The Dairyland Initiative Podcast

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.