The Dairyland Initiative Podcast
Hosts Courtney Halbach and Dr. Nigel Cook discuss practical dairy cattle housing solutions, focusing on barn design and management to improve cow welfare and animal health. The podcast covers ventilation, freestall design, calf housing, lameness prevention, cow comfort, and productive life. It aims to help dairy farmers optimize cow well-being through better facility design and management practices.
Episodes
Episode 46: Batch Milking
What's the buzz about batch milking? Do these systems make economical sense for your herd? In this episode, we run through the numbers and discuss the pros and cons to consider when deciding if batch milking is right for you.
Episode 45: Revisiting Calf Housing
Calf barn design and ventilation seems to be the hot topic these days, according to Courtney's inbox. This episode explores current challenges when it comes to refreshing and replacing the air in the calf microenvironment while showcasing a fresh perspective on future calf barn builds.
Episode 44: Transition Cow Facility Planning
Successful housing and management of the cow from 21 days before and after calving is critical to the overall success of the dairy herd. The transition cow facility impacts the lactations of all of the cows in the herd, thus its design and layout warrants particular emphasis. This episode covers how to size the transition cow facility and discusses different pen management strategies to optimize c
Episode 43: Planning Large Dairy Herds
Which parlor milks more cows in an hour? A rotary 72, 80, or 100? We answer that question and explore how large dairies design a farmstead plan by taking a deep dive into parlor sizing, group sizing, and barn layout to maximize parlor efficiencies and cow lying time.
Episode 42: Cow Comfort from The Great White North to America's Dairyland
Join us as Dr. Laura Solano shares her journey from Costa Rica to Canada and then Wisconsin, and her impactful research in cow comfort, hoof care, and the human element in dairy farming. Discover insights on housing and management to improve cow welfare and farm efficiency.
Episode 41: How to Combat Lameness in AMS Herds
Why is lameness more common in AMS herds? This episode explores the challenges and solutions for managing lameness in robotic dairy herds with specific focus on cow handling, footbath placement, and barn design to optimize rest.
Episode 40: Key Takeaways from the First US Dairy Welfare Roundtable
For the first time in the US, 20 top researchers, farmers, and stakeholders discussed the current trends in dairy cattle welfare and looked ahead to what's next. Courtney and Nigel summarize their key takeaways from the roundtable, with timely insights on lameness, social housing, and calves.
Episode 39: Animal Outcome Measures
How do we measure dairy cattle welfare on-farm? Simple - by looking at animal outcomes such as lameness, hocks, knees, hygiene, and other injuries to assess physical well-being. We discuss the why, the how, and the solutions to these common and observable animal-based outcome measures.
Episode 38: Dairy Cattle Culling Reasons
Why do dairy cows leave the herd? We answer that question and more as we explore the challenges faced by dairy farmers in making culling decisions, the importance of accurate record keeping, and the correlation between health events and culling reasons.
Episode 37: The Evolution of Dairy Cattle Welfare
We dive into the evolution of dairy cattle welfare, tracing its roots from the 1960's to today, and explore how legislative approaches in Europe contrast with consumer-driven changes in North America, sparked by undercover videos and industry responses like the FARM and ProAction programs. The discussion highlights major milestones, including the end of tail docking, improved handling of down
Episode 36: Claw Horn Lesion Development
This episode touches on one of the famous five hoof lesions in dairy cattle - sole ulcers, also known as "standing up disease." From the early misconceptions of sole ulcers being caused by nutritional deficiencies to our current understanding of the role of the environment on sole ulcers, Dr. Cook digs through the research to discover that standing time leads to increased lameness.
Episode 35: Flooring Options for Dairy Barns
The standing and walking surfaces that cows are exposed to between lying bouts have a significant impact on their well-being, especially when it comes to their risk for lameness. In this episode, we look at the variation between flooring types, the pros and cons of concrete and rubber, and how to ensure that the flooring isn't slippery, abrasive, or traumatic to cows' hooves.
Episode 34: Digital Dermatitis and Artificial Intelligence
Dr. Dörte Döpfer sits down with us for a conversation exploring the intersection of digital dermatitis (DD) and artificial intelligence (AI) in dairy cattle. We begin by talking about how not all lesions are created equal and ways to prevent and treat DD before discussing how we can leverage AI to enhance the detection and management of DD.
Episode 33: How to Cool Cows with Water
Depending on the situation and location, water can be an effective way to cool cows by enhancing cooling through soaking the cow directly or using a fine mist or evaporative cooling pad to cool the air before it reaches the cow. This episode discusses the various ways to cool cows with water and the pros and cons of each so that you can use water strategically and efficiently on farm.
