Diagnostics

Your Vet Recommended RT-PCR for Mastitis — Now What?

Fri, 10 Apr 2026 15:03:58 GMT

If your veterinarian is recommending RT-PCR (real-time polymerase chain reaction), it’s usually tied to a specific frustration point on the dairy. That might be repeated “no growth” culture results, ongoing contagious mastitis challenges or a high number of clinical cases without clear answers.

As Dr. Jim Rhoades, veterinarian with IDEXX, put it:

“PCR is not new, but it may be new to some of our producers. It’s a tool that is really applicable to diagnosing mastitis on commercial dairy farms now. Getting good, timely information to make management decisions is probably undervalued in many cases.”

At its core, this isn’t about adding another test. It’s about getting clearer, more actionable information to guide management decisions. RT-PCR is one key in the advancement of technology for mastitis detection and prevention .

What RT-PCR Actually Does

RT-PCR works by detecting the genetic fingerprint of bacteria rather than trying to grow them in the lab.

Here’s the simple version:

Every pathogen has unique DNA. RT-PCR takes a milk sample mixed with fluorescence-tagged pathogen-specific DNA primers and runs it through repeated heating and cooling cycles that facilitate the amplification of the target pathogen DNA. As that DNA builds up through the cycles, a fluorescent signal increases, and once that signal crosses a defined threshold, the test reads as positive.

This amplification process is what allows PCR to detect even very small amounts of bacteria that culture might miss.

“PCR is grounded in specific genetic sequences that make the bacteria the bacteria. It is very specific to a single target. We’re not casting a wide net to see what grows. We’re looking for specific pathogens or groups of pathogens,” Rhoades explains.

How to Interpret a PCR Result

Instead of colony counts, PCR reports a cycle threshold, or Ct value. This reflects how many amplification cycles, the repeated heating and cooling cycles, were needed before bacterial DNA was detected via fluorescence.

The key takeaway is straightforward:

Low Ct = more bacteria present
High Ct = less bacterial DNA present

That’s the opposite of what most people are used to with culture, but once understood, it becomes a reliable way to gauge how significant a result may be.

Why PCR Can Still Be Positive When Culture Isn’t

In practical terms, culture depends on live bacteria being able to grow, while PCR detects DNA whether or not those organisms are still viable, which is why it can pick up infections that culture misses.

“With PCR we can have positive results that may have been negative with culture. It can give us information we may not have gotten from culture,” Dr. Pamela Adkins, associate professor of food animal medicine at the University of Missouri, says. “About 30% of clinical mastitis cases will come back culture-negative. When we use PCR, we find only 8% of those cases are actually negative.”

In practice, PCR is especially useful when:

Bacterial levels are too low to grow in culture
The cow has already started clearing the infection
Sample handling reduces bacterial viability

One of the most important things to understand is that PCR detects DNA, not necessarily live bacteria.

“The immune system may clear the pathogen, which is great. If that happens too quickly, we may not get an answer from culture, but the PCR will still be positive,” Adkins explains.

This is where interpretation is important. A PCR-positive result doesn’t always mean an active infection that needs treatment; it may reflect a recent infection that has already resolved.

Where PCR Fits and What to Do With It

PCR is best thought of as part of a broader diagnostic approach rather than a replacement for existing tools. Rather than replacing culture, it complements it by adding speed and sensitivity, particularly in situations where traditional methods fall short.

“These are all tools and we need to use all the tools in our toolbox,” Rhoades says.

In practice, PCR adds the most value when it helps you step back and understand what is happening at the herd level. It can identify infections that would otherwise be missed, clarify what pathogens are driving mastitis on your farm and point toward more effective prevention strategies.

For producers, that translates into a few key advantages:

A clearer picture of what’s actually in the herd
Better ability to reduce spread of contagious pathogens
More confidence in targeted, cost-effective decisions

When used correctly, RT-PCR can give you the information needed to make better decisions with fewer surprises, fewer missed infections and more control over the problem.

To learn more about how mastitis detection, prevention and treatment are changing, check out the following episode of “ The Bovine Vet Podcast ”.

Seeing the Whole Elephant: Systems Thinking and Animal Health

Mon, 24 Nov 2025 22:19:50 GMT

We all know the ancient parable of the blind men and the elephant: each man touches a different part of the elephant and becomes convinced he knows the whole animal. One feels the trunk and declares it a snake, another the leg and insists it’s a tree. Each observation is accurate, but each conclusion is deeply incomplete.

Veterinary medicine often falls into the same trap, not because of a lack of care but because of training to look closely. In a world where disease emerges from the interactions of nutrition, immunity, environment, behavior and management, the old parable reminds us the truth isn’t found in any single part. It’s found in the relationships between them.

Why Looking Closely Isn’t Enough

Pattern recognition is one of our greatest strengths. You learn to see classic presentations and link them with a diagnosis. For example, ketosis in a fresh cow or BRD in a calf with a cough.

But disease rarely lives in one organ system or one management practice. A narrow focus can deceive us. We might fixate on the ‘tusk’ because it looks sharp and obvious, while missing the constellation of forces actually driving the animal’s response.

Examples crop up everywhere:

A dairy lameness problem blamed solely on digital dermatitis, when the root cause is chronic wet bedding, poor ventilation and subtle changes in stocking density.
A calf barn respiratory outbreak attributed to infectious bovine rhinotracheitis, when the real sequence of events begins with colostrum quality, followed by fluctuating ventilation, then a weather front that pushes calves over the edge.
A feedlot dip in performance linked solely to a ration change, when heat stress, water access, bunk competition and handling stress created a cascade of interacting pressures.

Each diagnosis contains a piece of truth, but each is incomplete when treated in isolation.

Systems Thinking: Looking Between the Parts

Systems thinking is the discipline of understanding how elements interact to produce outcomes. It challenges us to stop asking what caused this and start asking how these factors combined to create this situation.

Dr. Brian Vander Ley of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln recently spoke on the topic.

“Systems thinking is actually a derivative of a field called ‘systems dynamics,’ which is a highly mathematical modeling field that’s used to predict the behavior of systems based on components in the system and relationships,” Vander Ley explains. However, systems thinking takes out the math component. “It’s a set of tools, processes and principles that enable us to focus on the relationship between parts of the system and not just some of the parts themselves.”

A system isn’t just a list of components. It is:

The feedback loops between nutrition and immunity
The way ventilation interacts with pathogen load
How handler behavior influences stress physiology
How management timing affects microbial dynamics
How one week’s decisions become the next month’s disease patterns

The iceberg analogy fits here too: What we see in the cow is only a small fraction of what’s really happening. The larger drivers of disease sit below the surface and remain invisible unless we deliberately go looking for them.

The heart of systems thinking is recognizing that diseases are rarely linear. They are networked. They emerge not from one factor but from several interacting simultaneously, sometimes amplifying, sometimes buffering each other.

In other words, the elephant is not just trunk + tusk + leg + ear. The elephant is the relationships that connect those parts into a living organism.

The Veterinarian as a Systems Navigator

Veterinarians already intuitively use systems thinking. You’re constantly piecing together physiology, environment and behavior. The challenge is doing it intentionally rather than incidentally.

This means asking broader questions:

Where did the system fail and why?
What feedback loops are reinforcing the problem?
Which variables are upstream versus downstream?
What invisible pressures are shaping what I can see?
What happens if one part of the system changes?

When we ask these questions, we stop thinking like the blind men — competing diagnoses based on isolated observations — and start thinking like systems analysts, integrating multiple perspectives into a coherent picture.

This is also dependent on communication within the animal care team.

“Communicating about it is really important, because we are really sure about our own experiences. When I go out and collect data with my own hands and my own eyes, I’m very confident in that data, and when I see information that’s very different, I tend to disregard that information,” Vander Ley says. “We want to engage in a kind of communication that allows us to appreciate that we’ve got different pieces of the elephant in hand.”

Having an open dialogue between owners, producers, veterinarians and academics allows for a broadened perspective for understanding what the problem is.

Case Example: Reframing a ‘Simple’ Mastitis Problem

Take a herd with climbing somatic cell count and increased clinical mastitis cases. A parts-focused approach might look at:

Teat-end condition
Milking protocols
Bedding
Culture results

A systems approach goes further:

How has cow flow changed through the parlor?
Are fresh cows being mixed too early?
Has ration moisture affected rumen health and lying time?
Are staff changes altering consistency in milking prep?
Has heat stress reduced rumination and immune resilience?
Are equipment cleaning routines changing due to workload?

Suddenly, the rising cell counts are no longer an udder health issue but a system problem — a signal, not a cause.

Stepping Back to See the Elephant

The parable of the blind men isn’t merely about limited perspectives; it’s about the illusion of certainty that comes from seeing only one piece of a larger, interconnected whole.

Veterinarians do some of their best work up close: palpating, listening to internal sounds, evaluating subtle signs. But the greatest diagnostic breakthroughs often come when we deliberately widen our view and consider not just the parts but the interplay between them.

Systems thinking doesn’t replace traditional diagnostic skills, it evaluates them. It turns isolated observations into meaningful patterns. It turns symptoms into stories. It turns disease into a map we can navigate instead of a puzzle we must solve.

In the end, seeing the ‘elephant’ means seeing not just the cow or the herd but the interconnected ecosystem that shapes every outcome.

Turn Milk Data Into An Early Diagnosis

Tue, 18 Nov 2025 14:23:58 GMT

Modern dairy operations generate an extraordinary amount of information from every milking, yet some of the most valuable health indicators are hiding in plain sight inside the milk meter. For veterinarians, these data streams offer one of the earliest, most reliable windows into emerging disease, often days before clinical signs appear.

“Most people forget about milk production,” says Dr. Aurora Villarroel of Athyr Vet, a dairy herd health consulting company. “The milking machine is actually your best biosensor. It’s your most important one and most people ignore it.”

While different monitoring systems may present data in different ways, interpreting milk yield, component and conductivity data can allow for clinicians to detect subclinical disorders with greater precision than traditional observation alone. As technology becomes more integrated into routine dairy management, the veterinarian’s role increasingly centers on interpreting these numbers, guiding producers toward timely responses and translating these metrics into practical on-farm outcomes.

Milk Yield Deviations

Milk yield is often the first and most sensitive indicator that something is wrong. A cow that deviates from her expected production curve, given lactation history, or a fresh cow whose production isn’t increasing as it should needs to be looked at.

Villarroel advises putting together the milk yield data from a given cow’s lactation history to assist in spotting any irregularities.

“Some of the software will allow you to superimpose all of the lactations of the same cow,” Villarroel says. “What you’re going to see is that the lactations have the same shape. It’s genetic, but it’s a different shape in each cow.”

By comparing the life lactation history of an animal, you can determine whether any observed shifts in milk yield are expected or out of the norm. Villarroel emphasizes the importance of zooming out to get the big picture. When you’re looking closely at two to three days of milking data, small changes in yield may seem insignificant; however, when you put these two to three days into context with a greater portion of the lactation, it may tell a different story.

Component Changes: Fat & Protein

Milk components add critical context to yield changes and help pinpoint specific metabolic disorders. Fat percentage often rises when a cow is metabolizing excessive body fat, making it one of the most consistent indicators of negative energy balance or subclinical ketosis. Conversely, milk protein tends to drop with decreased feed intake, rumen dysfunction or systemic illness. The fat-to-protein ratio (FPR) is particularly useful in transition cow monitoring: an elevated FPR may indicate an energy deficit.

If you’re evaluating whether a new nutrition program is working for your herd, consider using butter fat content and animal activity as indicators.

“The milk yield takes a while still to change, but butter fat and resting time are the first two things that change almost immediately,” Vilarroel says.

Milk Conductivity

Changes in milk conductivity are also useful as an indicator of udder health and useful for the diagnosis of mastitis. Conductivity measures the salt content of the milk, which is dependent on the permeability of blood vessels, or damage to the blood-milk barrier. Because this shift can occur before visible changes in milk or the udder, conductivity is one of the earliest warning signs of mastitis at the quarter level.

“When the conductivity goes up, there’s inflammation in the udder. Something is going on in the udder so that there’s more salt in the milk,” Villarroel explains. “Conductivity changes are a precursor to somatic cell count changes.”

Somatic cell count patterns offer a complementary perspective, highlighting cows that are experiencing subclinical infections. Reviewing somatic cell count trends on a per-cow and per-lactation basis can help identify management decisions that may be affecting udder health.

Put Milk Measurements Together

While each milk metric offers useful information on its own, their real power emerges when they are interpreted together. No single measurement is diagnostic, but patterns across multiple indicators can be used to identify cattle who need to be checked on.

“How do you check every single thing in a cow every single day?” Villarroel says. “Guess what? You can. You just need to know how to interpret it.”

A cow showing modest yield drop may simply be responding to heat stress or social disruption; however, a yield drop paired with an elevated FPR suggests negative energy balance or early ketosis. Similarly, a spike conductivity alone may reflect milking irregularities, but when it appears alongside a somatic cell increase, the probability of mastitis increases.

Transforming milk data into meaningful herd health outcomes requires consistent workflows that integrate monitoring, diagnosis and communication. This may start with a focus on high-risk groups (transition cows, fresh cows, high-somatic cell count repeat offenders) and building structured review protocols around them. At the herd level, data driven insights can shape broader management decisions. Rising conductivity across a pen may indicate bedding or hygiene issues, while recurrent FPR spikes may indicate ration inconsistencies. By combining milk measurements into a cohesive health signal, you can move from reactive case management to proactive herd surveillance — catching problems early when they are the most treatable.

5 Sampling Tips for Improved Diagnostics

Tue, 07 Oct 2025 14:32:20 GMT

You’d be hard-pressed to find a veterinarian or producer who hasn’t been frustrated with a diagnostic result. When it comes to herd health, good diagnostics are like detective work, but even the best tests can’t help if the wrong evidence is collected.

Sampling isn’t just grabbing what’s handy; it’s a deliberate process that links a clear question to the right animal, tissue and timing. Getting that process right saves money, reduces frustration and leads to faster, more confident decisions.

Here are five practical ways producers and veterinarians can work together to improve sample collection on the farm so that every diagnostic submission counts.

1. Start With the Right Question

Before taking a single sample, step back and ask: What do we want to know?

