A U.S. study reveals that the avian flu clade that has infected dairy herds throughout the country affects dairy cows in their mammary cells — an unusual place for flu viruses to replicate.
Dairy — page 5
Bird flu finds fertile ground in dairy mammary cells: study
Beef cattle may not have same susceptibility, although more work is needed on the topic
Watch dairy heifers grow on well-balanced diets
There are numerous different ways to get a quality mix to a farm’s heifers
I have balanced many dairy heifer replacement diets in the last few months. It’s a pretty easy exercise, once I put it down on a pdf spreadsheet and then email it to the dairy producer. I am confidence that all heifer nutrient requirements are met, given how heifers consume it. Plus, I want to make […] Read more
Essential nutrients build strong, healthy hooves
Zinc, copper, manganese, cobalt and biotin are the major builders of solid hooves
The health and integrity of a cow’s hoof are critical for its overall well-being, productivity, and profitability. Inside every cow’s hoof, a silent factory works nonstop, turning living cells into rock-hard horn. This process, called keratinization, is like a high-stakes assembly line. It starts with soft, rapidly dividing cells that gradually fill with tough proteins. […] Read more
Herds eliminating feed pellets in milking robots
Cows shown to learn to be milked without pellets in the robot in guided traffic systems
Updated March 12, 2025 Feeding cows to entice them to visit milking robots has been a best practice since cows started being milked automatically in Canada about 25 years ago. Farms are questioning that rule and getting their cows to milk well without supplementing them in the robot. Why it matters: Lowering costs and simplifying […] Read more
What numbers define dairy cow lameness?
Many farmers can’t quote their lameness data as well as other farm benchmarks
Lesion patterns, monthly locomotion scoring and incidence rates are measurable and recordable data for dairy farmers to record around lameness on their farms.
Top tips for successful dairy calf weaning
A step-down approach to weaning is critical as today’s calves consume more milk
Dairy calves weaned gradually are more likely to have greater gain, more feed consumption and fewer health issues than those weaned abruptly.
Dairy farmers preparing for Trump challenges on trade
Hamel re-elected, P10 pooling closer, from the Dairy Farmers of Ontario annual meeting
Mark Hamel was re-elected as chair of the Dairy Farmers of Ontario. Other topics at the DFO annual meeting included Trump’s pledge to renegotiate CUSMA and that national milk pooling, called P10, is close to being a reality.
Butterfat levels rise on dairy farms across Canada
High butterfat means easier management of the other solids in milk
Canadian dairy farmers continue to increase the butterfat levels in the milk they produce, which has helped decrease the surplus of solids-not-fat. The Canadian Dairy Commission reports that the average butterfat test in raw milk on Canadian dairy farms increased from 4.23 per cent to 4.3 per cent in 2024. This increase in butterfat production […] Read more
Dear Dairy Diary – SARA in lactating dairy cows
Changes in effective fibre result in subtle, but important alterations to the diet
Dear Dairy Diary – June 24, 2024.I received a call from dairy producer that milks about 200 dairy cows. Several of his lactating cows were lethargic, quit eating and milking as well as had severe diarrhea.The producer moved a bubbly loose pile with his boot, and noticed a lot of undigested corn and what seemed […] Read more
Improving forage quality
Increasing forage feed efficacy and harvesting efficiency through better management and quality assessment improves nutrition and minimizes waste.
Cyber-Savvy Farmer
