DSD 6.3 | Big Picture Management Decisions Matter

Timeless dairy management decisions, such as voluntary waiting period & days dry, have recently been the topic of interest across the globe. Scrutiny to illuminate the ideal to maximize productive life has left the industry questioning convention.  

Michael Overton, DVM at Zoetis worked with co-author Steve Eicker to tease out the answers to these questions from a a massive dataset of 109,000 cows across 60 herds nationwide. This retrospective, observational research project was recently published in the Journal of Dairy Science titled, “Associations between days open and dry period length versus milk production, replacement, and fertility in the subsequent lactation in Holstein dairy cows”.

All dairymen should pause to determine the unintended consequences of their management decisions on optimal performance and ultimately the economic success of the herd. Listen in to learn ways to apply concepts from this project to your operation.

Topics of discussion

1:33       Introduction of Dr. Overton

Associations between days open and dry period length versus milk production, replacement, and fertility in the subsequent lactation in Holstein dairy cows