“Your diagnostic question really drives everything from sample selection to animal selection,” says Drew Magstadt of the Iowa State University Diagnostic lab. “If we don’t define the problem — What are you seeing? What’s going on? Why are you calling the lab? — we can’t really formulate a differential diagnosis list that we ask a diagnostic question.”

Taking samples “just to see what turns up” often leads to inconclusive results and wasted effort.

Field tip: Include your diagnostic question on your submission form. This helps the lab choose the best testing pathway and increases your chances of getting actionable answers.

2. Choose the Right Animals To Sample

When disease strikes, not all animals tell the same story. Aim to collect from animals showing early or typical clinical signs, not just those that are terminally ill.

“The answer isn’t always ‘the dead one that’s in front of us,’” stresses Magstadt. “Focus on acutely affected, untreated and representative animals.”

For herd investigations, sample several animals within the same group or age class to capture variation. In some cases, sampling a few seemingly healthy herdmates could provide valuable comparison data. Sampling only the worst looking survivors or those already treated with antibiotics could mask the cause of disease or send you down the wrong diagnostic path.

Field tip: For mortality events, select the freshest animals possible for necropsy. Early submissions preserve tissue integrity and increase the odds of a meaningful result.

3. Take the Correct Sample Type and Handle It Properly

Even the perfect sample loses its value if it degrades before reaching the lab. The sample type, container and preservation method matter just as much as the collection itself. Each diagnostic test has its own validated sample requirements. Using the wrong media, failing to chill samples or letting tissues autolyze can render tests useless.

On an episode of “ DocTalk ,” Dan Thompson highlighted some considerations for sample collection: “Being able to take the size of the sample from the right spot so that you have healthy tissue next to diseased tissue for histology. Getting the proper sample so that if you’re going to isolate pathogens you can. Whether you [need] fixed or fresh tissue. You need to work with your veterinarian who will know exactly what [you] want to have.”

A few extra minutes of planning can save days of waiting for a “sample unsatisfactory” call.

Field tip: Check your diagnostic lab’s sampling guide before collection and label everything clearly (animal ID, tissue, date).

4. Record Good Clinical and Herd Information

Providing accurate clinical histories and observations helps diagnosticians interpret findings in context. Include information such as onset and duration of illness, number of animals affected, treatments used, feed changes and vaccination history. Consider including photos if applicable.

This kind of supporting information allows labs to match findings with disease patterns and may even prompt recommendations for additional or alternative testing.

The Beef Cattle Research Council has put together a great resource for anyone interested in leveling up their animal health record-keeping.

Field tip: Use your herd health software to standardize the process. The more detail you include, the better.

5. Sample Early and Sometimes More Than Once

Timing matters. By the time a sick animal has been treated, recovered or died, diagnostic clues may have vanished.

Magstadt stressed that it’s possible to get a negative diagnostic test in a positive animal based on when a sample was taken. You must take into account “the timing of disease, when we would expect large amounts of the pathogen to be there, when we wouldn’t, and the different pathogens [involved].”

Whenever possible, collect samples early in the course of disease — ideally before antimicrobial or anti-inflammatory treatment. For diseases with intermittent shedding, repeat sampling over several days increases detection odds. Also consider whether pooled or composite sampling might make sense for your diagnostic goals.

Field tip: Keep sampling supplies ready on-farm so you can act immediately when new cases appear. Rapid responses can mean the difference between inconclusive results and a valuable diagnosis.

Success From The Start: Calf Health Starts Before Birth

Tue, 15 Jul 2025 13:11:35 GMT

If a calf struggles during its first 60 days of life, it’s going to carry that through all phases of production. Starting a calf, whether in a traditional beef or beef-on-dairy scenario, the right way is paramount to the lifetime health of that animal.

This is the message stressed by Dr. Taylor Engle, Four Star Veterinary Services, during episode eight of “ The Future of Beef Show ” podcast. He says success starts before a calf is born.

“There are a lot of really good genetics in the beef industry we can use. However, if you put that calf in an environment to fail, genetics does not play a factor,” he says. “We have to do everything right from an environmental piece to maximize the genetic potential.”

Check out the podcast to learn more about these five key messages discussed by Engle and the podcast’s hosts:

Environment matters more than genetics. Engle emphasizes if you put a calf in an environment to fail, genetics won’t save it. Management and early life conditions are critical to an animal’s success.
Calf health starts before birth. Proper care of the cow before calving, quality colostrum and a clean birthing environment are crucial for a calf’s lifetime health.

Engle encourages producers to think about the cow’s condition before, during and after breeding.

“Everyone gets really fired up — and rightfully so — about colostrum. Not all colostrum is created equal,” he says. “It’s what we are doing to set that cow up to have the best colostrum for that calf. Whether it’s beef-on-dairy or native, the right vaccines for the right diseases at the right time matters.”
Communication is key across the production chain. Sharing information about calf health, vaccination history and management practices between different stages of production can significantly improve overall animal performance.

Engle encourages producers to record vaccination and treatment information and then share it. Communicating with the feedyard is important to help the feeder decide on how to treat cattle.
Don’t be quick to treat — understand the root cause. Instead of immediately administering antibiotics, veterinarians should first investigate the underlying management or environmental issues causing health problems.

“We were trained to think it’s a disease, and more often times than not, there is a disease present. But there’s been something along the process where we have stressed that animal and caused disease,” he explains. “We’re always looking at it from an environmental standpoint and a management standpoint — the calf isn’t the culprit. What’s going on? Why did that calf break with respiratory disease? They don’t spontaneously get sick. Something happened. Was it a weather, feed or stressful event?”

He adds management strategies and mentality can be keys to determining the cause of a sickness.

“It’s a hard thing — whether you’re a nutritionist or vet — to have that hard conversation with a producer, be upfront with them and say, ‘It’s something we’ve done,’” he says. “A lot of times, there’s management practices that messed up along the way, and the result is a disease.”

In his practice, he works with the producer to help them understand and recognize the management strategies to improve the outcomes.

“In the beef industry, a lot of the mentality is, ‘We’ve never done it this way,’” he says.
“In comparison, in the poultry and pig industries, producers will say, ‘If it increases my production, I’ll do it.’ They have the mentality of being willing to give something a try to see if it increases health.”

Engle adds, “I always tell producers if you want A results, you got to give A effort,” he explains. “You can’t have a C -plus effort and expect A results.”
Stress management is more important than treatment protocols. Focus on reducing stress and creating optimal conditions for calves, rather than relying solely on medical interventions.

“The calves don’t lie,” Engle says.

He emphasizes the importance of careful observation, advising producers to “read calves every day” and make real-time adjustments.

Beef-on-Dairy Calf Health
Engle also has extensive experience with beef-on-dairy calf management and production and discussed how those animals compare to traditional beef calves, highlighting how multiple touch points and movements bring beef-on-dairy calves unique challenges — including different feeding systems and varied vaccine and management protocols at each location.

As a positive, he says, “In the beef-on-dairy space, we have all the data points, or we have the opportunity to collect all the data points. Then you can start making decisions.”

With this complex — but data-rich — production model, there is significant potential for improving calf health and performance.

Engle challenges producers to think holistically about animal health, management and production.

“It’s not the animal that’s usually causing the problems,” he says in summary. “It’s usually producer’s management or oversight. As farms have gotten bigger, the skill gap as we go higher actually closes. Everybody who has 10,000-head of cattle on feed, or more, probably knows a lot about feeding cattle. But what are you going to do for a competitive advantage that the next feedyard isn’t? I think a lot of that’s looking internally at your management strategies and your consulting team. It’s a team effort to get to where you want to be. Set those goals and look at what you need to do better to be where you want to be in the next five to 10 years.”

Be Aware: Dangerous Asian Longhorned Tick Continues Migrating West

Wed, 18 Jun 2025 14:42:45 GMT

The Asian Longhorned Tick (ALHT) poses a serious threat to cattle health. ALHTs carry Theileria, which is a protozoan parasite that infects red and white blood cells. It can lead to anemia and, in some cases, death.

ALHTs are native to eastern Asia, eastern China, Japan, the Russian Far East and Korea but were introduced to Australia, New Zealand and western Pacific Islands. In other countries, it can also be called a bush tick, cattle tick or scrub tick.

In the U.S., ALHT was first detected in New Jersey in 2017. Since then, it has spread to more than 20 states with recent confirmations in Illinois , Michigan and Iowa .

According to USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) ALHTs are known to carry pathogens, which can cause disease and may also cause distress to the host from their feeding in large numbers. For example, a dairy cow may have a 25% decrease in milk production after becoming a host.

A female can reproduce without a mate and lay up to 2,000 eggs at a time. This can cause great stress on a heavily infested animal and result in reduced growth and production. A severe infestation can kill the animal from excessive blood loss.

Asian longhorned tick life stages and relative actual size.

(Photos of unfed ticks by Centers for Disease Control. Photos of engorged ticks by Jim Occi, Rutgers, Center for Vector Biology.)

What does it look like?

Unfed ALHTs range from a light reddish-tan to a dark red with brown, dark markings. While the adult female grows to the size of a pea when full of blood, other stages of the tick are very small — about the size of a sesame seed.

Adult females are a grey-green with yellowish markings. Male ticks are rare.

APHIS reports it only takes a single tick to create a population in a new location.

The above photos are of a AHLT engorged (on the left) and an adult AHLT not engorged.

(New Jersey Department of Agriculture)

ALHTs need warm-blooded hosts to feed and survive. They have been found on various species of domestic animals — such as sheep, goats, dogs, cats, horses, cattle and chickens — and wildlife. The tick has also been found on people.

What are the health risks?

APHIS says ALHTs are not known to carry Lyme disease, but they can cause tickborne diseases affecting humans and animals such as:

Rocky Mountain spotted fever
Heartland virus
Powassan virus

APHIS says those diseases have not been confirmed outside of a laboratory setting in the U.S. In addition, U.S. ALHT populations can transmit U.S. Theileria orientalis Ikeda strain (Cattle theileriosis) in the laboratory.

In an Iowa State University release , Grant Dewell, Extension beef veterinarian and associate professor, says cattle affected by Theileriosis will show signs of lethargy, anemia and difficulty breathing. They may develop ventral edema, exercise intolerance, jaundice and abortions.

“Although signs of Theileriosis are similar to anaplasmosis, younger animals and calves often display more severe signs compared to mature cows and bulls,” he says. “Due to anemia from both tick infestation and Theileria, the risk of death can be elevated. If cattle producers suspect either Theileria or ALHT, have a veterinarian collect appropriate samples and submit them to a veterinary diagnostic lab.”

According to an Oklahoma State University press release , under laboratory conditions ALHT is a competent vector of numerous pathogens that can cause disease in humans, including Rickettsia rickettsii (Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever), Heartland Virus and Powassan Virus.

In “ Clinical Infectious Diseases, ” Bobbi Pritt, MD, MSC, with the division of clinical microbiology at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., reported a human bite that occurred in New York in 2019. She says though the report of a human bite isn’t surprising, it proves the invasive longhorned tick continues to bite hosts in its newest location.

“This is extremely worrisome for several reasons,” she writes. “One reason is Asian longhorned ticks can carry several important human pathogens, including the potentially fatal severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome (SFTS) virus and Rickettsia japonica, which cases Japanese spotted fever. While these pathogens have yet to be found in the United States, there is a risk of their future introduction.”

Also, Pritt says several other human pathogens have been detected in the ticks, but it’s not clear if the ALHT species are able to transmit them to humans. They include Anaplasma, Ehrlichia, Rickettsia, and Borrelia species. Lyme disease is caused by Borrelia burgdorferi bacteria.

She warns the organisms are present in states where ALHTs have been found and that it’s possible the tick — known to be an aggressive biter— might be able to transmit Heartland virus given its close relationship to SFTS virus.

How to Tackle Ticks

According to APHIS, various strategies effectively mitigate tick populations on hosts and in the environment.

Regular tick treatments should be effective against ALHTs. Consult your veterinarian or agriculture extension agent about which products to use.
Check your livestock for ticks regularly.
Safely remove ticks from people and pets as quickly as possible. If you think you’ve found an ALHT, seal it in a zip-top bag and give it to your veterinarian for identification.
Habitat modifications can help prevent ticks on feedlots and pastures. This may include mowing grass, removing trees, reducing shade by thinning trees, understory removal and placing mulch barriers.
Apply acaricide using label instructions to tick habitats, such as woodland edges and grassy patches, during times when ticks are most actively seeking hosts. Although it varies by year, ALHTs are generally active from March to November. Consult your state and local regulations for approved acaricides.

“Cattle producers should aggressively control external parasites this summer,” Dewell summarizes. “Insecticide ear tags alone are not enough to control ticks. Consider incorporating a back rubber or regularly applying a pour-on during the summer. Pyrethroid-based products are also available that include a tick control label. If an increase in tick infestations is observed, an avermectin pour-on may be the best intervention.”

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The Effects of Heat Stress on Dairy Cattle Development, Health and Performance

Wed, 23 Apr 2025 15:18:39 GMT

It is not breaking news that yearly temperatures on Earth have been consistently rising. Indeed, data released from NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies – GISS show that the global land-ocean temperature index has consistently increased after the 1900s (see Figure 1 below).

Regardless of the many factors that have been tied to the increase in global temperature (some that were addressed in previous WSU VetMed Extension Articles ), it is evident that the agriculture is affected by such changes, including the dairy industry. With increased global temperatures, the occurrence of heat stress (a condition that occurs when the body is exposed to excessive heat, leading to an inability to regulate body temperature effectively) and its associated detrimental impacts are more likely to be observed particularly in dairy cattle.

A recent study projected the decadal increases in average heat stress frequencies by 2100, and revealed that the majority of the U.S. regions will have at least 6 to 8 additional days under heat stress/decade until 2100 ( Gunn et al., 2019 ; Figure 2).

Because of the expected differences in climate, it is important that dairy industry stakeholders work together to further 1) understand the complexity and underlying mechanisms of heat stress impacts, and 2) develop alternative strategies to mitigate the detrimental impacts of heat stress.

With that in mind, this article focuses on reviewing some of the key aspects related to heat stress impacts on cattle development, health and performance, industry economics, and mitigating strategies.

