Dairy

Adding Weight to Cull Dairy Cows Affects Value

Proactive cull cow management boosts dairy farm income and animal welfare, while finish-feeding thin cows improves meat quality and profit.

La Ciencia de Manejar Vacas Llevada a la Práctica

El manejo bovino de bajo estrés protege a los trabajadores, reduce el miedo de los animales, aumenta la producción de leche y utiliza principios sensoriales como la zona de fuga y el punto de equilibrio.

Setting Transition Cows Up for Success [Video] ▶️

The transition period is one of the most challenging times for dairy cows, in which they experience several physiological and behavioral stressors. These challenges can be detrimental to cows’ success on the dairy and their welfare.

Feeding the Newborn Calf

Feed newborn calves 3–4 quarts of clean, high-quality colostrum (IgG >50 g/L) within 4 hours of birth to ensure essential passive immunity.

The Science of Cow Handling Made Practical

Low-stress cow handling protects workers, reduces animal fear, boosts milk yield, and uses sensory principles like flight zones and point of balance.

¿Por qué las vacas lecheras necesitan consumir grasa? Una guía para el uso de grasas en la alimentación del ganado lechero

Las grasas suplementarias aumentan la energía, el rendimiento lechero y la reproducción en el ganado lechero. Mantenga la grasa total por debajo del 7% de la materia seca para garantizar un rendimiento óptimo.

Strategies to Reduce Methane Emissions on Dairy Farms [Video] ▶️

Explore strategies to reduce methane from anaerobic manure storage—digestion, solids separation, acidification, and frequent emptying—with costs and tradeoffs.

Why Do Dairy Cows Need Fat? A Guide to Using Fats in Cattle Diets

Supplemental fats boost energy, milk yield, and reproduction in dairy cattle. Keep total fat below 7% of dry matter to ensure optimal performance.

Nuts and Bolts of Dairy Ventilation [Video] ▶️

Learn how to choose the best barn fans to keep dairy cows cool and healthy using a new university app.

Voices from Across Wisconsin, Workplace Dynamics and Herd Health [Video] ▶️

Learn how Wisconsin dairy teams and vets use teamwork to improve farm efficiency, employee relationships, and cow health.

Is Your Fresh Cow Program Paying for Itself? A New Tool Helps You to Find it Out

A free UW-Madison browser tool helps dairy farmers calculate whether improved fresh cow monitoring pays off by comparing disease costs across program levels.

Feeding High-Oleic Soybeans to Dairy Cattle

High-oleic soybeans offer dairy farmers a lower milk-fat-depression risk than conventional soybeans, with research showing increased milk fat and similar yields.