Dairy Science Digest

The transition period has been investigated for nearly 4 decades. Over this time, much has changed in dairy industry including herd management and genetics. Dr. Kerwin, from Cornell, joins us today to discuss the robust observational project documenting the management of 72 successful herds in NY and VT. The project involved tracking the same cohort of cows on each farm for 11 weeks to capture the...

The final frontier for ruminant nutritionists - understanding all the intricacies and nuances of the microorganisms in the rumen. We know the rumen is adaptable and must anticipate these changes to better manage our herd. This month we talk with Dr. Mary Beth Hall, US Dairy Forage Research center, who investigated the relationship of non-fibrous carbohydrates and rumen degradable protein in the ru...

Positive Profit. Every herd is chasing financial resilience. It is especially relevant on our minds having just completed our schedule Fs and planning for 2022 planting season. Have you ever wondered the lifetime profit of a cow in your herd? How about the average break even for each cow in the herd? Dr. Hadrich was raised on a dairy and questioned the impact of these individual cow differences. T...

The hurdles of the transition period were first identified nearly 3 decades ago. Since then, researchers have been working towards improved understanding of adipose tissue metabolism to fuel the dairy cow during this window of time. This month we interview the author of the Symposium Review titled: The role of adipose tissue in transition dairy cows: current knowledge and future opportunities, Dr....

Settling the problem breeder is an achievement every dairy manager wants to better understand. This month’s topic focuses in on the role of GnRH injections and the relationship with the cow’s activity. Listen in as Dr. Tracy Burnett, from the University of British Columbia in Vancouver Canada, studied this topic and has added to our conventional wisdom about GnRH’s role.   Her work was recently pu...

Dehorning, the task no one loves. This month pain expert Dr. Michael D. Kleinhenz, from Kansas State, describes research his team conducted to test the effectiveness of long-acting bupivacaine for pain relief during and following disbudding. Listen in to learn about a novel approach to measure pain levels, to determine the effectiveness of Bupivacaine for FDA approval. The article highlighted from...

As the dairy cow transitions from dry to lactating, she experiences numerous changes. This month we learn more about the biological details of fat metabolism. Dr. Contreras, from Michigan State University, guides us through a discussion around the project specifically focusing in on what occurs to the fat, at a cellular level, of a cow challenged by disease – specifically ketosis. Listen in to bet...

To help save feed costs, many producers have turned to on farm feed as a resource. However, what is not well understood is the impact of this choice for dairies using automatic milking systems (AMS), or robots. Dr. Greg Penner and his team at the University of Saskatchewan researched the feasibility of using home grown, steam-flaked barley versus pelleted barley for guided-flow AMS barns. Listen i...

This month we’re going to navigate a bit away from production practices and talk about consumers understanding of our products. By better understanding HOW consumers view the image of our industry, we can become better advocates and perhaps sell more products. Dr. Laurel Redding joins us today from the University of Pennsylvania, school of Veterinary medicine. Her Journal of dairy Science article,...

Essential trace elements are “essential” because the diet is the only source. However, sometimes because they are trace, we tend to forget about the importance. Listen in this month to learn from Dr. David Casper about the importance of cobalt in energy metabolism of your lactating herd. This specific research project is discussing the difference between sources of cobalt, carbonate vs lactate.  ...

Timing is everything - by shifting your prepartum vaccination program by one week, can make big difference in the success of your transition program. Dr. Schuenemann, Ohio State’s Extension state dairy veterinarian, investigated the difference between giving prepartum vaccines at day -28 vs -21. Listen in to hear why the industry should consider the shift to 4 weeks out to improve uptake of IgG in...

Heifer development, one of the most expensive enterprises on the farm, all expense with delayed return. This month, Dr. Jolet Van Niekerk summarizes a comprehensive review of heifer development in the Journal of Dairy Science, titled: New frontiers in calf and heifer nutrition—From conception to puberty. This article in press is the ADSA Foundation Scholar award recipient for its comprehensive rev...