Historically, the temperature-humidity index (THI) has been the mechanism used to determine when dairy cows are heat stressed. Although there is some variation on THI cut-offs the consensus was established as a THI between 68 and 70 ( Zimbelman et al., 2009 ; Chen et al., 2024 ). Guinn et al. ( 2019 ) described the differences in mean THI between summer and winter months in the U.S. for the last 10 years (69.5 vs. 39.3, respectively), highlighting that without any heat stress abatement strategies U.S. dairy cows could be under heat stress conditions for most of the summer months.

In fact, the same study revealed differences in productive and reproductive performance between summer and winter, illustrated by reduced milk production and pregnancy rates in summer compared with winter months. Similar results were also reported by other authors, including lowered pregnancy rates in warmer months compared with colder months of the year ( Hansen, 2009 ). Both Tao et al. ( 2020 ) and Ouellet et al. ( 2020 ) depicted the detrimental impacts of heat stress on milk production and dry-matter intake (Figures 3 and 4).

Other studies have demonstrated the effects of heat stress (or contrast between warmer vs. cooler months) on the occurrence of diseases, culling, and cow welfare. For instance, cows that calved in warmer months were observed to have greater odds of retained fetal membrane (Odds Ratio = 1.6), subclinical ketosis (Odds Ratio = 2.3), displaced abomasum (Odds Ratio = 1.8), and mastitis (Odds Ratio = 1.1) as compared with cows that calved in cooler months ( Pinedo et al., 2020 ).

Al-Qaisi et al. ( 2020 ) observed a greater somatic cell count in milk from cows exposed to heat stress conditions as compared with cows exposed to thermoneutral conditions, and cows that calved in the summer were more likely develop metritis as compared to cows that calved in cooler months ( Molinari et al., 2022 ). Furthermore, Vitali et al. ( 2015 ) reported higher mortality of cattle during heat wave periods compared to subsequent periods, and an association of mortality and heat wave duration (Figure 5). Heat stress conditions have also been associated with welfare issues in dairy cattle, as cows under heat stress conditions remain in a standing position for greater periods of time (possibly contributing to lameness issues) and have greater blood cortisol levels than cows under thermoneutral conditions ( Cook et al., 2007 ; Allen et al., 2015 ; Al-Qaisi et al., 2020 ).

Considering the effects of heat stress on cattle performance, mortality, and welfare, it is not a surprise that economic losses occur. Specifically, data published in 2003 estimated that heat stress conditions cause up to $2.3 billion/year in economic losses to livestock production ($2.9 billion in 2024 considering inflation). Under heat stress abatement strategies, the economic losses drop down to $1.7 billion/year and the dairy industry represents over 50% of the costs ($897 million; St-Pierre et al., 2003 ).

A component to heat stress in dairy cattle that has received a lot of attention is the “in utero” heat stress on dairy calves. Recent studies highlighted the carryover effects of late gestational heat stress on the progeny, illustrated by lowered birth weight (-4.6 kg), lowered weaning weight (-7.1 kg), and reduced longevity ( Ouellet et al., 2020 ). Moreover, the occurrence of heat stress during the dry period is also associated with differences in offspring mammary gland structure ( Dado-Senn et al., 2019 ), adrenal gland development ( Guadagnin et al., 2024 ), behavior ( Laporta et al., 2017 ), and hormonal/metabolic biomarkers ( Guo et al., 2016 ).

Lastly, combined studies have shown the legacy effect of heat stress on offspring, as lactational performance of such offspring is also different compared to offspring generated by dams under thermoneutral conditions ( Ouellet et al., 2020 ; Figure 6).

The research findings related to the legacy effect of heat stress on offspring add another layer of importance to the topic, and suggest that the detrimental effects and economic losses previously described are potentially underestimated.

Although the complex mechanisms that underlie the detrimental effects of heat stress on lactating dairy cows are not yet fully elucidated, studies have demonstrated biological changes associated with heat stress. For instance, lipopolysaccharide-induced accumulation of IL-1β, IL-10, and MIP-1α was greater in blood collected from postpartum cows that were under prepartum heat stress conditions as compared with control cows,implying that prepartum heat stress has carry-over effects on postpartum innate immunity, which may contribute to the increased incidence of uterine disease observed in cows exposed to prepartum heat stress ( Molinari et al., 2023 ).

Other studies have depicted differences in gut, ovary, muscle, and metabolism morphology/function associated with heat stress, which could be tied to the occurrence of subsequent diseases, animal performance, reproductive performance, and mortality ( Baumgard and Rhoads Jr, 2013 ; Fernandez et al., 2015 ; Hale et al., 2017 ; Ross et al., 2017 ; Fausnacht et al., 2020 ; Mayorga et al., 2020 ; Tang et al., 2022 ; Roths et al., 2023 ). Last but certainly not least, and certainly not depicting the entirety of the mechanisms of heat stress associated with cow performance, cows under heat stress conditions have reduced feed intake ( Rhoads et al., 2009 ) and reduced energy substrate adaptability in skeletal muscle, possibly contributing to reduced performance ( Ellett et al., 2025 ).

Given the detrimental impacts of heat stress on cattle performance, health, and welfare, it is important to consider the region-specific variations in climate and implement heat abatement strategies as needed. There are a variety of heat abatement strategies available for dairy calves, heifers, and cows that can be implemented in dairy operations. Multiple studies have tested the effects of different strategies for heat abatement in calves.

For instance, Dado-Senn et al. ( 2020 ) reported a positive association between postnatal heat stress abatement and thermoregulatory responses, feed intake, and health in dairy calves. Montevecchio et al. ( 2022 ) reported a positive relationship between pre-weaning heat stress abatement and lying behavior and healing time (related to disbudding) in dairy calves. The same group also reported positive welfare-related responses and greater wither-height for calves given heat abatement strategies as compared to calves under a simple plywood hutch ( Montevecchio et al., 2022 ).

Benefits for heat abatement in heifers and cows were also reported. For instance, the use of shade from a freestall barn, water soakers, and fans were associated with positive effects on heifer thermoregulation and productivity as compared with heifers kept under freestall shade only ( Davidson et al., 2021 ). Gunn et al. ( 2019 ) described the milk production losses (per cow/year) according to different heat abatement strategies, ranging from minimal (open barn or shading) to intense (air conditioning).

Aside from structural tools to improve heat abatement for dairy cattle, other studies have reported varying results associated with nutritional tools to ameliorate the impacts of heat stress in dairy cows, including chromium supplementation ( Soltan, 2010 ), Saccharomyces cerevisiae supplementation ( Al-Qaisi et al., 2020 ), choline ( Holdorf and White, 2020 ), and other components ( Fabris et al., 2017 ).

The potential of other strategies for heat abatement have been described; for example, a research group from the University of Florida reported that the SLICK haplotype confers thermotolerance in intensively managed lactating Holstein cows ( Dikmen et al., 2014 ). In that study, the authors revealed that cows carrying the SLICK haplotype had lowered rectal temperature and respiration rate across most times of the day compared with cows not carrying the SLICK haplotype.

Although several aspects associated with the SLICK haplotype have not been explored, a recent study reported that SLICK Holstein cows in Puerto Rico exhibited lower body temperatures, greater voluntary solar radiation exposure, enhanced blood supply to the mammary gland, and alterations in genes and metabolites involved in arachidonic acid metabolism at the mammary gland and blood plasma ( Contreras-Correa et al., 2024 ).

Figure 1

(The Author)

Figure 1. Global land-ocean temperature index ( NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies – GISS ).

(The Author)

Figure 2. Projected decadal increases in average annual Heat Stress Frequency between 2000 to 2100 ( Adapted from Gunn et al., 2019 ).

Average Daily THI

(The Author)

Figure 3. Correlation between milk yield and the average daily temperature-humidity index (THI) of the previous week. Circles represent individual observations, and dash line represents simple linear regression. All cows were housed in the same barn equipped with evaporative cooling, and fed similar lactating cow rations (Adapted from Tao et al., 2020 ).

(The Author)

Figure 4. (A) Summary of difference (kg/d) in milk yield in late-gestation heat-stressed cows relative to cooled counterparts (average difference = 3.6 kg/d; 10.3%) and (B) difference (kg/d) in prepartum and postpartum dry matter intakes in late-gestation heat-stressed cows relative to cooled counterparts (prepartum average difference = 1.4 kg/d; 12.7%; postpartum difference = 0.1 kg/d, 0.5%). Adapted from Ouellet et al., 2020 .

(The Author)

Figure 5. (A) Odds ratio and 95% CI calculated for dairy cow mortality during heat wave (HW) and in the 3 not heat wave days (nHW) after the end of heat wave (d 1, 2, and 3 defined as nHWst, nHWnd, and nHWrd, respectively). (B) Odds ratio and 95% CI calculated for dairy cow mortality in relation to the duration of exposure to heat. The duration of exposure was classified as short (1 to 3 heat wave days), medium (4 to 6 heat wave days), long (7 to 10 heat wave days), and very long (>11 heat wave days). Odds ratios are statistically significant when 95% CI does not include the unit (dashed line). Adapted from Vitali et al., 2015 .

(The Author)

Figure 6. Summary of the performance impairments associated with late-gestation heat stress for the dam (1), daughters (F1), granddaughters (F2), and dairy sector (2) reported in a series of study (where ECM = energy corrected milk). Extracted from Ouellet et al., 2020

Cool Calves Live Longer

Thu, 03 Apr 2025 15:00:00 GMT

The average number of lactations of a U.S. dairy cow currently rests at about 2.8, or around 5 years of age.

That’s a fairly shocking statistic, considering a cow’s natural lifespan can be up to 20 years or more. And, on average, it takes about two full lactations before heifers begin to generate return on investment for their rearing or purchase cost. Given today’s robust heifer values, that time before young cows begin to pay the bills may be even greater.

So, how can we help cows live longer, more productive lives? Researchers at the University of Florida assessed one factor: birth season. They predicted that cows that entered the world during seasons of heat stress would have shorter lifespans. And they were right.

The study, led by researcher Izabella Toledo and published in the Journal of Dairy Science , examined the DairyComp records of more than 10,000 cows in Florida and 8,000 in California that remained alive and productive for more than 5 lactations.

The data were sorted to identify animals born over a period of 10 years (2012-2022) in the cool season (December, January, February, and March) and the hot season (June, July, August, and September). Cows born in the more temperate months of April, May, October, and November were not included in the dataset.

In Florida, 14.5% of cows (1,567) born in the test months were still alive and milking after 5 lactations. Of them, more than double (1,129, or 72%) were born in the cool months compared to the hot months (438, or 28%). In California, 20.4% (1,669) of the dataset made it 5 lactations or longer, with 56.% of them born in the cool months, versus 44% born in the hot months.

The Florida dataset also was analyzed for the number of cows born in the tests months that were dead or sold for beef in the first 4 lactations, and the reasons why. A total of 1,454 were sold and another 238 died. Selling reasons included breeding, foot and leg, digestive, and respiratory issues, along with mastitis.

Significantly more cows born in the hot season (53%) compared to the cool season (47%) were sold for beef.On-farm deaths also were significantly higher for cows born in the hot (54%) versus cool (46%) season.

Toledo and her team concluded that the results give even more credence to the deleterious impacts of heat stress on dairy productivity. Previous studies – many also conducted by University of Florida researchers – have shown that heat stress during late pregnancy affects dams’ milk production in the next lactation, immune function, and calf birth weight.

Further, they have found that calves exposed to heat stress in late gestation had 19% lower milk production in their own first lactations, and even passed that lower milk production potential on to their offspring.

Toledo said the results of the current study suggest a potential two-pronged approach to protecting the productive life integrity of newborn heifers: (1) implement heat-stress abatement measures for dams, including shade, fans, soakers, and misters; and (2) alter breeding decisions to avoid births in seasons of peak heat.

Your Next Read: A New Kind of AI for Dairy Calves

Count the Costs of Lameness in the Cowherd

Wed, 19 Mar 2025 17:15:54 GMT

Two steps forward and one step back might best describe the progress the dairy industry has made to address the issue of lameness in the U.S. cowherd. While progress has been made, the problem is still too prevalent, according to Nigel Cook, professor of food animal production medicine at the University of Wisconsin.

“If you talk about physical well-being, I think lameness and hock injuries are the No. 1 and No. 2 issues on the farm (in that order),” he says.

Cook says the issue of lameness specifically is under-reported on dairy farms, as producers underestimate the prevalence of it and tend to overlook those cows that are mildly lame. Based on research and experience, he estimates about 22% of U.S. dairy cows walk around the farm with a noticeable limp.

“I think that’s something we really need to do something about,” he told Fred Gingrich, DVM and Executive Director of the American Association of Bovine Practitioners (AABP), during a recent “Have You Herd?” podcast.

Cook says when he and his team do welfare audits and lameness assessments, the farmer is often focused on the animal unable to bear weight, while he and his team will look for any animal that has weight-transfer challenges or pain associated with their limbs.

“I think that’s where a sort of disconnect comes into play; the farmer thinks their lameness issue is under 5%, while when we go out and look it’s often 25%,” Cook says.

Even mild pain that cows experience with lameness impacts milk production, health and well-being. In addition, lameness can change the structure of a cow’s hoof and increase the risk of further lameness incidents in the future.

Lameness Is A Costly Issue
Penn State Extension has calculated the cost of lameness and shared that information in an online article: Lameness: It’s Costing You

Researchers (Dolecheck and Bewley, 2018) estimated that lameness can cost between $76 and $533 per case, in 2023 dollars.

A study published in the April 2023 edition of the Journal of Dairy Science (Robscis et al., 2023) investigated the economic impacts of lameness in dairy herds. The model used in this study considered reproductive status, milk production, parity, stage of lactation, and interaction with other diseases. This model also considered whether the cow was newly or chronically lame.

When considering how much lameness costs a farmer, Robscis et al. (2023) included a loss in milk production, changes in reproduction, and treatment costs. This study suggested that it costs an average of $336.91 per case of lameness.

Digital dermatitis was the largest cause of lameness and cost almost $100 more than other causes of lameness, the Penn State article reports. For each additional week that a cow remained lame, it cost the farmer $13.26 more per week.