Episode 32: Cooling Cows with Water - Myth vs. Fact
Dr. Jennifer Van Os is back to help us bust some myths about using water to cool cows specifically focusing on the difference between soaking vs. misting, water droplet size, and how cows behave around water.
Episode 31: Summer PPTV Systems
Is summer PPTV the next "hot" topic? Our opinion may be a bit "inflated," but we think you’re going to be a big "fan" of these systems! This episode highlights the latest heat abatement research using PPTV to provide fast moving air to calves with tips on how to design the PPTV system.
Episode 30: Calf Heat Stress
Heat stress in cows has long been recognized, but what about in calves? Dr. Jimena Laporta opens our eyes to the importance of cooling calves and discusses on farm heat abatement strategies and how to know if they're working.
Episode 29: Thermodynamics of Cow Cooling
Dr. Jennifer Van Os joins us to talk about dairy cow welfare as it relates to heat stress with specific focus on the limitations of using the temperature humidity index (THI) to assess individual cow responses. Understanding thermal comfort and how cows respond individually to heat stress allows us to intervene and better manage our cow cooling strategies.
Episode 28: Extreme Makeover - Freestall Edition
Dr. Cook takes a walk down memory lane, reminiscing about the days when herds were moving out of tiestall facilities and into freestall barns and expanding herd size. As herds got larger, mature cows didn't perform as well as relative to the heifers. But why? Poor cow comfort was holding these herds back so Dr. Cook got into the remodeling business. Hear how to remodel barns so that cow comfor
Episode 27: Productive Life
Do cows need to live for five lactations? It's a question being asked around the world. We look for answers to that question by exploring current trends in cow longevity and turnover rates, and discuss the impact of breeding and management decisions on culling strategies.
Episode 26: Housing the Replacement Heifer - The Forgotten Herd
It's time to give heifers their time in the spotlight! We cover all aspects of heifer facility design from stalls, bedded packs, flooring, feedbunks, and ventilation. You don't want to miss this episode if you're looking to build new facilities for your replacement heifers.
Episode 25: Corkscrew Claw Syndrome - A New Twist on an Old Lesion
Farmers are noticing reverse corkscrew claw syndrome in their heifer populations. What causes it and how can we prevent it? We answer those questions and more with the help of a case study to solve a new twist on an old lesion.
Episode 24: Loopy Loops
How do you know which stall divider loop to purchase? In this episode, we discuss the design and functionality of various types of loops on the market, the pros and cons of each, and the importance of picking a loop that optimizes the cow's ability to rest without the risk of injury.
Episode 23: Anatomy of the Stall Divider Loop
The freestall divider defines the lateral limits of the resting space, facilitates the lying direction of the cow, permits or prevents side lunge, and determines the height of the neck rail. Dr. Nigel Cook and Courtney Halbach talk about what makes a good stall divider loop.
Episode 22: Troubleshooting Respiratory Problems in Young Dairy Calves
We welcome our first guest, Dr. Terri Ollivett, to talk about troubleshooting respiratory disease in young dairy calves where she says characterizing the condition is crucial. We can do this by paying attention to who is getting sick, who is dying, and what the clinical and subclinical signs are. Then we can investigate the risk factors ranging from comorbidities, management decisions, and the env
Episode 21: Freestall Design - Brisket Locators and Neck Rails
We continue our discussion about stall design by talking about brisket locators and neck rails for positioning cows when lying and standing in the stall. While the brisket locator defines the front of the resting space, the neck rail positions the cow in the stall when she is standing. Hear about how to place these key stall components correctly in this episode.
Episode 20: Freestall Design - Lunge and Bob
We're diving in to the components of freestall design by kicking off with a focus on facilitating a cow's natural rising and lying movements. One goal of freestall design is to allow the cow to rise and lie down as naturally as possible without obstruction to the lunge and bob of the head or the forward stride of her forelimb. We discuss how stall length, width, and mounting systems influe
Episode 19: Footbath Design
What's the ideal footbath and how do you implement footbathing on farm to control for digital dermatitis and foot rot? We cover the research that has shaped current best practices and discuss footbath placement in robotic milking herds.
Episode 18: Maximizing Milk Production in AMS Herds
Thoughtful design and management practices lead to increased milk production and labor efficiency in robotic milking herds. This podcast discusses the factors associated with high performing AMS herds, with topcis ranging from heifer and fresh cow management to pellet allocation and housing considerations.
Episode 17: Milking Wait Times in Automated Milking Systems (AMS)
How long do cows wait to be milked in a AMS? What factors influence how long cows wait to be milked? We look at the milking time behavior of cows in a guided- and free-flow AMS and discuss design strategies to minimize milk wait times.
