Hypocalcemia on dairy farms is not a new problem; we know that most cows have a low blood calcium concentration after calving. How we manage and treat these animals has changed over time
Digital dermatitis is an infectious foot disease that is very hard to remove once a dairy herd is infected. It is possible, though, to keep this problem at bay
A sense of frustration floods in when you see a cow around 29 days post-breeding being mounted. After getting through the 21-day window, there is a brief moment of comfort until you now realize something...
Does anyone else have random things happen to your cows? Instead of the typical pneumonia, twisted stomach, or lameness, you have cows that just pop up with random illnesses or put themselves in places...
One way to improve productivity and efficiency on farms is to simplify management. When it comes to making high quality milk, Michigan State University’s Pam Ruegg, D.V.M., offered this straightforward...
The weather is cooling, the leaves are starting to turn, and football is back. For dairy enthusiasts, that all means two things: corn silage harvest is underway or complete, and World Dairy Expo will be...
The author is a partner and large animal veterinarian at Thumb Veterinary Services in Deckerville, Mich. What a difference a year makes!Mark Fox, D.V.M.The year 2022 will go down in the dairy books as...
With so much attention placed on animal welfare, the perspective of farmers is often overlooked, even though they are the ones who provide care to animals daily and have the greatest impact on animal welfare
In Alan Jackson’s song, “Summertime Blues,” he discusses how, as a teenager, you work all summer and do not have the opportunity to enjoy it. That perspective most likely resonates with...
My social media news feeds are about 20% updates from family and friends, 20% communication with other veterinarians about cases and practice, 40% a waste of time with someone trying to sell me something...
How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time. My nearly one year old son just began walking. To be fair, he is just taking a few steps and falling on his bottom, but I’m counting it! Watching...
I recently had one of those moments of frustration that turned to humility. As farmers, running 24/7/365 is the life. We have a very high stress job because so many different entities depend on us each...
The National Dairy FARM Program has evolved over the years to become a rigorous on-farm quality assurance program and trusted industry risk mitigation tool that gives the supply chain the confidence it...