Lameness Affects Routine Cow Behavior
Cook says the three issues most often contributing to lameness are digital dermatitis, white line disease and sole ulcers, Cook says. On larger dairies, another issue he would add to the list is thin soles.

“As we walk cows on concrete, sometimes up to a half mile a day, it basically wears the sole away. Those thin soles can be associated with lesions in the toe, what we call toe ulcers,” he explains.

Cook told Gingrich that concrete has a low coefficient of friction, meaning less force is needed on the surface of concrete for slipping to occur. “So as the cow starts and stops, they tend to slide. Concrete doesn’t have a supporting structure like the cow has on pasture.”

Once a cow becomes lame, she behaves differently because of the pain she feels in her legs and/or hooves. Depending on pain severity, the cow can get stuck in a lying down position when she wants to stand, and she can get stuck standing when she wants to lie down.

“It’s that transition from standing to lying and then lying to standing that they really have trouble with,” Cook says.
Putting down rubber isn’t a cure-all for flooring issues, either. While it can reduce contusions to soft tissue and pressure on the foot, it can increase the risk for sole hemorrhage and sole ulcers.

“The best flooring surface is one that a cow doesn’t stand on for half the day, and that means getting her in the stall and resting because that reduces pressure,” Cook says. “Once we’ve got the stall surface set, the design of the stall, a comfortable place to lie down, you can put rubber wherever you like after that, but get the lying space fixed first.”

Cook says he sees barns that have large quantities of concrete flooring, but that it works OK because the farmer has done a good job of providing stall comfort. “Then, strategically, you can use rubber in places where we force cows to stand, such as in the parlor and the holding area.

Evaluate Cow Lying Time
Lying time is a major factor in preventing lameness, improving cow comfort and returning lame cows to soundness. The amount of lying time a cow has is a good clue to whether the dairy is allowing her to have optimized resting behavior.

“That’s basically the notion that cows get to lie down when they want to,” Cook says. “It’s not necessarily just hours a day. It’s that sort of freedom to choose a place to rest and then get adequate rest on that given day.”

There are some correlations between the amount of time the cow spends lying down, resting, and the amount of lameness that occurs or whether it occurs.

“The first is animals get lame from spending too long a time standing, putting too much load on the suspensory apparatus of the claw and creating things like sole hemorrhage and sole ulceration because of that increased loading,” Cook says. “What we know now is once a cow has those structural changes (in the hoof) they’re permanent, and that can put those animals at risk of repeated episodes of lameness.”

Through research, Cook was also able to determine that reduced lying time in early lactation is a risk factor for core lesions that occur later in lactation. “It took us some time, but there are some really key, pivotal studies that elegantly show that,” he says.

Overstocking Has Long-Term Consequences
Cook encourages dairy producers to look for balance in how much time cows spend in and out of stalls.

“We want the cow to spend no more than three to three-and-a-half hours a day out of the pen,” Cook says. “Otherwise, we compromise the ability of the cow to access the stall and rest for 11.5 to 12.5 hours a day, which we think is somewhat normal in a freestall environment.”

He adds that when he assesses farms that are having lameness issues, he often finds scenarios where the cow is spending five or six hours a day out of the stall due to over-stocking.

“We commonly go into herds that have 1.3, 1.5 cows per stall and while many farmers can manage their herds amazingly well at those high stocking rates, you are compromising lying time and that will catch up with you eventually,” he explains.

Another common issue is when the dairy producer is using stalls that weren’t designed for the current cow size, or if there’s a lack of manpower needed for adequate turn times.

“I’ll just add if you’ve got a robot, you don’t get let off the hook there, because we found in free-flow herds, there are subordinate animals that struggle to access the robot,” Cook says. “They get out-competed at the swing gate and they can be waiting for four or five, six hours a day to milk, even in a robot facility. So that’s another area where we find rest compromised.”

Cook and Gingrich encourage dairy veterinarians to be involved in lameness prevention and improving cow comfort on the farm by performing lameness audits and reviewing hoof trim records. They recommend using a time-lapse camera to help in the process of monitoring cow behavior, insights that farmers can then see for themselves. Time-lapse cameras are available on Amazon with a starting price point of $150.

Cow-attached sensors or accelerometers can also measure lying behavior and activity when attached to the leg and can track rumination and eating when attached to the neck, Penn State Extension reports. These types of sensors are also widely used for heat detection. Learn more at Impacts of Lameness – Preventing Lame Cows

Maximize Stall Comfort
Stall surface plays a significant role in the ability of the compromised cow to transition between standing and lying down. Good cushioning, traction and support allow the animal to stand or lie down and rest normally.

Cook is a proponent of using deep sand bedding in stalls. “It’s associated with about a 40% reduction in lameness, largely because it helps optimize resting behavior,” he says. “It’s also a better, more attractive surface in the alleyways, and maybe reduces the risk for white line.”

During their discussion, Gingrich recalled one time when Cook had told him that banning mattresses would have a significant, positive impact on improving cow welfare.

“That might have been said a little tongue in cheek, but it’s probably true,” Cook told Gingrich.

While Cook says he has worked with herds on mattresses that have low levels of lameness, it’s usually thanks to a proactive manager who identifies lameness issues quickly and gets cows treated.

Cook reiterated that he believes the gold standard for providing cushioning for cows is a deep bed of sand. The sand conforms to a cow’s bony features and reduces the potential for hock injuries when she changes position.

“When she chooses to get up and down, she’s got that cushion, traction and support to be able to do that even in a situation where she’s compromised and has a sore foot,” Cook says.

Gingrich saw similar benefits when he was in private practice.

“My producers that constructed new barns or remodeled their stalls, and converted to sand, they pretty much all have said their major problems seem to go away,” Gingrich recalls. “Mastitis in milk quality improved, production improved more consistently, lameness, as you said, significantly decreased, even culling was reduced. We just had fewer broken cows.”

Additional Bedding Considerations
While Cook likes using sand in stalls, he notes it does have some limitations and can pose challenges, too. “I readily admit sand gets everywhere and can hurt manure pumps and various other things,” he says.

The new kid on the block that some dairy farmers are evaluating is the use of a deep bed of recycled manure solids. But it has drawbacks to consider, as well.

“When you’re dealing with an organic compound versus an inert, inorganic compound, you have potential for bacterial growth issues,” Cook says.

Notes Gingrich: “We want to improve cow comfort, but we don’t want to create another problem with our bedding type, in the process.”

“I think one of the lessons learned is it’s got to be drier than the material that comes out of the screw press,” Cook adds. “And that means using some kind of a supplemental drying process that takes us to, in our climate here, about 50% dry matter. That percentage of dry material seems to behave a whole lot better than the 70% moisture, 60% moisture material that comes out of screw presses.”

Stall dimensions that allow cow movement are another important consideration for producers to consider as they address lameness. Cook says cows need enough room to “lunge and bob.” Essentially, they need freedom of movement in a space so they aren’t restricted, but he adds that having the freedom to move needs to be balanced with the need to keep cows clean.

Don’t Overlook Environmental Stresses
Cook says when he first started his career, he thought if he could create the perfect stall the cow would lie down even in overly warm conditions. That was not the case. Instead, what he learned was that good ventilation and the ability of a cow to be cool in hot weather conditions is critical.

“Even in a good environment or circumstance, when heat comes along heat-stressed cows end up standing for protracted periods of time,” he explains.

Cook encourages dairy producers when they’re building barns or remodeling facilities to focus more on the cow and less on how they will handle manure or implement other processes.

“Focus on the cow,” he says. “That’s the big thing. Cow comfort is that important.”

Gingrich advises producers and veterinarians to visit other dairy farmers to learn what works for them that they might be able to take home and use.

Cook says he agrees, noting that farmers are often the best resource to help other farmers who are struggling with making decisions about adopting a new management practice.

More informational resources and tools are available online from Cook and his team at the Dairyland Initiative.

Links: The Dairyland Initiative Dairyland Initiative Podcast and other resources can be found here .

You can hear the complete discussion between Drs. Cook and Gingrich on “Have You Herd?” at this link: Epi. 221 – Making Cows Comfortable to Improve Lameness and Welfare

Calf Milk Poses H5N1 Risk, Too

Wed, 19 Mar 2025 17:11:23 GMT

Soon after the discovery of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) strain H5N1 in dairy cattle, scientists learned that milk was a primary vector in spreading the disease from cow to cow.

But what happens when waste milk from the sick cows is fed to other animals? Early in the disease outbreak, domestic cats consuming raw milk from infected cows began dying. This prompted researchers at the USDA National Animal Disease Center in Ames, Iowa to conduct a study on the potential of passing H5N1 to preweaned calves via unpasteurized waste milk.

Four Holstein calves ranging from 7-11 weeks of age were fed approximately 1 quart of unpasteurized waste milk from experimentally inoculated cows twice a day for 4 days. One additional calf served as a control, and was fed milk from HPAI-free cows in the same experiment period.

Calves fed infected milk showed signs of illness that included nasal discharge, mild fever, mild lethargy, loose stools, and slightly increased respiratory effort for 5-6 days. The researchers noted that all symptoms were mild and may not be readily recognized in an on-farm setting with other environmental or health stressors.

Transmission of the H5N1 virus to the 4 calves fed infected milk was confirmed via nasal swabs collected 2-4 days after the feedings. Within 2 weeks after the experimental feeding trial, all calves in the study were humanely euthanized. Presence of the virus was further confirmed via tissue samples from lung lesions, lymph nodes, and tonsils from the 4 calves receiving infected milk.

The USDA researchers said the study underscored the importance of pasteurizing waste milk fed to calves, as pasteurization has been proven to kill the virus. This is especially crucial because research on infected herds has shown that cows begin shedding the virus in their milk up to 2 weeks before they start to show clinical signs of illness.

Meanwhile, researchers at the University of California-Davis have investigated a practical alternative to pasteurization of waste milk: acidification. In a study recently published in the Journal of Dairy Science , they noted that fewer than 50% of large dairy farms routinely pasteurize waste milk fed to calves.

They found that in a laboratory setting, acidification of waste milk with citric acid to a pH of 4.1-4.2 effectively deactivated the H5N1 virus. The acidification process takes only 6 hours and does not require refrigeration.

The UC-Davis researchers posed that acidification can be a practical, affordable, accessible method of preventing the spread of H5N1 to calves in operations that do not have pasteurization systems for waste milk.

Calves will be a critical control point in navigating H5N1 in the U.S. dairy industry. The USDA researchers noted that 1 out of every 10 dairy operations in the country raise their heifers off site, and most veal and beef-cross calves are transported to another facility for raising.

Protecting those calves from H5N1 will be a crucial element in preventing spread of the disease.

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Some California Veterinarians Say Virus-Hit Dairies See More Abortions in First-Calf Heifers and Dry Cows

Tue, 14 Jan 2025 20:11:12 GMT

Triple-digit temperatures lasting for days and then weeks helped fuel a firestorm of highly pathogenic avian influenza A virus (HPAI A H5N1) cases on California dairy farms last summer.

“August wasn’t too bad, September was kind of rough, and then early October was severe,” recalls Dr. Maxwell Beal. “I think part of the problem was the cows had little relief from the heat even at night.”

But even with the onset of winter, Beal, with Mill Creek Veterinary Services, Visalia, Calif., adds that, “Cooler temperatures haven’t slowed the spread.”

Indeed, cases of the virus continue to trend upward in California. The state, the single largest producer of milk in the U.S., with 1,300 commercial herds and 1.7 million milk cows, holds the dubious distinction of being the current epicenter for HPAI H5N1.

As of Dec. 19, 2024, the California Department of Food and Agriculture had confirmed 650 dairy cowherds – roughly half of the commercial herds in the state – had been infected with the virus (see AHFSS - AHB - H5N1 Bird Flu Virus in Livestock - CDFA).

Bovine Veterinarian talked with several veterinarians in the Golden State and elsewhere about what their herds, producers and farmworkers have experienced and how they are addressing the virus. This is a summary of what practitioners shared.

Younger Dairy Animals Are Being Affected, As Well As Lactating Cows.

Among production animals on the dairy farm, lactating cows have taken the brunt of the virus infections so far, but that doesn’t mean other segments in cowherds aren’t or can’t be affected.

“I’m hearing reports from California veterinarians of sick young calves and challenges with cows resuming production and reports of dry cows aborting,” says Dr. Barb Petersen, owner and operator of Sunrise Veterinary Service, Amarillo, Texas. Petersen helped confirm the first case of HPAI H5N1 identified in U.S. dairy cattle last spring.

One of those reports came to her from Beal in California.

“I tell people, ‘Don’t sleep on your heifers, calves or your bulls, because there could be issues that we don’t know about yet simply because that’s not been our focus,’” says Beal, who reports that his virus-hit dairies have all experienced an uptick of abortions in first-calf heifers.

“One thing that happens at every affected dairy is we lose more calves, that were already called pregnant, and they’ll be all over the map as far as gestational age,” he says.

“It happens to dry cows, it happens to big calves, and these heifer abortions were all at 180- to 220-days (DCC), somewhere in there,” he adds. “Whether that’s directly caused by the bird flu or it’s caused by the clinical symptoms of the flu, I don’t know. And it’s the same for other veterinarians in our practice to the point that we will go back and reconfirm pregnant animals that we had already reconfirmed.”

Dr. Blaine Melody has had similar experiences: “We’ve consistently seen more early embryonic death and fetal loss at various days of gestation. We have recommended clients switch from long-acting dry cow tubes to lactating if we’re given the heads up before clinical outbreak, via early non-negative bulk tanks,” says Melody, a partner at Lander Veterinary Clinic, Turlock, Calif.

The Virus Amplifies Existing Health And Management Issues.

While HPAI H5N1 is associated with high morbidity and mortality in birds, this hasn’t been the case for dairy cattle in most regions of the country. Most affected animals reportedly recover with supportive treatment, and the mortality/culling rate has been low at 2% or less, according to the American Veterinary Medical Association.

That percentage fits with Beal’s experience in California, but dairy producers in some parts of the state have reported higher mortality levels. Some have experienced cow mortality rates as high as 15% or 20%, according to a Reuters article published in October. See Cows dead from bird flu rot in California

“Cows that get H5N1 are compromised, so any other health issues that are present in the dairy increase,” Beal explains. “Staph aureus, mastitis, mycoplasma, all of them go up.”

