The Moos Room™

Spring may be slow to arrive in Minnesota, but research season is heating up. In this episode of The Moos Room , Brad revisits a large Minnesota-based study exploring the true cost of health events in dairy cows —and why tracking cost , not just disease incidence, could transform genetic selection and farm profitability. Using data from thousands of Holstein cows across multiple herds, the team fo...

This episode of The Moos Room dives into new research on agrivoltaics—specifically how forages perform when grown under solar panels in grazing systems. Brad shares results from a recent study evaluating multiple grass and legume species across different solar array designs compared to a traditional pasture. Overall, forage production depended heavily on species and shade level. Cool-season grasse...

 In this episode of The Moos Room , Brad shares insights from a recent study at the University of Minnesota Morris dairy focused on reducing mastitis and improving behavior in first-lactation heifers. The research tested a simple, low-labor strategy: bringing heifers into the parlor once per week for three weeks before calving, gently acclimating them, and applying a 1% iodine teat dip. Results sh...

 Spring calving is underway in Minnesota, and with it comes renewed focus on the booming beef-on-dairy market. In this episode, Brad dives into current calf prices—highlighting the strong premium for beef-cross calves—and breaks down new research comparing Holstein and beef × dairy calves under the same management. Across studies from Canada and Brazil, crossbred calves consistently showed advanta...

On this spring episode of The Moos Room , Brad dives into the seasonal return of flies and shares results from a recent horn fly vaccine study conducted at the University of Minnesota’s WCROC. Horn flies—common in pasture-based systems—cause significant irritation, blood loss, and production losses in cattle, and their rapid life cycle makes them difficult to control, especially with increasing in...

Brad shares a spring dairy update and breaks down newly released national performance metrics from the Council on Dairy Cattle Breeding, offering a snapshot of what the U.S. dairy herd looks like today. He also touches on a major industry headline—Zoetis’ planned acquisition of Neogen’s animal genomics business—and what that could mean for dairy genetics going forward. A big part of the episode fo...

Brad explores a recent study comparing two common calf-feeding methods: open buckets and nipple buckets. While most U.S. dairies rely on open buckets because they allow calves to drink quickly and reduce chore time, the research looked at how these systems affect calf growth, digestion, and behavior. The study followed individually housed calves fed six liters of milk per day until weaning at eigh...

 Brad shares results from a large national research project examining somatic cell count (SCC) and mastitis risk in U.S. organic dairy herds , using more than 2 million DHI test-day records from 430 farms across 31 states. The discussion highlights how SCC is influenced by multiple factors, including cow age, stage of lactation, milk production, breed, season, region, and herd size. Older cows, ea...

In this solo episode, Brad shares a few recent herd-health case studies from his dairy, highlighting the value of diagnostics and transparency. He walks through two calf losses—one at 60 days old and another at 9 months. Both animals had been treated for common issues but continued to decline. Necropsies revealed severe heart abnormalities in each case (thin, underdeveloped ventricles), pointing t...

Emily and Brad re-record this episode of The Moos Room after a technical glitch wiped out Emily’s audio—and dive into a big question: What does the dairy cow of the future look like? Inspired by a recent Journal of Dairy Science paper, they move beyond the classic Holstein vs. Jersey debate to discuss a more balanced vision. Instead of selecting for maximum milk at all costs, the future cow will p...

Calf prices are making headlines, and in this episode Emily and Brad are joined by UMN Extension beef educator Melissa Runck to talk through what today’s hot beef and beef-on-dairy markets mean for producers. They discuss why newborn beef-cross calves are bringing record prices, how that cash can help dairy farms when milk prices are low, and what the latest Cattle on Feed report tells us about de...

On a warm-for-February day in Minnesota, Brad dives into two topics shaping today’s dairy landscape: changing dairy herd demographics in the Upper Midwest and new research on dairy cow preferences for grooming brushes. The episode opens with a look at dairy farm numbers in Minnesota, where the state has lost nearly 37% of its dairy farms since 2019—dropping from 2,567 to just 1,622 operations. Bra...

Brad checks in from a brutally cold stretch in western Minnesota (30–40°F below zero), noting the cows are handling it well and somatic cell counts tend to run low in the extreme cold. He then walks listeners through how he thinks about sire selection in his research herd—mostly Holsteins, plus Jerseys and a few “colored breeds” like Norwegian Red, Montbéliarde, and Normande. His selection philoso...

