wish list?
Held in Las Vegas Nov. 30 - Dec. 2, the 18th Annual MILK Business Conference has a great line-up of speakers and sessions to help dairy producers capitalize on and further develop their strengths to work for them.
High producing dairy cows are in heat for a shorter period of time, thus increasing the challenges in the timely insemination of cows visually detected in heat.
With more than a million people attending the Great New York State Fair annually, one of the must-see exhibits that the fair offers is the Dairy Cow Birthing Center.
Moving to 100% polled genetics is an air-tight method of dispelling consumer concerns about dehorning pain. But the wheels of genetic progress turn relatively slowly in cattle.
As dairy caregivers, we see “Poor Doer Syndrome.” These are cows that struggle for unknown reasons until they subsequently develop an infectious disease, a surgically correctable condition or are culled.
A highly fatal intestinal disease of adult cows, Hemorrhagic Bowel Syndrome (HBS), draws concerns from dairy producers, veterinarians and nutritionists, as it is also known as the sudden death disease of dairy cattle.
Initiative Petition 13 (IP13), a draft ballot titled the Abuse, Neglect and Assault Exemption Modification and Improvement, was filed in November by David Michelson, a Portland animal rights activist.
John Schouten’s dairy upbringing not only further generated his interest in the dairy industry, but also propelled the CEO to travel the globe and be remembered for his vital role in U.S. dairy semen exports.
Reproduction clicks along like a well-oiled machine at Schanbacher Acres near Atkins, Iowa, thanks in part to the farm’s routine use of blood pregnancy tests for the past 17 years.
Beef-on-dairy breeding is a growing phenomenon, not just in the U.S., but worldwide.
The cow of today may not be the cow you want to milk in the future. As standards change and technology improves, your ideal cow could look very different overtime.
There’s no bull about it, artificial insemination has come a long way since its first use in dairy cattle during the late 1930s. While the technology has vastly changed, the basic principles still remain.
Unfortunately, ovarian cysts are one of the most common ovarian dysfunctions in dairy cattle. In fact, approximately one in 10 cows will become cystic at some point in her life.
10-year, 7-herd study also shows lower health costs.
One way to help forecast the amount of milk produced from first lactation animals is to record their age at first calving (AFC).
Use of these unique genetic bulls could reintroduce lost genetic variation.
Each culling decision should be a bit individualized, based on a heifer’s genetic background and health history.
We can improve fertility without impacting other production or health traits.
The accuracy of fertility evaluation depends on properly accounting for whether a unit of sexed- or conventional semen was used.
Nominations are open for the Dairy Cattle Reproduction Council (DCRC) 2019 Reproduction Awards program.