“The virus takes the problems that are already on your dairy that you’ve either figured out how to cope with or they’re just sitting at a low level, and it exacerbates them for probably a month,” he adds.

Melody says management quality plays a huge role in what producers and their employees must deal with when the virus hits.

“If you have overcrowded pens, bad cow comfort, poor nutrition management, poor transition cow management or any other underlying risk factors, you will have a worse outcome with a clinical HPAI outbreak. That’s a given,” he says.

In mid-December, California Gov. Gavin Newsom declared a State of Emergency to address the virus in California dairy cattle, ramping up monitoring, quarantine efforts, and resource deployment. See California Issues State of Emergency Warning in Response to More Bird Flu Found on Dairies

The number of farmworkers infected with the virus is likely higher than what’s being reported.

Officially, there have been 66 confirmations of human being infected by the virus in the U.S. See H5 Bird Flu: Current Situation

Melody, Beal and other veterinarians told Bovine Veterinarian they have seen presumed infected employees on farms working with cows.

“Some of these workers are at potential risk, because we don’t know all the ways this virus is spreading yet,” Melody says.

“They just put their heads down and work, so they can keep their paycheck,” Beal adds.

Drenching Cows Can Help, But Rest Can Do As Much Good In Some Scenarios.

Both Beal and Melody say drenching can help clinical HPAI cows, but veterinarians and their producers need a good plan for the treatment to work well.

Beal says there is a significant learning curve for people who have never or seldom drenched a cow. Employees on some of the infected dairies he works with went from never using the practice to suddenly treating hundreds and even thousands of cows a day.

In that intense scenario, Beal says it’s nearly impossible for employees to succeed.

“When you run a drench hose through 1,000 cows, you will not do as good a job with that last cow as you did with the first one,” he explains.

There is real potential to cause more harm than good to the animal physically, Melody adds.

“Drenching can help, but if you’re locking cows up too long or drowning cows because you’re drenching lots of cows and you’re exhausted, that undoes any good you’re trying to accomplish,” he says.

Beal says after working with a couple of outbreaks, he decided to try a different approach.

“We started to use a let-the-cows-rest approach, and I felt like we were still doing just as much good for the animals and not exhausting our staff in the process,” he says.

However, he continued to encourage workers to drench the ones that were clinically dehydrated or exhibiting signs of duress.

“I would say the ones that showed clinical signs to the degree that they warranted treatment has averaged around 30% in a herd,” Beal says. “The ones that are obviously clinically affected we need to treat, but not necessarily the ‘she’s got a runny nose,’ cows.”

What Is Your Definition Of Disease?

Melody says one of the challenges is how veterinarians and producers define disease as well as their definition of severity. With regard to HPAI H5N1, he has observed inconsistent practices and varied approaches to reporting, because people don’t have a consistent benchmark for reference.

“When you get HPAI on dairies, every cow that gets sick is then called a flu cow, but you can’t conflate that it’s all influenza,” he says.

Melody also encourages practitioners to keep a tight rein on their treatment protocols and to maintain consistent practices with regard to regulations.

“If you make things gray, when it comes to regulatory standards, we can quickly start to spiral, because you start going, ‘Well, we made this exception for this, so why not here too?’” Melody says. “Stay with your established playbook, and don’t deviate from it.”

Melody and Beal both say they have been frustrated at times by slow turnarounds by state laboratories responsible for providing test results. Their advice: Be a squeaky wheel with regard to getting virus test results.

“Many testing labs are overrun with samples, and the process gets bogged down, or the results don’t get to the veterinarian because of confidentiality rules,” Melody says.

“Some people are shipping animals that are infected but don’t know it because they didn’t get the information back in a timely fashion from the bulk tank tests,” Beal adds. “There needs to be a reworking of the testing protocols.”

Nutrition And Cow Comfort Practices Can Help Affected Animals Return To Good Production Levels.

Melody and Beal say most of their clients’ cows return to a good level of production post infection.

“Now, do they all come back 100%? No, I haven’t seen that on any of my dairies,” Beal says. “If people compare production now to last December, there’s likely a deficit. Some of the cows are ending up 5 lb. to 6 lb. under where they were this same time last year. That’s not unusual.”

Beal adds that veterinarians who can talk with their clients about what ramifications to expect from the disease, before it ever reaches their herd, can probably save a significant number of cows from being culled in the future.

What can improve that scenario for virus-impacted cows in the future is investing dollars in nutrition and facilities as farm resources permit, Melody adds.

“Renovate your dry cow barn, put some shade over those animals, put a little extra metabolizable protein into the fresh cows right now to make sure they’re getting off to a good start,” Melody advises. “Do good management, the things that you know are going to make your cows strong. Those things will pay for themselves whether you’re in the midst of a virus outbreak or wanting to help cows in the long-term.”

____________________________________________________________________________

‘No Established Gold Standard’

Dr. Blaine Melody, a partner at Lander Veterinary Clinic in Turlock, Calif., says somatic cell counts (SCC) are not a gold standard for defining parameters of the HPAI A H5N1 virus. He says SCCs can be wildly different for each farm because of management differences — whether dumping not dumping milk, sturdy versus frail cows, good or bad preexisting milk quality practices.

“My goal is trying to get as close to an apples-to-apples comparison between farms, and you can only decipher that by knowing the farms and asking more questions when people start throwing numbers around,” he says.

Melody offers one real-life example from his experience:

“Two dairies get HPAI at the same time,” Melody says. “One farm gets hammered with a 15% cow clinical mastitis case rate for the duration of the epidemic. The other farm may say it never had any HPAI clinical mastitis cows and only treated a handful of febrile cows with no milk, respiratory or GI disease. You look at their records and can confirm that to be ‘true.’ You ask more questions and also learn that the primary method of identifying mastitis is different between those two farms: the first farm strips and visually screens each quarter for abnormal milk, while the second does not and relies solely on milk conductivity sensors.”

“The vast majority of these clinical cows in our area are mild cases of mastitis with no effect on the udder or cow,” he adds. “This thick, clinical HPAI milk did not get flagged with conductivity sensors. Even within the same brand there can be modified settings farm to farm. The truth in this example ‘lied’ in the salable milk quality when their SCC more than doubled.

“The importance is understanding the farm management differences and knowing what further questions to ask rather than jumping at naked numbers that are often without clear denominators,” Melody says.
____________________________________________________________________________

200-Plus Mammal Species Infected

While researchers have learned a lot about HPAI A H5N1 since its confirmation in a Texas dairy herd in March 2024, much is still unknown, including the various ways the disease might spread and which animals it infects.

According to USDA’s APHIS, in addition to dairy cows, more than 200 other mammal species in the U.S. have been infected by the virus since 2022. One of the hardest hit animal populations on farms are barn cats, which often consume colostrum and raw milk, not to mention potentially infected birds and vermin.

Other U.S. mammals infected with the virus include a bottlenose dolphin, foxes, bobcats, mountain lions, coyotes, skunks, harbor and grey seals, opossums, squirrels, minks, otters, black bears, brown bears, polar bears, and a single pig on a backyard farm in Oregon, confirmed in late October.

Your Next Read: I’m Going Into 2025 With Increased Concerns About HPAI H5N1

GenoSource Has Grown Into One of the Most State-of-the-Art Dairies You'll Find in the U.S.

Mon, 06 Jan 2025 22:11:18 GMT

The Milk Business Leader in Technology Award is given to a farm that focuses on the implementation of technology to improve dairy operations in terms of ROI, labor, time management, etc. GenoSource was named the 2024 Milk Business Leader in Technology Award Winner during the 2024 MILK Business Conference in December.
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At first glance, these two might just look like typical business partners, but peel back the layers, and it’s clear Tim Rauen and Kyle Demmer are more than just that.

“We’re coworkers, we’re partners and we’re best friends,” says Kyle Demmer, COO of GenoSource. “Pretty much everything we do, we kind of bounce ideas off each other and just feed off each other.”

Tim Rauen, CEO of GenoSource, and Kyle Demmer, COO of GenoSource, give a tour of their facilities where they milk 4,000 cows milk in a 90-stall rotary parlor. Their cows are milked 3x/day and average 90 lbs/day with a 4.5% Butterfat and a 3.5% Protein.

(Mike Byers )

It’s a partnership in every sense, but the dairy is also anything but typical.

GenoSource all started with a dream a decade ago; a dream to have a company created by dairy producers for dairy producers. The vision seemed simple but was complex in reality. The dairy farmers wanted to create a modern cow but one that excelled in a freestall environment, had fewer health issues and could convert feed at an efficient rate.

“And now we’re 10 years into this partnership and GenoSource, and I don’t think anyone would change a thing about it,” says Tim Rauen, CEO of GenoSource.

The partnership now involves 8 families, whom all have a love for Holsteins and share a goal of creating a more sustainable future for the next generation.

(GenoSource)

An Early Believer in Genomics
A decade into the partnership, GenoSource has grown into more than these families ever imagined. The partnership now involves eight families, who all love Holsteins and share a goal of creating a more sustainable future for the next generation.

“Being an early believer in genomics, I followed technology, graduated college in 2008, and I told myself we got to follow technology; we’ve got to lead technology for the industry, and we drove right into it,” Rauen says. “We had a lot of naysayers that said, ‘Hey, this isn’t going to work. You shouldn’t go this direction,’ but we did. We put our foot on the gas, and we put the hammer down with it.”

To achieve the highest possible results, GenoSource prides their operation on the integrity of their day-to-day work, their capability to fill the next industry-leading demand and the philosophy of breeding a more profitable cow by investing in some of the world’s greatest genetics. GenoSource believes that genetic advancement is what will help develop the ideal cow for the future.

(Russ Hnatusko )

By homing in on the genetics early on with genomic testing, it’s their ability to grasp onto a plethora of technologies that’s taken this dairy to the next level.

“From a genetics standpoint, we took the herd that we bought, we put embryos into them and ran an extensive embryo program from day one to roll the herd over to the kind of cows we believed in milking,” Rauen says. “We were milking 2,200 cows at the time, and when we came in to it, we were milking about 70 lb. per cow with a 3.4% butterfat and a 2.8% protein. So since then, we’re at 95 lb. per cow. We’re at a 4.6% fat in a 3.5% protein.”

A Growth Mindset
GenoSource expects to be milking 4,800 cows by next summer, as GenoSource excels at improving genetics, cow comfort, nutrition and management, all through technology.

“On the genetics side of things, I look at genomic testing, I look at IVF work,” Rauen says. “Then, I go into cow comfort. We utilize the tunnel ventilation side of things. I go into the parlor. There’s many tools inside the parlor that the technology has advanced over the years. And then on the management side, there’s many things from the database side of things and monitoring tools that are cow monitoring collars. There’s multiple levels of that. So, all four of those have many, many layers of technology, and I don’t think you can ignore any of those. And you just got to look at all of them and see how you can improve the herd.”

Barns Packed With Technology
Their barns are also packed with technology. The dairy installed tunnel ventilation and smart control in 2021, as the dairy was forced to rebuild after the devastating derecho tore through their farm in august of 2020.

“Prior to the derecho, we were looking at putting tunnel ventilation in,” Rauen says. “We were looking at adding another barn to the facility as we want to grow and melt more cows. And it was that time where when we had to do that remodel, it pretty much forced our hand and said, ‘Hey, let’s go get tunnel ventilation done to our barns.’”

The team decided to expand the barns to add additional rows, which Rauen says was a big change. And while it was frightening financially to make that decision, he’s glad they did.

New construction across GenoSource are signs of more progress underway today, with GenoSource in the middle of putting in a new methane digester, a new maternity barn and a dry cow calving facility.

(Mike Byers )

New Construction: Signs of More Progress Underway
Today, new construction at their dairy is a sign of more progress underway, with GenoSource in the middle of building a methane digester, as well as a new maternity barn.

“We’re also building a new dry cow calving facility. We feel it’s so important when these cows come out day one that everything’s done properly from the cleanliness to colostrum. And also taking care of that cow, so she’s ready to make milk for a full lactation,” Rauen says. “The barn is going to be fully ventilated and have a sprinkler system. There’s a lot of new ideas we’re putting into those facilities, because we’re always looking for ways to increase the cow comfort side of things.

With technology at their fingertips, GenoSource is constantly monitoring their operations.

(Russ Hnatusko )

Work Smarter, Not Harder
The progress hasn’t always been easy, but just look around GenoSource’s state-of-the-art facility, and you can see those investments are paying off.

“Sometimes you need to work smarter, not harder,” Demmer says. “We have the smart sort gate, we have the collars; it makes a lot of people’s jobs a lot easier, and you can be way better at your job.”

With tech like Farmfit, which helps them constantly monitor their animals, it’s that technology that helps the dairy produce a better a better environment for the cows, and it also helps them retain employees.

“Three years ago, we used to lock every all the cows up and give repro shots, vaccines, breed everything out here in the barns,” Demmer says. “Now, we never lock the cows up. We put them in the sort gate and let the cows come to us. As far as injuries and employee safety, it’s all huge. You don’t have to worry about chasing the cows around. I think there’s a huge cost savings, too, and it’s way safer for the cows and the people.”

Cow Comfort is Key
GenoSource has created an environment where these cows are content, which might be the biggest sign of success any dairy can have.

“Some things that excite me the most are the cows are happy,” Rauen says. “So, when you have happy cows, they help pay the bills, and you can come out here 365 days a year, and cows are out here making milk. I always have the motto, ‘you take care of the cows, they’ll take care of you.’”

A dairy that knows no limits, it’s embracing technology that’s allowing GenoSource create new opportunities on their farm.

“Honestly, technology helps you get through some of those challenges, and we’re able to pull the data from different things,” Rauen says. “I think we’re ready for the next 10 years.

That is why GenoSource is the 2024 Milk Business Leader in Technology Award winner.