In this solo episode of The Moos Room , Brad shares “hot off the press” research on circadian rhythms in dairy cows and what long-term sensor data can tell us about cow welfare. Drawing from a study presented at the International Precision Dairy Farming Conference in New Zealand, the episode explores how daily and seasonal behavior patterns—such as eating, rumination, activity, and rest—are shaped...

In this solo “Emily Show” episode of The Moos Room , Emily takes a timely look at mastitis management during the winter months . While mastitis and high somatic cell counts are often associated with summer heat and humidity, Emily reminds listeners that cold weather brings its own risks and requires just as much attention to udder health. She begins by emphasizing the foundation of mastitis preven...

In the first episode of 2026, Emily and Brad kick off a New Year’s “resolution” to record more episodes together and dive into one of their favorite themes: management . The conversation is sparked by a German case study Brad found that followed 10 German dairy herd managers (average ~600 cows; range 200–1,200) for three weeks, tracking their work minute-by-minute to see how managers spend time—an...

In the final episode of 2025, Emily and Brad reflect on another big year for The Moos Room , marking more than 300 episodes since launching in 2019 . They look back on key 2025 topics, including real-world dairy case studies from the Morris Research Dairy , health and safety conversations, emerging disease issues, beef markets, virtual fencing, and growing interest in agrivoltaics . Brad highlight...

In this short solo episode of The Moos Room , Emily takes the mic to talk about managing holiday stress through setting healthy boundaries. With the holidays approaching, Emily shares practical guidance on navigating family dynamics, uncomfortable conversations, and competing demands on time and energy. She outlines three simple steps for setting boundaries—being clear and direct, stating what you...

In this episode of The Moos Room , Brad dives into a landmark new study examining the effects of short- and long-distance transport on the health, survival, and growth of pre-weaned dairy and dairy–beef crossbred calves. Drawing on data from nearly 392,000 calves across multiple farms and transport durations (ranging from 30 minutes to 24 hours), the study challenges common assumptions about calf...

In this episode, Brad and Emily welcome a special guest: Dr. Angie Varnum , the University of Minnesota Extension’s new livestock veterinarian. After some banter about Minnesota winters—and a classic round of The Moos Room’s “super-secret” cattle breed questions—the crew dives into Angie’s unique path to Extension. Angie shares how she went from growing up in suburban Maple Grove to studying Spani...

In this solo episode of The Moos Room , Brad dives into a deep, honest look at production challenges in the University of Minnesota dairy herd and the nutrition and management factors that may be holding cows back. After noticing low udder fill during classification and reviewing herd data, Brad confirms a troubling trend: cows across all lactations are producing 20–30% less milk than predicted. E...

Brad and Emily reunite on the podcast to dive into an essential—and timely—topic: farmer mental health . With fall wrapping up and winter on the horizon, stressors on the farm shift and often intensify. Emily shares updates on her recent travels and outreach work in farm safety, health, and wellness, highlighting the seasonal rise in mental health–related concerns across rural communities. Togethe...

Brad recaps a fall road trip with the Minnesota dairy extension team to South Dakota’s rapidly growing I-29 dairy corridor, highlighting what innovative farms are doing to boost efficiency, cow health, and profitability. Along the way, they tour the Bel Brands plant in Brookings, where milk from about 10,000 cows a day is turned into those familiar Babybel snack cheeses, and hear how the plant’s d...

Brad recaps his trip to dairy farms in the Netherlands and Germany, where robotics, crossbreeding, and creative manure and energy management are everywhere — even on small farms. He visited farms using Lely robots, grass/rye silage-based diets, and small-scale digesters that capture manure methane. Crossbreeding (Holstein × Montbéliarde × Viking Red) is common, driven by goals of longevity, health...

In this episode, Brad is back from Europe—jetlagged but full of insights from farms and conferences in Germany and the Netherlands. He dives into one of the biggest topics he heard about abroad and at home: Inbreeding in dairy cattle . Brad explains how inbreeding occurs, what it costs farmers economically, and how inbreeding levels have climbed across all major dairy breeds—especially Holsteins a...