The fall milk slump is still real

Posted on November 1, 2021 in Dairy Performance
Many areas have experienced their first frost of the season or will in the days ahead. For cows, these cooler temperatures are welcome following a summer with near-record heat across much of the Midwest. Despite the more ideal temperatures for cows, farmers find themselves disappointed with milk production this time of year.

Any heat stress abatement is better than nothing

Posted on June 30, 2020 in Dairy Performance
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By Dr. Andy Kniesly
After just a few hot days, it is not uncommon to see milk production losses of 5 to 15 pounds of milk per cow day. That might be just the tip of the iceberg as heat stress can lead to a long list of other animal health and performance consequences. A lot of factors go into designing heat abatement systems for dairies, which require a solid understanding of your facilities and environment.  Here are some very common areas that we can focus on to help us prioritize where to start.

Heat abatement up to par?

Posted on April 17, 2017 in Dairy Performance
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By Dr. Darin Bremmer
Heat stress can start to impact high-producing cows once the temperature reaches above 65 degrees F.  With warmer temperatures on the horizon, now is the perfect time to assess your heat abatement strategies and make any necessary changes to avoid substantial economic impacts.

The ladies like it cool… Starting today (Part 2)

Posted on May 30, 2014 in Dairy Performance
By Rod Martin It’s the end of May and that means heat abatement strategies should be in place on your dairy.  A good method to review your cooling strategy is the 3-M approach:  mechanical considerations, metabolic considerations and management considerations. I discussed several mechanical considerations in my last post, including shade, airflow and water access. 

The ladies like it cool… Starting today (Part 1)

Posted on April 25, 2014 in Dairy Performance
By Rod Martin On April 20 here in the Madison area, the temperature soared above 70 degrees for the first time in 190 days.  This was certainly a welcome relief and we are hoping for many more days like that since many of us were wondering if this severe winter would ever end. For 190

Help transition cows beat the heat

Posted on June 29, 2012 in Dairy Performance
By Rod Martin It’s been a hot week throughout the Midwest and it looks like temperatures will remain high for the next few days.  Plus, it’s probably a safe bet that this won’t be the last heat wave of the summer. With that in mind, don’t forget about your transition cows.  Hot weather brings about

Keep dry cows cool too

Posted on March 23, 2012 in Dairy Performance
By Dr. Bruno Amaral With an uncommonly warm March, we’re already starting to think about keeping cows cool.  Now is our chance to strategize and get ahead of the heat. We all know the value of heat stress abatement for milking cows as temperatures spike in the summer and milk production drops.  But the value