USDA Announces New Federal Order, Begins National Milk Testing Strategy to Address H5N1 in Dairy Herds

Fri, 06 Dec 2024 19:32:32 GMT

Today, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) is announcing the start of its National Milk Testing Strategy (NMTS), which builds on measures taken by USDA and federal and state partners since the outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) H5N1 in dairy cattle was first detected in March 2024. Today, USDA is issuing a new Federal Order, as well as accompanying guidance, requiring that raw (unpasteurized) milk samples nationwide be collected and shared with USDA for testing. This new guidance from USDA, which was developed with significant input from state, veterinary and public health stakeholders, will facilitate comprehensive H5N1 surveillance of the nation’s milk supply and dairy herds.

“Since the first HPAI detection in livestock, USDA has collaborated with our federal, state and industry partners to swiftly and diligently identify affected herds and respond accordingly. This new milk testing strategy will build on those steps to date and will provide a roadmap for states to protect the health of their dairy herds,” said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. “Among many outcomes, this will give farmers and farmworkers better confidence in the safety of their animals and ability to protect themselves, and it will put us on a path to quickly controlling and stopping the virus’ spread nationwide. USDA is grateful to our partners who have provided input to make this strategy effective and actionable, and we look forward to continued collaboration in seeing this through.”

This NMTS is designed to increase USDA’s and public health partners’ understanding of the virus’ spread in the United States through a structured, uniform, and mandatory testing system that will help swiftly identify which states, and specific herds within them, are affected with H5N1; support the rapid implementation of enhanced biosecurity measures to decrease the risk of transmission to other livestock; and importantly, inform critical efforts to protect farmworkers to help lower their risk of exposure. USDA believes this additional step is needed to proactively support effective biosecurity measures, which is key for states and farmers to contain and eliminate H5N1 infections from their livestock and to eliminate HPAI in livestock across the U.S. dairy population.

“This testing strategy is a critical part of our ongoing efforts to protect the health and safety of individuals and communities nationwide,” said HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra. “Our primary responsibility at HHS is to protect public health and the safety of the food supply, and we continue to work closely with USDA and all stakeholders on continued testing for H5N1 in retail milk and dairy samples from across the country to ensure the safety of the commercial pasteurized milk supply. We will continue this work with USDA for as long and as far as necessary.”

The Federal Order released today makes three new requirements. First, it requires the sharing of raw milk samples, upon request, from any entity responsible for a dairy farm, bulk milk transporter, bulk milk transfer station, or dairy processing facility that sends or holds milk intended for pasteurization. Second, the Federal Order requires herd owners with positive cattle to provide epidemiological information that enables activities such as contact tracing and disease surveillance. Finally, like USDA’s April 24 Federal Order, it requires that private laboratories and state veterinarians report positive results to USDA that come from tests done on raw milk samples drawn as part of the NMTS. The first round of silo testing under the Federal Order and the NMTS is scheduled to begin the week of Dec. 16, 2024, although some states are already conducting testing compatible with the NMTS.

This new Federal Order does not override or supersede USDA’s April 24 Federal Order , which still requires the mandatory testing of lactating dairy cows prior to interstate shipment and requires that all privately owned laboratories and state veterinarians report positive test results connected with those tests. The new Federal Order announced today is intended to complement and enhance this existing order.

National Milk Testing Strategy

As part of the National Milk Testing Strategy, APHIS will work with each state in the contiguous United States to execute testing in a way that works for the state and that aligns with the NMTS standards. Once a state begins testing under the NMTS, APHIS will place that state into one of five stages based on the HPAI H5N1 virus prevalence in that state. As states move to another stage, we will have a stronger picture of our progress towards eliminating HPAI H5N1 at state, regional and national levels. These stages include:

Stage 1: Standing Up Mandatory USDA National Plant Silo Monitoring

USDA will immediately begin nationwide testing of milk silos at dairy processing facilities. This national sample will allow USDA to identify where the disease is present, monitor trends, and help states identify potentially affected herds.

Stage 2: Determining a State’s H5N1 Dairy Cattle Status

Building on the results of silo monitoring, in collaboration with states, USDA will also stand up bulk tank sampling programs that will enable us to identify herds in the state that are affected with H5N1.

Stage 3: Detecting and Responding to the Virus in Affected States

For states with H5N1 detections, APHIS will work quickly to identify specific cases and implement rapid response measures, including enhanced biosecurity using USDA’s existing incentives programs, movement controls and contact tracing.

Stage 4: Demonstrating Ongoing Absence of H5 in Dairy Cattle in Unaffected States

Once all dairy herds in a given state are considered to be unaffected, APHIS will continue regular sampling of farms’ bulk tanks to ensure the disease does not re-emerge. Bulk tank sampling frequency will progressively decline as the state demonstrates continual silo negativity (e.g., weekly, monthly, quarterly if continually negative). If a state becomes affected, USDA will re-engage detection and response activities, and the state will return to Stage 3.

Stage 5: Demonstrating Freedom from H5 in U.S. Dairy Cattle

After all states move through Stage Four, APHIS will work with the states to begin periodic sampling and testing to illustrate long-term absence from the national herd.

As of this announcement, the following six states will be included in the first round of states brought into the program for testing: California, Colorado, Michigan, Mississippi, Oregon, and Pennsylvania.

As states begin testing under the NMTS and as they move through the five stages, their progress will be shared at USDA HPAI in Livestock Testing . While the majority of states will enter the NMTS at Stage 1, we anticipate states with ongoing testing may meet the testing requirements described above in Stages 2-4. USDA will work closely with states to determine each state’s status. While the majority of states will enter the NMTS at Stage 1, we anticipate states with ongoing testing may meet the testing requirements described above in Stages 2-4. USDA will work closely with states to determine each state’s status.

Webinars and Additional Information

USDA will co-host information sessions for all state animal health officials and state dairy regulators the week of Dec. 9 to learn more about the National Plant Silo Monitoring and sampling procedures. These sessions are scheduled for Tuesday Dec. 10 and Wednesday Dec. 11 to allow multiple opportunities for dairy regulators and industry stakeholders to participate.

APHIS has been working diligently to educate and inform key state and animal health partners about this Federal Order and National Milk Testing Strategy, as well as to establish written agreements with states to support how they can work with USDA under the new strategy.

APHIS has also sought and received input from state animal and public health partners about potential needs for the strategy and implementation across their various states, particularly for standardized sampling tools, outreach, and potential personnel and fiscal resources from USDA.

In the coming weeks, APHIS will include additional states in the NMTS. Throughout this process APHIS will continue to support and offer resources to states that develop bulk milk testing plans in a way that meets the needs of each state and the importance of the response. APHIS will work with each of the 48 contiguous states to participate in the program.

USDA’s Multifaceted Effort to Address H5N1

Since confirming the initial H5N1 infections in cattle in March 2024, USDA has taken significant steps to better understand and control the virus’s spread. This response was aided by APHIS’ more than 50 years of experience in research and managing influenzas across other animal species, and by long-standing partnerships with state animal health officials that allow for the swift establishment of all testing and response activities. APHIS and state partners have seen significant success in responding to detections identified through state-level testing programs, and the NMTS builds on these efforts and will better identify the prevalence of the virus and guide response steps nationwide.

USDA has provided all H5 livestock testing through the NAHLN laboratory network, free of charge, regardless of whether it was performed for pre-movement testing under the current Federal Order; through the Dairy Herd Status Program; under testing programs that some states have designed pursuant to their unique authorities; prior to intrastate movement to fairs, exhibitions, or sales as part of state testing programs; or for producers interested in learning the status of their livestock herds. As a result of this testing, USDA has received samples from each of the 48 contiguous states over the course of this outbreak, with all confirmed positive findings being reported through the APHIS website, and whole genome sequences of each detected virus uploaded to public databases.

USDA continues to stress to farmers nationwide that effective biosecurity practices are the best weapon against the spread of disease, and that all farms should review their current biosecurity measures and ensure best practices identified over the past eight months are incorporated, even if H5N1 has not been detected in their state or region.

USDA strongly encourages herd owners to participate in the already available producer support programs, which help to cover the cost such as biosecurity programming, PPE for employees, and veterinary care. Producers can find more information at Financial Assistance | Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service , or at your nearest USDA Farm Service Agency county office .

USDA Research Related to H5N1 in Dairy Cattle

USDA has been working collaboratively with its federal partners at HHS to better understand the origin of the emergence of the virus and its potential impact in both bovines and humans. USDA has leveraged its laboratories, researchers, and regulatory agencies to address this issue and, in partnership with FDA, help ensure the safety of our nation’s food supply. This includes lab and personnel support for FDA-designed studies to test the safety of milk and dairy products and reaffirm the efficacy of pasteurization for the safety of products on retail shelves. USDA FSIS has also completed a series of studies on beef , which demonstrate that safely cooking beef inactivates the H5N1 virus, if present. USDA APHIS has also prepared and shared two separate epidemiological reports on the virus and its spread, which can inform biosecurity practices and next steps.

To learn more about USDA’s response to HPAI in dairy cattle, visit www.aphis.usda.gov/livestock-poultry-disease/avian/avian-influenza/hpai-detections/livestock .

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How Dairy Producers are Boosting Profitability

Wed, 27 Nov 2024 14:00:00 GMT

In the ever-competitive world of agriculture, dairy producers are continuously exploring new avenues to ensure the sustainability and growth of their operations. In the face of fluctuating market dynamics and economic pressures, innovative profitability strategies have become crucial, particularly in the dairy industry.

Alternative Profit Strategies
With the spotlight on profitability, many dairy producers have turned their attention to alternative profit sources. This shift has been especially significant during times when milk prices are less than favorable. Robin Schmahl from AgMarket.Net highlights the beef-on-dairy strategy as a pivotal approach to increasing income. By integrating beef genetics into dairy herds, many producers have successfully split their breeding practices between sexed semen and beef, leading to substantial income boosts over recent years.

Understanding Market Dynamics
Market dynamics play a critical role in shaping milk production. According to Phil Plourd, head of market intelligence at Ever.Ag Insights, the unfavorable economic conditions have historically squeezed milk production. Despite this, he remains optimistic about the upcoming 12 months, suggesting they present the best profit potential for dairy producers in recent times. His observation that “Historically, more money generally means more milk,” underlines the intricate relationship between economic conditions and milk yield.

Challenges with Dairy Replacement Heifers
The adoption of beef-on-dairy practices has, however, led to a decrease in the availability of dairy replacement animals. This scarcity has driven up prices, presenting a challenge for producers, especially those planning for expansion. Larger operations are now strategizing ways to secure replacements either through internal growth or external purchases well in advance.

“I don’t think they’re going to wake up three days before they open the new dairy and say, ‘Oh, wait, I need heifers,’” Plourd says.

Adapting to Market Signals
While there is potential market growth with higher milk prices, current dairy heifer inventory doesn’t entirely align with this trend. However, Schmahl points out that the increased milk prices offer producers more flexibility, allowing them to invest in replacements or retain older cows to maximize their output.

Risk Management in a Volatile Market
Efficient risk management strategies are crucial to navigating the ups and downs of the market. Schmahl emphasizes the importance of engaging in risk management without capping potential gains. He recommends option strategies or revenue protection, advising producers to remain flexible and informed as they plan for the future.

“You don’t want to limit your upside,” Schmahl insists, while cautioning producers about using futures, encouraging a balance between protection and opportunity.

As the dairy industry continues its evolution, staying informed and adaptable is essential for producers looking to capitalize on emerging trends. By employing innovative strategies and maintaining a sharp focus on market signals, dairy producers can navigate economic challenges to secure and enhance their profitability.

Your Next Read:
A Promising Turnaround: U.S. Milk Production Sees Unexpected Growth

Secrets to Success with Precision Cow Monitoring Systems

Mon, 18 Nov 2024 14:18:26 GMT

Activity and rumination monitoring systems -- precision cow monitoring -- can revolutionize the way a dairy manages its cows. Or they can pile up frustrations and create greater expense without adding value, according to Dr. Melissa Cantor, Assistant Professor in Precision Dairy Science at Penn State University. She noted the following requirements to make the systems worth the investment for dairies:

A commitment to embracing technology – Successfully using precision cow monitoring requires a combination of common sense, cow sense, and tech sense. Cantor said it’s not necessary for anyone on the dairy to be a technological whiz, but at least one person must be committed to learning the system, monitoring the data, and making decisions based off of it. “A lot of times what happens is people will buy these systems for estrus detection. This is fine, but farmers often pay for the algorithms for transition cow monitoring too because it is also a really attractive feature,” she stated. “However, if no one is acting on that data, you’re paying for something and not using it. Make sure you allocate a worker to transition cow monitoring with the system for maximum benefit.”
Customizing alerts – Cantor said many precision cow monitoring systems were developed in Europe. Thus, the default settings were validated in herds of less than 100 cows that are usually housed quite differently than typical U.S. herds. “A lot of people don’t realize that the software lets you play with the thresholds of alerts,” Cantor advised. “For heat detection, I advise to mostly leave those alone; they work really well. But for transition cows, see what thresholds fit best for your farm. If you’re being alerted and the cows look perfectly healthy, the software needs to be adjusted. The same is true if you’re not being alerted until the cows are really sick and could benefit from earlier intervention. Ask your equipment dealer for how to adjust the health alert settings before purchasing.”
Timely installation – Cantor shared that it takes most systems about a month for the algorithm to understand an individual cow’s activity behavior for estrus detection. Some health alert systems take at least 50 cattle to move through the system before timely health alerts are detected in the herd, and most take about 8-12 days to learn an individual cow’s behavior. This is highly dependent on which system is purchased so make sure to ask your equipment dealer about the system you are purchasing.

She said a common mistake is to put rumination monitoring collars on cows when they freshen, versus a few weeks before in the dry period. “Those first 10 days in milk are when a lot of problems happen, but those opportunities will be missed because the system doesn’t understand the cow yet,” she said. “Plus, the baseline is also off, because the system thinks those early fresh days are ‘normal’ for the cow, when that’s not the case at all.” Cantor recommends putting rumination tags on cows at 21 days before freshening for maximum results.

