herd Articles
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Summer Strategies to Reduce Whole-Herd Heat Stress
Summer is just around the corner and with it, heat stress. According to a 2019 Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research study, the US dairy industry experiences $1.5 billion in losses annually to heat stress. Higher temperatures can affect herds, and in turn, can decrease performance, production, and profit. However, heat stress impacts more than just the milking herd. Between calves, dry ...
By Diamond V
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Three Tips to Reduce Heat Stress in Dairy Cows
Summer is here and with it comes high temperatures, high humidity, and increased chances of heat stress. According to a 2019 Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research study, the US dairy industry experiences $1.5 billion in losses to heat stress annually. With afternoon humidities of 60-70%, and temperatures at 75-77°F, cows may already begin to experience the effects of heat stress ...
By Diamond V
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Cow monitors help dairy boost production, health at Hardscrabble, United States
Background Jerry Volenec and his wife, Jennifer, farm 1,000 owned and rented acres and milk 350 Holstein cows in a limited liability company with his parents, Charles and Marilyn Volenec, near Montfort in Grant County, Wis. Jerry is the fifth generation of his family to farm at Hardscrabble Farms. In 2000, the Volenecs were milking 130 cows in a double- eight milking parlor. By 2010, they had ...
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Water: A Key Element for Cow Cooling from The Inside-Out
When thinking about achieving cow comfort, our focus at VES revolves around the engineering, design, and layout of fans, lighting, soaking technology, and high-pressure fogging within a barn. Those elements comprise the core of what we do, but it’s not everything. Consider this: 88 percent of milk consists of water, so ensuring plenty of fresh drinking water is available to cows at all ...
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The Long-Term Ramifications of Heat Stress on Dry Cows
At VES, there are few aspects of cow care that fester in our craw more than ignoring the impacts of heat stress on dry cows. It’s a critical period in a cow’s lactation cycle that deserves every ounce of care and attention as all others and can have long-term implications on a herd if ignored. Dry Cow (n.) – A late gestation, non-lactating cow. Often considered an afterthought ...
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Discovering the Links Between Boar Management and Fertility
A late 2019 report on boar fertility indicated that “Boars, like sows, must be treated with compassion and dignity, to maintain a positive and economic well-being for the animal and producer.” This is something many UK pig farmers are well aware of, and yet it pays to lean in and listen to a bit more about the latest discoveries of links between boar management and their fertility. ...
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