Episode 16: How to Layout Robotic Milking Systems
There are a variety of ways to orient a robot within a pen, but the ideal robot placement will optimize visits to the automated milking system (AMS) by reducing traffic around the robot and providing plenty of space to minimize congestion and competition. This episode outlines the pros and cons of six common robot layouts with a focus on improving cow flow and labor efficiency.
Episode 15: Barn Planning Essentials
What are the limiting factors to farm expansion? How do you layout pens to optimize cow flow and what are the essential elements to pen design? Find out the answers to these questions and more in this episode.
Episode 14: Transition Cow Facility Design
Successful housing and management of cows 21 days before and after calving is critical to the overall success of the herd. This episode focuses on transition cow management, pen sizing, grouping strategies, and the economic benefits of providing transition cows with a comfortable place to rest and adequate space to eat.
Episode 13: Cow Behavior Around Transition
Our understanding of transition cow management and facility design has advanced significantly over the past 20 years with our focus shifting solely from nutrition to emphasizing the importance of understanding cow behavior around calving. This episode delves into feeding behavior, re-grouping stress, and what key performance indicators of transition cow health managers should look at when evaluati
Episode 12: PPTV in the Field
Designing a PPTV system is one thing, but putting it in the barn is another. Challenges with where to place the fan and tube, and how to direct the air jets into the calf pens all need to be considered. Once the system is installed, how do you know that it's working? This episode covers the practical aspects of PPTV installations so that you're confident the system is working the next time
Episode 11: Overstocking
To overstock or not to overstock? That is the question! We discuss the negative impacts of overstocking on cow behavior, the economic impacts, and what overstocking means for the industry.
Episode 10: Principles of PPTV
Almost every calf barn in the Midwest has a positive pressure tube ventilation system (PPTV) installed, but what is it and how does it function? We cover the primary principles of choosing a fan, picking a tube, and positioning the holes so that a known quantity of air is delivered to the calf pen without creating a draft in the winter.
Episode 9: Troubleshooting Adult Cow Barn Ventilation
You installed a ventilation system, now what? How do you know if your ventilation/heat abatement system is up to par? We outline how to measure air speeds in stalls, what observations to make in the barn, and how to measure cow respiration rate.
Episode 8: Adult Cow Ventilation
There is no one perfect ventilation design that can be used universally given the wide variety of dairy barns and climates, but there are key criteria that need to be met when designing ventilation systems for adult dairy cows. We discuss how heat stress affects cows, the 6 common ventilation systems, and the 4 criteria for effective ventilation design.
Episode 7: Calf Barn Ventilation
There are various ways to ventilate a calf barn (natural, cross, tunnel, or neutral pressure ventilation systems), with natural ventilation supplemented with positive pressure tubes (PPTV) being the most common way. We go through the elements of naturally ventilated barns such as sidewall heights, ridge openings, and curtain management, and discuss how PPTV systems became of interest.
Episode 6: Essential Elements of Calf Barn Design
In this episode, we discuss what design elements every calf barn should have no matter how calves are raised. Stocking density, resting space, nesting scores, drainage, and ventilation are all part of the equation for ensuring that calves have a comfortable, dry place to rest and thrive.
Episode 5: Managing Sand Bedding in Freestalls
Deep loose bedded sand stalls are best for cow comfort because we see fewer lame cows, fewer hock and knee injuries, and higher producing cows who stay in the herd longer. While there are many benefits to sand, there are also some challenges when it comes to manure handling and bedding management. In this episode, we discuss the benefits of sand and how to manage it in a freestall system.
Episode 4: Cow Comfort and Optimizing Rest
What is "cow comfort" and how do we optimize rest in dairy cows? Building off of some of the first studies on lying time behavior, we discuss what we learned from watching hours of footage of freestall-housed cows and how that research has led to our design and management recommendations for allowing cows to achieve adequate rest.
Episode 3: Housing the Pre-Weaned Dairy Calf
From hutches to calf barns, there's no one way to house a nursing calf. We cover how hutches became the "gold standard" and the transition to indoor calf housing, which has its own benefits and limitations in regards to social housing and ventilation.
Episode 2: The Great Grazing vs. Housing Debate
Why do we house dairy cows inside? Shouldn't they be outside grazing? Dr. Nigel Cook explains the reasons behind why we house cows indoors and when grazing is a viable option while Courtney Halbach plays the role of the consumer.
Episode 1: Dairy Cattle Housing and Sustainability
In the first episode of The Dairyland Initiative Podcast, we discuss the important role cows play in the sustainability discussion, and how the way we house cows can improve the sustainability of the dairy industry.
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