In this edition of Dairy Science digest Dr. Matt Lucy, Editor in chief of the Journal of Dairy Science Communication and Reproduction physiologist from the University of Missouri, discusses work he and team published this month about successfully synchronizing late calvers in a seasonal calving system. Grazers represent a large portion of Missouri's dairy industry. Ensuring a tight calving window...

In this edition of Dairy Science digest Dr. Bill Weiss, from The Ohio State University, discusses work he and his co-author Alex Tebbes recently completed on determining the ideal amount of crude protein for your fresh cow pen. Additionally, they determined the sweet spot for forage for the recently fresh cow to ensure the highest intake  - and therefore energy corrected milk. The INVESTMENT in th...

In this edition of Dairy Science digest Professor Mike Coffey, a researcher from the Scotland, describes the advancements with inline milk sampling. He explains how improvements in technology allows us to analyze subtle changes in the milk. These subtle changes occur with pregnancy, disease, metabolic disruptions and even to differentiate efficient cattle from the less efficient. This non-invasive...

This episode we learn from Dr. Bradley Heins, from the University of Minnesota, all about integrating solar into your dairy grazing operation. He has learned about construction considerations, cow cleanliness and the shading effect of solar panels added to a rotational system. His research titled "Evaluation of solar photovoltic systems to shade cows in a pasture-based dairy herd", is in press in...

On this episode of Dairy Science Digest Fayth Kumro, MS Animal Sciences from the University of Missouri discusses Flashmate. This heat detection device uses touch screen technology to determine when your cows are in heat. Her research was conducted in both grazing operations and confinement.  Learn more about how to affordably improve heat detection in your herd to keep your cows in the most produ...

Dairy Science Digest's Reagan Bluel interviews Dr. Chad Dechow, Geneticist from Penn St., to discuss the sweet spot in heifer development for the 7th episode of Dairy Science Digest. This 15 year research project supported that the biggest heifers aren't the most profitable for your operation. Heaviest heifers are 49% more likely to be culled at a given time. Moderate sized heifers that reach betw...

Can a few bolus' of aspirin really make a difference? Listen here to hear the research of Dr. Adrian Barragan, of Penn State University, discussing how this simple therapy can have a huge impact on inflammation, and therefore productivity of your fresh cows.  Dairy Science digest is a monthly podcast hosted by Reagan Bluel, of MU - Extension Dairy team, designed to bring the latest Dairy Science r...

Dairy science digest #5 interviews Taylor McWhorter, from Georgia, to discuss considerations when selecting beef sires for your breeding program. Specifically focusing in on sire conception rates or SCR. Journal of Dairy Science, Sept 2020. Title: Investigating conception rate for beef service sires bred to dairy cows and heifers.

In this edition of Dairy Science Digest, Stan Moore from MI State provides us insight to what employees (both hired and family) need to feel committed to your farm. Quality relationships are easy to develop, as long as your mindful of your approach. Listen in to catch nuggets of critical information to meet your farm where you are in the stage of workforce development.

In this edition Reagan Bluel interviews Dr. Jimena Laporta, from the University of Florida, about heat stress in your dry cow herd. We've learned, from a decade of data, that heat stress on a dam during the dry period causes a change to her calf that last a lifetime and is passed down to her offspring. This change causes decreased milk production, productive life and profitability. Listen in to le...

Dairy Science digest is a monthly podcast developed to share current research in Dairy Science. The "need to know" info to help manage your herd. This month, Dr. Richard Chebel, from the University of FL discusses the effect of bringing SCR collars into a high producing Holstein herd in FL.This research looked at using the activity collars for conventional AI, TAI and to better refine the window f...

Dairy Science digest is a new podcast developed to share current research published in the Journal of Dairy science. Only the "need to know" info to help you manage your herd. This edition features an interview with author, Casey Havekes, discussing the how to perfect your transition cow "Goldilocks" diet. To see the full article visit: https://www.journalofdairyscience.org/current