It isn’t commonly known, but cows at risk for metabolic disorders show changes in rumination patterns weeks before calving. Keeping an eye on rumination patterns in the dry close up period is fundamental to evaluate which cows have consistent rumination and which ones have high variation in rumination patterns (at least an hour of variation a day). The ones that aren’t consistent in their rumination patterns are the cows to keep a close eye on after calving.
Maintenance minding – Just as a point person is needed to utilize the technology, another is needed to keep it functioning. That could be the same person or two different individuals. But someone needs to be in charge of ensuring batteries are still functioning; tags are in good repair and staying on the cows; and equipment pieces are cleaned regularly. Cantor said a common problem with precision technologies in general is that they are viewed as shiny new tools that are maintenance-free. “That’s definitely not true,” said Cantor. “Virtually every dairy that hates their automated milking system, for example, is not maintaining it.”

Cantor said the capabilities of activity and rumination monitoring systems extend beyond estrus detection; they are exciting and highly valuable -- especially when it comes to transition cows – once the system is understood and customized to the dairy. “I hope more people use activity and rumination monitoring to fine-tune their transition programs,“ stated Cantor. “It’s great when it works.”

Your Next Read: Milk Production Resilient Despite Tight Heifer Supply Concerns

Helping Dairy Cattle Navigate Pain

Mon, 21 Oct 2024 20:43:11 GMT

Pain is a natural condition for all animals and humans. But when it comes to dairy cattle specifically, the intensity and duration of their pain can have significant influence on both their welfare and productivity.

Katherine Creutzinger, researcher at the University of Wisconsin-River Falls, presented an in-depth exploration of the topic of dairy cattle pain at the 2024 Western Canadian Dairy Seminar. She noted that pain can negatively affect dairy calf and cow welfare within the Three Circles of Animal Welfare model:

Health, injury, and disease – Actual or potential tissue damage.
Ability to perform natural behaviors – Eating, drinking, walking, standing, lying, ruminating.
Mental and emotional states – Unpleasant sensory or emotional experience.

One or more of these facets may be affected at the same time, depending on the source of the pain. Creutzinger also said pain is affected by both duration and intensity. “Negative effects of pain vary based on both factors, but pain has more negative impacts as one or both factors increases,” she explained.

For example, “udder engorgement can be uncomfortable but is quickly relieved by milking,” she noted. “Whereas broken tails, which are a result of broken ligaments and joint dislocation, may take months to heal causing more severe pain to cows.”

While some sources of pain – such as a foot injury or clinical mastitis – may be obvious, Creutzinger said other conditions, such as metritis, may produce less obvious pain. In either case, the affected animals need both therapeutic attention and pain management support.

Productivity also suffers when cows are in pain. Reluctance to travel to the water trough can result in dehydration and reduced milk production. Avoidance of competition at the feed bunk can spiral into metabolic diseases and decreased rumination. Refraining from normal estrus expression can lead to missed heats and poorer reproductive efficiency.

Creutzinger said the advent of wearable sensors that track factors like physical activity, rumination patterns, body temperature, and lying time has contributed positively to pain management because the subtle changes they detect can help identify pain sources earlier in their progression when they can be proactively addressed.

One area of dairy management ripe for improvement is the pain animals potentially incur when they are removed from the herd. Creutzinger cited data indicating that dairy cows may remain in transit for up to 2 weeks between their dairy of origin and their final slaughter destination. Udder engorgement, emaciation, and lameness have been widely documented in these cows.

The researcher suggested management changes to reduce these painful experiences. One example is to hold cows on the farm until they have recovered from lameness or mastitis, which also will help them add body condition and market value. Another is to gradually dry cows off via reduced milking frequency and a lower-energy diet to prevent udder engorgement upon shipping.

Creutzinger said proactive management of pain in dairy animals will be important in earning the consuming public’s trust of dairy farming practices and products. “The public has an expectation for dairy cattle to have good welfare,” she declared. “Addressing pain is important to production, but it is also critical to animal welfare, which plays an important role in making sure the dairy industry is sustainable.”

Unlock the Future: How Tech is Revolutionizing Dairy Farming

Mon, 21 Oct 2024 13:00:00 GMT

Dairy producers take immense pride in delivering a wholesome product day in and day out. However, with the global population projected to surge by 30% in the next three decades and available farmland decreasing by 250 million acres by 2050, the agricultural sector faces an enormous challenge. To meet the growing demand, agricultural production must increase by 40%.

Recently at the Center of Excellence’s Dairy Financial and Risk Management Conference in Harrisburg, Pa., three producers talked about their journey of innovation and technology as a way to spell longevity to their operations.

Alan Waybright’s Technological Upgrades Journey
Located in Mount Rock, Pa., Alan Waybright’s farm serves as a compelling example of how innovation can drive success in dairy farming. Purchased in 2019, the farm began with 650 cows and has since expanded to 940 cows. These cows now produce 92 lbs. of milk, with component levels of 4.2% butterfat and 3.3% protein on a four-times-per-day milking schedule.

A significant contributor to this success has been the technological upgrades implemented on the farm. The family invested in upgrading their parlor from a double-12 herringbone to a new, Delaval, 50-cow rotary milking parlor equipped with a pre-and post-dip robotic arm, enhancing efficiency, as the cows can now all be milked under four hours. Moreover, they added a new calf barn, a 210 x 240 silage pad, and a 160-stall four-row free stall barn. These upgrades not only improved productivity but also animal welfare and farm management.

Additionally, the farm works with Total Farm Marketing to mitigate risk by helping book commodities and milk futures.

“We lean on a whole team that can help us make decisions that can benefit our future,” Waybright says.

Brake’s Automation Transformation
Matthew Brake with Oakleigh Farm milks 120 Registered Holsteins and farms 400 acres, all with family labor. The family experienced a barn fire in December of 2019 that made them change the landscape – honing in on automation – as the family rebuilt and added two Lely robots less than a year later.

“We obviously never want to go through that again or wish for anyone to have to go through that, but it is really amazing to see how technology can work together,” he says, noting the curtains on the barns are automated, along with the fans in the barn. “Plus, all the data that we get from the robots. It is pretty amazing.”

Brake says that changing to robots has increased production and reduced the need for labor.

“Because of the technology, we have more flexibility and family time,” he adds.

Peckman: Embracing Diversity and Technology
At Slate Ridge Dairy Farm, Inc., Ben Peckman underscores the importance of diversity in mitigating risks. In addition to milking 170 cows, the family raises 100 youngstock, 150 steers, and farms around 1,100 acres. “Diversity is our key technology,” Peckman states

“It cannot be bought, but it pays. Diversity is our secret weapon to combat weather, markets and other risks.”

Peckman utilizes a variety of technologies including GPS guidance, planter row clutches, variable rate seeding, sprayer boom section control, and yield monitoring to optimize operations. They also use daily forage dry matter measuring and the SCiO cup and phone app for adjustments, leading to more consistent intakes and production and higher components. The farm has a robotic feed pusher that drives higher intakes on fresh feed and saves labor, and automated ventilation controls, fans, curtains, sprinklers, and a mobile calf milk pasteurizer.

Peckman notes that on their own, each of these technologies are relatively small investments.

“However, they are fairly affordable for small to medium-sized dairies,” he says. “They add up to make large impacts on our daily operations and ultimately, our profitability.”

By adopting advanced technologies and diverse strategies, producers not only enhance efficiency and productivity but also ensure sustainable and profitable operations for the future.

Oregano: Not Just for Pizza Anymore

Mon, 14 Oct 2024 21:05:20 GMT

Move over, pizza and pasta. Oregano – specifically, its essential oil – is finding its way into calf diets.

Oregano essential oil has been shown to have antibacterial properties against Gram-negative bacteria, especially E. coli. It also has been shown to have antiviral and anticryptosporidial effects in laboratory settings.

Two recent studies examined the effects of oregano essential oil in calf diets.

The first study, led by researchers at Aristotle University of Thessaloniki in Greece, examined the effects on early life diarrhea by supplementing newborn calves with Greek oregano essential oil. A total of 91 Holstein calves from three dairy farmers were included.

Half of the calves received a drench of oregano essential oil at 12.5 mg/kg of bodyweight for the first 10 days of life. The other half received no treatment. The researchers noted that, because oregano oil has a strong flavor, they opted for a drench delivery to avoid affecting milk intakes. The oil was diluted with saline solution up to 60 mL.

Results included:

· The overall incidence of diarrhea was significantly lower in the calves receiving oregano oil. That difference was the result of a dramatically lower incidence at one of the farms, which had outstanding hygiene, leading the researchers to speculate that diarrhea incidence was reduced most effectively by oregano oil when pathogen loads were low.

· For calves from all farms, the severity of diarrhea was appreciably lower in the oregano-oil-treated calves. This was the result of a lower number of days with diarrhea, lower diarrhea index, shorter duration of sickness, and fewer calves requiring treatment (antibiotic and supportive therapy).

The researchers speculated that reduced severity of diarrhea in calves treated with oregano oils was due to inhibition of coliform bacteria overgrowth in the small intestine of diarrheic calves, leading to lower incidence of bacteremia.

The second study , conducted at the Gansu Academy of Agricultural Sciences in China, examined the potential of replacing monensin with oregano essential oil in the grower diet of weaned Holstein bull calves. The research team speculated that oregano could provide the same benefits to rumen fermentation as monensin, modulating rumen fermentation and potentially lowering acidosis.

One of four treatments was assigned to three calves each, for a total of 12 calves in the study. Starting at 70 days of age, calves were followed for the next 240 days, receiving (1) no treatment (control); (2) oregano essential oil at 36 mg/kg of dry matter (DM)in the TMR; (3) monensin at 25 mg/kg of DM; and (4) a combination therapy including both the same dose of oregano oil and monensin.

Both the oregano essential oil group and the monensin group had significantly higher weight gain than the other two groups. Interestingly, the lowest weight gain was in the combination therapy group, leading the researchers to believe that the two treatments had an antagonistic effect on one another.

They concluded that using oregano essential oil alone could be a valid alternative to monensin, providing a non-antibiotic alternative that still yielded growth promotion benefits.

Evaluating the Economics of Adding Management Practices or Products to the Farm

Mon, 23 Sep 2024 20:11:19 GMT

Most of the management practices implemented on the farm are either to manage disease or increase milk production. The market is flooded with products that can help with both goals. Understanding the economics of management practice adoption can make it easier to make adoption decisions.

Determining Disease Costs

Disease costs can be calculated using the simple equation: C = L + E or Costs = Losses + Expenses. Expenses are more straightforward to configure because they include the costs we typically associate with treating the disease, like drugs or added labor. However, preventative expenses are often overlooked. For example, using a pre or post-dip should be considered when evaluating mastitis expenses. Losses can be more challenging to estimate because the costs are not direct. Losses may come in the form of lost milk yield, decreased fertility, or lost milk premiums.

If nothing is done to manage or prevent a disease, the total cost of the disease comes from losses alone. Once a management practice is added, the losses will decrease to a certain point, and expenses will increase. A technical optimum is reached when disease incidence drops to a point where the incidence rate can go no lower regardless of what management practice is added. In that case, expenses are the highest portion of the total disease cost. Often, the economic optimum, the point where we see no financial returns to lowering a disease incidence rate, comes well before the technical optimum.

Marginal Level Milk

The adoption of products or changing management practices to increase milk yield should be evaluated using marginal economics. This means the cost and benefit of increasing milk per pound. Like disease management, a point will come in which the benefit of increased milk yield will not cover the costs. All costs should be considered to make the marginal level milk yield as accurate as possible. For example, feed costs typically increase as milk yield increases, so when determining the potential benefit of adding a product to the farm, feed costs and the costs of the product need to be considered.

Before adopting a product or changing a management practice, try to consider the whole picture. Determine which direct and indirect benefits or drawbacks might occur from management adoption. Overestimating costs of management practices can help ensure that hidden costs may be accounted for.

Your Next Read: Is Beef Breeding Derailing the U.S. Dairy Industry?

AABP Decides to Reference Cattle Disease as Bovine Influenza A Virus (BIAV)

Thu, 26 Sep 2024 18:58:48 GMT

On Sunday evening, the American Association of Bovine Practitioners (AABP), released a letter to its media partners to update them on how the organization will reference the emerging cattle disease, currently confirmed in dairy herds in six states, moving forward.

“Because this infection in cattle is not the same as highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI), after thoughtful consideration and discussion with many experts, the AABP will now refer to this as Bovine Influenza A Virus (BIAV), which more accurately depicts it,” wrote Geni Wren, director of marketing and communications for the organization, in an email accompanying the letter.

The letter was developed and signed by AABP executive director, Fred Gingrich, DVM, and president Michael Capel, DVM.

Gingrich and Capel are asking other organizations, state animal health officials, diagnostic labs, and state and federal agencies to use Bovine Influenza A Virus (BIAV) “so we can be consistent with our messaging and better distinguish the disease syndrome in cattle from the pathogenesis in birds. We believe it is important for the public to understand the difference to maintain confidence in the safety and accessibility of beef and dairy products for consumers,” they wrote.

The letter is available in its entirety for review here:

Twelve Cases of HPAI in Dairy Cattle Confirmed in Five States

Wed, 03 Apr 2024 18:54:11 GMT

To date, 12 cases of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) have been confirmed in dairy cattle in five states.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has made the confirmations in dairy herds in four states: Texas (7), Kansas (2), Michigan (1), and New Mexico (1).

In addition, the Idaho State Department of Agriculture announced March 28 that it had identified its first cases of HPAI in a Cassia County dairy cattle operation. The affected facility had recently imported cattle from another state and herd that had HPAI.

Fred Gingrich, DVM and executive director for the American Association of Bovine Practitioners (AABP), says the virus identified in affected dairy cows is the same virus that has affected the U.S. poultry industry since 2022.

“The assumption is the initial herds were affected by wild migratory birds,” Gingrich told Chip Flory, host of AgriTalk, on Tuesday.

Gingrich adds that government agencies, veterinarians and livestock industry groups have more questions than answers at this point about how HPAI is infecting herds, and they are not ruling out cow-to-cow transmission.

“Clinically, it looks like that’s what is happening. Some of the newly infected herds outside of Texas had purchased animals from areas there that had affected herds. That indicates that we probably have some cow-to cow transmission,” Gingrich says. “What’s not known is how does that transmission occur? Does it occur through oral secretions, through the manure, urine, or aerosolized in respiratory secretions like it is in birds? Or is there some mechanical transfer when cows are in the parlor together?”

