Shirley Macmillan

Prevention is always more rewarding than cure – and usually cheaper. This is particularly so in the case of an E coli toxic mastitis where (despite early detection and treatment) the end result can be the death of a high-yielding cow.

Calf rearers buying stock from the mart should accept that the disease risk will be high and plan with their vet to create a farm-specific approach to calf health.

Fluctuating cull cow prices across the year can result in an average cull value for a herd that may be below expectation.

Getting the basics right – consistently – and putting calves first led to a four-year period of zero treatments and zero losses in calves for Canadian vet and dairy farmer Jodi Wallace.

A data-driven culture operates at High Plains Ponderosa Dairy in Kansas, with all business decisions and performance goals based on data.

Dairy farms need to review their strategies for preventing metabolic disease in transition cows as monensin boluses are no longer on the market, said independent veterinary consultant Dr David Charles.

The “sweet spot” for a Staffordshire dairy farm is a stocking rate of 2.2 cows a hectare, allowing a spring block-calving herd to become self-sufficient in forage, while maintaining milk yield.

Feeding calves is not a low-ranking job at Lower Park Farm. Instead, an employee dedicated to calf rearing is considered the key to consistency in feeding, weighing and following protocols for organic dairy farmer George Tomlinson.

The downside of a dairy herd with less than 5% mastitis is having to maintain a stock of in-date antibiotics. This is the case for the Hodginkson family,

Evaluating copper levels in every feed source and supplement before formulating rations for dairy cows – and youngstock – will help meet animal requirements but prevent overfeeding and protect animal health.