The Moos Room™

Brad takes a closer look at heat stress in dairy calves and cows. This episode highlights several recent studies on how temperature-humidity index affects calf behavior, lying time, respiration rates, shade use, and growth performance. Brad discusses research from the University of Guelph, The Ohio State University, and Mississippi State showing that heat-stressed calves spend less time lying down...

Back from the ADSA annual meeting in Milwaukee, Brad shares highlights from several calf-focused dairy studies. This episode covers new research on colostrum management for beef-on-dairy crossbred calves, including how feeding practices differ between retained dairy heifers, beef-on-dairy calves, and calves not kept on farm. Brad also reviews a study comparing fixed-age weaning with starter-intake...

Brad shares two studies He presented at the American Dairy Science Association annual meeting. First, he examines records from more than 150,000 lactations to compare genetic predictions for somatic cell score and clinical mastitis. The results suggest that PTA for somatic cell score is more useful for predicting and ranking cows by observed somatic cell count than PTA for mastitis. He also discus...

Brad discusses what he learned about high oleic soybeans at the Four State Dairy Management and Nutrition Conference in La Crosse, Wisconsin. High oleic soybeans are gaining attention in dairy nutrition because they can provide both rumen undegradable protein and a more rumen-friendly fat source, potentially reducing the need for purchased protein and fat supplements. The episode covers how high o...

A case of New World screwworm was recently identified in a three-month-old calf in Zavala County, Texas, near the Texas-Mexico border. In this episode, Brad breaks down what New World screwworm is, why it matters to livestock producers, and what signs to watch for in cattle and other animals. He explains how the larvae infest live tissue, how the pest spreads, and why early detection, reporting, q...

Brad discusses new research comparing dairy heifers raised on pasture versus in confinement, focusing on studies from Wisconsin and Minnesota. Both studies found that pasture-raised heifers were slightly lighter and gained less before calving, but they reached calving at a similar age and showed advantages after freshening. Pasture-raised animals had higher dry matter intake, fewer health issues i...

 Brad shares updates from the University of Minnesota Morris dairy herd, including cows heading out to spring pasture, a recent Holstein classification, and highlights from several high-scoring cows. He then revisits University of Minnesota crossbreeding research comparing Holsteins with Viking Red and Montbéliarde crosses. The results show that crossbred cows often had better fertility, lower hea...

In this episode of The Moos Room , Brad discusses spring pasture challenges in western Minnesota, including dry conditions, temperature swings, and slowed grass growth. With summer heat on the horizon, the focus shifts to heat stress in dairy cows and how precision technologies, especially internal bolus sensors, can help farmers identify problems earlier. Brad shares observations from cows monito...

Brad takes a closer look at FerAppease, a synthetic analog of the maternal bovine appeasing substance that is gaining attention in both the dairy and beef industries. He explains how the product is designed to reduce stress in cattle during events like breeding, weaning, dehorning, transportation, calving, and dry-off. The episode highlights recent research in lactating Holstein cows showing that...

Virtual fencing is gaining attention in livestock production, and this episode breaks down what dairy producers need to know before trying it. Brad explains how virtual fencing uses GPS-enabled collars or ear tags, audio cues, and electrical cues to manage grazing animals within digital boundaries. He also shares lessons from training heifers with virtual fence collars, including the adjustment pe...

This episode highlights new research on Salmonella Dublin in dairy-beef systems and what it means for calf health and farm management.  The disease is a major threat to young calves, causing severe illness and high mortality, while often spreading silently through carrier animals and contaminated environments. New PCR testing shows the pathogen is far more common than traditional methods suggest....

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...