Adopt Good Biosecurity Practices
The many unknowns at this point make the need for producers to adopt good biosecurity measures more important than ever. Gingrich says the AABP and the National Milk Producers Federation have teamed up to release a set of biosecurity guidelines for producer and veterinarian use. The guidelines and recommendations are available at bit.ly/3TGYMul.

The key points in the guidelines, Gingrich says, encourage dairy producers to minimize any opportunity for the transmission of HPAI by: minimizing livestock contact with wild, migratory birds, isolating new animals on the farm, limiting any visits to your farm to only essential workers and practicing good, general biosecurity measures.

“If you’re moving either your own cattle home from a heifer grower, or you’re purchasing animals, talk to your veterinarian about any potential screening that you might want to do for those cattle, which is just a good practice for any potential disease,” Gingrich advises. “Certainly, you just need to be careful about herd purchases when we have unknowns with an emerging viral event.”

Producers should use the same general precautions, Gingrich adds, for beef cattle and other livestock as well.

“Currently, there are no reports of HPAI in the U.S. beef herd, but certainly producers and veterinarians should be on alert to monitor and watch for any symptoms,” he says.

Five states, Delaware, Idaho, Nebraska, Tennessee and Utah, are taking additional precautions to increase their biosecurity measures. Dairy Herd Management’s Taylor Leach reports the Nebraska Department of Agriculture (NDA) has issued a restriction on the importation of dairy cattle because of the recent HPAI outbreaks. Learn more here: New Regulation: Dairy Cattle Entry into Nebraska Now Requires Permit Amid HPAI Bird Flu Concerns

Silver Linings In The Clouds
When dairy cows are affected by HPAI, they tend to be only a small percentage of the total herd.

“It only affects about 10% of the cows in a herd, and it does not cause mortality, and we’re thankful for that,” Gingrich says.

Furthermore, any risk to the U.S. public from consuming dairy and meat is very low, because pasteurization destroys the virus.

Looking Ahead
Moving forward in the days and weeks ahead, Gingrich recommends that producers work closely with their herd veterinarians and sign up for HPAI alerts as they are released by the Centers for Disease Control, USDA and other federal and state agencies.

“I think the first thing is to be on the lookout for the disease symptoms in your herd; don’t hide it. We all need to work together to continue the investigation. If you have a sudden drop in appetite and milk production in your herd, the first person you should call is your veterinarian and work through to get a diagnosis, whatever that might be,” he says.

“Secondly, we want dairy farmers to know that the veterinary community cares about you. And we certainly understand that this is a scary time. So make sure that you’re relying on your veterinarian and USDA and organizations like AABP for reliable information,” he adds.

Gingrich offers counsel for veterinarians as well. “Be aggressive with diagnostics, as the investigation is ongoing. Make sure that you are working with your diagnostic labs and state animal health officials to collect the appropriate diagnostics that we have posted on the AABP website. If you’re an AABP member, we have a reporting portal where you can identify the herds with this syndrome.”

Learn more about this evolving issue in the following articles. You can also listen to the AgriTalk discussion between Dr. Gingrich and AgriTalk Host Chip Flory at the link below:

Rare Human Case of Bird Flu Confirmed. Officials Believe it Began on Texas Dairy

APHIS Now Thinks Wild Birds Are to Blame for Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza’s Arrival on Four U.S. Dairies

Managing Mastitis Through Changing Environments

Sat, 19 Aug 2023 11:58:00 GMT

As we have, hopefully, made it through the hottest part of the year, we also hope that SCC and mastitis incidence will decrease along with the temperature. But as we know, mastitis and SCC management are essential all year round. Somatic cell count averages for 2022 were highest in the year’s late fall and winter months. Below are some considerations for managing mastitis as the weather changes.

Record to control

Problems cannot be determined if data is not being reviewed. Evaluate bulk tank, individual cow SCC, and clinical mastitis incidence by season. Look for trends to determine if management SOPs need to be reevaluated during different times of the year. Evaluating historical milk quality data can help plan for the future. Making notes about weather changes can also help determine if management needs to be reevaluated.

The more information we have about a case of mastitis, the more educated decision we can make about mastitis management. Determining the infecting pathogen by sending milk to be cultured or using on-farm culturing provides the most information in guiding milk quality decisions. Keeping a record of contagious and environmental cases can help give more guidance when management decisions need to be made. If most mastitis cases are caused by environmental pathogens, cow and environmental cleanliness need to be the focus of management. An increase in contagious pathogens could indicate problems with milking prep in the parlor. Keep in mind bacteria populations can change throughout the year.

Bacteria thrive in different environments

Do not treat all bugs or mastitis outbreaks the same. With changes in the environment can come changes in bacteria populations on farms. Klebsiella seems to be causing more mastitis cases over the past couple of years, and we mainly see herd outbreaks in the spring. Part of this is because Klebsiella thrives in a wet environment. During winter, when teat skin becomes drier, we may see increased Staph species. Treatment and management of these bacteria types need to be specific depending on the bacteria.

Stick to and refine the basics

When managing mastitis, the basics should be adopted all year round but refined depending on the time of year. The basics should include keeping cows clean and dry, adopting proper milking procedures, using aseptic techniques when administering intramammary infusions, and implementing a mastitis vaccine. Review and make necessary changes to SOPs as changes in the cows’ environment occur.

Dairyland Labs Offers New Manure Testing Options

Fri, 30 Jun 2023 15:06:24 GMT

Dairyland Laboratories, Inc. of Arcadia, Wis. announces new manure evaluation services for dairy producers and nutritionists.

The new Manure Select Package includes dry matter, aNDF, aNDFom, uNDFom240, starch, and ash. Additionally, the lab’s previous Fecal Starch Kit is being replaced with a new Manure Kit.

Manure analysis can provide telling insights into what nutrients actually are being digested in a ration. Specifically, the Manure Select Package can be useful for:

Performance diagnostics
Feed efficiency evaluation
Ration change monitoring
Evaluation of new feed-additive performance
Monitoring mixer efficiency and feed delivery; and
Monitoring changes in starch digestion over time

The Manure Select reports delivered by Dairyland Laboratories include a typical 90% range for each of the factors evaluated. These data provide a point of comparison for results. Multiple evaluations over time, compared to a baseline sample for the herd or group, can help evaluate changes in feed additives; mixing and delivery procedures; or evolving feedstuffs characteristics during fermentation and storage.

Also included with the testing options is a new Manure Sample Information Sheet . For more information, refer to this Manure Select reference page , or visit the Dairyland Laboratories website .

For more on nutrient management, read:

Can We Use Technology to Screen for Sick Calves?

Mon, 19 Dec 2022 19:26:43 GMT

Automated calf feeders are already a staple of calf management at many dairies. Melissa Cantor, PhD, post-doctoral fellow in the Department of Population Medicine at the University of Guelph is researching the use of automated calf feeders and other precision technologies common on dairies to find calves destined for disease before they are clinically sick.

In the Nov. 30 episode of PDPW’s The Dairy Signal®, Cantor highlighted the challenges dairy farmers face when raising their calves. She detailed how precision technology can be used to screen for sickness behavior in calves and how artificial intelligence identified sickness behavior in calves with very high accuracy up to 6 days before the calf was clinically sick.

In her presentation, Cantor noted most producers aren’t using calf feeders to their full potential. Information such as each calf’s milk intake, drinking speed and visits can be collected by automated milk feeders. The information captured includes data for unrewarded visits in which the calf visits the feeder and is not eligible to drink milk.

In a Journal of Dairy Science study , 120 calves housed in small groups were followed over 90 days. Indicators such as reduced feed intake and decreased activity in calves affected by bovine respiratory disease (BRD) were seen as soon as five days earlier than the actual diagnosis. Cantor noted such information could be translated into an alert so managers know the day the calf is getting sick, rather than waiting for visual cues.

Cantor’s findings also suggested that using relative changes in a calf’s unrewarded visits to the feeder compared to its own healthy baseline may be used to indicate sickness behavior associated with respiratory disease. She suggested researchers should develop precision tech alerts based on changes in an individual calf’s behavior. It is more reliable than comparing the average number of unrewarded visits to a feeder between a group of healthy and sick calves. Cantor also suggested that researchers should investigate if an alert can be developed to help producers make more judicious decisions about antibiotic treatments regarding respiratory disease.

“Can we give something to calves as they are starting to show (subclinical) signs of sickness before they are clinical to help them get past it?” she asked. “I think it is a major opportunity for research in this particular field.”

For more details on the studies and other findings shared by Cantor, watch or listen to the full episode of “ Rising Stars – Graduate Research Showcase .” Other topics discussed include using precision tech to identify fever and if these were reliable, and ways to identify if a precision technology has been appropriately validated for use on a dairy.

All episodes of The Dairy Signal, including audio and video downloads are archived here . Watch The Dairy Signal at 12:00-1:00 P.M. CT each Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.

About PDPW

Professional Dairy Producers® (PDPW) is the nation’s largest dairy producer-led organization of its kind, focusing on producer professionalism, stakeholder engagement and unified outreach to share ideas, solutions, resources and experiences that help dairy producers succeed.

Are Cow Noses the New Fingerprint to Unlocking Livestock Facial Recognition?

Thu, 22 Sep 2022 04:12:56 GMT

It’s 2022 and people are using their fingerprints to unlock everything from cars to houses to cellphones. This technology, which used to seem futuristic, has now become the norm, and it may be coming to a farm near you.

Fingerprint recognition technology for cellphones was first created in 2011 and is the process of verifying a person’s identity by comparing their fingerprints with previously recorded samples. This recognition is then utilized to unlock certain technology features and can even provide specific data on individuals.

Similar to human fingerprints, cow noses (or muzzles) are detailed, nearly unique, difficult to change, and remain the same over the life of an individual, making them ideal long-term markers of identity. According to ABC Rural , Ali Shojaeipour, a University of New England researcher, is developing artificial intelligence capable of identifying cattle by their muzzles.

Comparable to how humans unlock their phones with a fingerprint, Shojaeipour’s technology detects and identifies animals via its muzzle. Currently, he is also building a smartphone app so that animals can be identified by phone cameras.

Similar technology is also being developed at Kansas State University. Several K-State researchers from the College of Agriculture, the College of Veterinary Medicine and the Carl R. Ice College of Engineering are developing an artificial intelligence network for cattle that is based on human facial recognition technology.

Though this technology is focusing primarily on beef cattle, the artificial intelligence could benefit the dairy industry as well.

“Our thinking is, ‘Why can’t we have something like [facial recognition] for beef cattle, which could then be used to create a national animal disease traceability system?’” said KC Olson, beef cattle scientist with K-State Research and Extension, who has helped to develop the idea. “The need for such a system has never been greater. We need this extra layer of protection for our industry against a foreign animal disease or possible malfeasance by somebody who’s an enemy of this nation.”

Unnecessary Calving Assistance Could be Causing Metritis

Tue, 12 Jul 2022 20:46:53 GMT

Have you ever walked into the maternity pen, noticed an animal in labor, then immediately started to assist? We are all guilty of it, so probably so.

As dairy farmers, it is our job to always care for the cows. But according to a University of British Columbia study, providing unnecessary calving assistance could cause more harm than good later down the road.

Affecting even the healthiest cow on the farm, metritis, a metabolic and infectious disease experienced in transition animals, is a common illness that can have negative impacts on milk production and future pregnancy rates. Defined as a foul-smelling, reddish-brown discharge from the vulva, all cows experience some form of bacterial contamination within the uterus after calving. However, cows who experience dystocia (a difficult calving) or who calve too early, have an increased risk of contracting this metabolic disease.

The University of British Columbia study, which was held at UBC’s Dairy Education Research Center, investigated the association between factors around the time of calving, duration of labor, and the development of uterine diseases in dairy cattle.

A total of 567 Holstein cows were followed from 3 weeks before calving until 3 weeks after. Cameras were used to record calving time and duration and calving assistance. After calving, metritis was diagnosed based on vaginal discharge and body temperature measured at 6 and 12 days in milk (DIM). Duration of labor was estimated as time from the appearance of the amniotic sac until the calf was expelled.

The study found that there was a relationship between metritis and duration of labor for assisted cows, where the probability of metritis was greatest at the shortest and longest durations of labor, while the lowest probability of metritis (28.2%) was found when assistance occurred after approximately 130 min. There was no association of duration of labor with metritis for cows which did not require assistance, but on average, cows which did not require assistance had shorter durations of labor (57.5 ± 2.4 vs. 118.6 ± 5.5 min). Interestingly, subclinical endometritis at 35 DIM nor retained placenta was associated with the duration of labor, although cows calving larger calves were found to be in labor longer.

It was determined that providing assistance too early during stage II labor may result in an increased risk of metritis. Therefore, the scientists estimate that 130 mins after the appearance of the amniotic sac could be used as a reference point for providing calving assistance to reduce the risk of metritis.

For more on metritis, read:

Researchers Develop Test for FMD in Bulk Milk

Thu, 12 Nov 2020 04:55:09 GMT

Testing of pooled milk samples could provide an efficient tool for foot and mouth disease (FMD) screening, and for facilitating movement of milk supplies during an FMD outbreak. Researchers at The Pirbright Institute, in collaboration with USDA/APHIS scientists at the Foreign Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory on Plum Island, New York, have shown that such testing is feasible and sensitive enough to detect the presence of one infected cow in a milking herd of up to 1,000 head.

The researchers compared two high-throughput real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (rRT-PCR) protocols with different RT-PCR chemistries, and in both cases detected the FMD virus in in milk one to two days before the presentation of characteristic foot lesions. They also found:

The rRT-PCR detection from milk was extended, up to 28 days post contact (dpc), compared to detection 14 dpc for virus isolation.
Detection of FMDV in milk by rRT-PCR was possible for 18 days longer than detection by the same method in serum samples.
Dilution studies using milk from the field and experimentally-infected animals showed the test could detect FMDV at 10^-7, meaning the test could detect one acutely-infected milking cow in a typical-sized dairy herd of 100 to 1,000 individuals.

The research report, titled “Detection of foot-and-mouth disease virus in milk samples by real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction: optimisation and evaluation of a high-throughput screening method with potential for disease surveillance,” is published in the journal Veterinary Microbiology, and is available online .