Progressive Dairy Podcast

In 2024, how can producers work through industry pressures and still hit their production goals? In this Progressive Dairy sponsorcast, Merck Animal Health Customer Success Specialist, Sarah Anderson, and Territory Manager, Jeannie Bishop, discuss:

• Finding answers to the skilled labor shortage
• Using data quickly and efficiently
• Combining solutions to get the most from your resources

This episode is sponsored by Merck Animal Health.

With identification, monitoring and biopharma products fully integrated in one portfolio, Merck Animal Health offers the only true full-solution approach in the dairy industry. Which means you get the tools you need to eliminate guesswork, solve specific problems, let cows be cows and put more milk in the tank. It’s the way you want to work, working better than ever before. Learn more about this unique approach to dairy at M-Power-Dairy.com.

In this episode, join host Kimmi Devaney as she visits with Dr. Geof Smith, who is the managing dairy technical services veterinarian at Zoetis, about longevity and how to get calves off to the best start possible.

Here is the episode breakdown:

• [~0:30] About Smith’s background in the dairy industry working with calves
• [~1:15] His overall thoughts about longevity and why it matters for dairy producers
• [~3:00] The impact on the dairy’s bottom line
• [~5:45] The effect the increased interest in beef-on-dairy and the tight replacement market has had on this overall conversation about calves and longevity
• [~8:00] Three key protocols that are essential for calf programs
• [~10:00] Tips to managing nutrition for weaned calves
• [~11:35] How to encourage employees to follow calf protocols
• [~13:30] Types of calf-related trainings that are most important
• [~15:55] Smith’s priorities when evaluating a dairy’s youngstock program
• [~19:45] Tips for vaccine protocols
• [~23:45] Rapid-fire questions

Final preparations are underway for World Dairy Expo 2024. Laura Herschleb, General Manager, joins podcast host, Lisa Behnke, to share what you can expect if you attend, and how you can join virtually, if unable to make the trek to Madison, Wisconsin. Learn what's new at this year's show and how Highly Pathogenic Avian Flu (HPAI) is being addressed when the world's dairy industry meets, October 1 - 4, 2024.

For more information, or to purchase discounted tickets in advance, visit www.worlddairyexpo.com

Here is the episode breakdown:

• [~01:50] This year’s theme – “The Golden Age” explained
• [~04:15] HPAI’s impact on the show
• [~07:30] What’s new this year
• [~09:57] ExpoTV – for those who can’t attend
• [~11:45] Get your tickets here
• [~13:15] What to Expect
• [~16:25] World Dairy Expo App is a Must

This episode is sponsored by World Dairy Expo.

Serving as the meeting place of the global dairy industry, World Dairy Expo is the premier forum for the global dairy community to learn, share, create commerce and showcase competition. The annual event will return to Madison, Wis. October 1-4, 2024, where dairy producers near and far can experience the world’s largest dairy-focused trade show, a world-class dairy cattle show, attend seminars, meetings and presentations highlighting the latest and greatest in the industry and connect with other producers. Download the World Dairy Expo mobile app, visit worlddairyexpo.com or follow WDE on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Spotify, or YouTube for more information.

Dr. Sara Place of Colorado State University joins host Matti McBride in this episode of the Progressive Dairy Podcast. An associate professor of feedlot systems and researcher with CSU’s AgNext, Place has been working with enteric emissions in cattle for the past decade. Learn about CSU’s feed additive calculator tool, how the beef and dairy industries are approaching the sustainability conversation and if the cattle industries can really have zero emissions by 2050 in this episode. 

Here is the episode breakdown:

• 2:20 – Current research at AgNext
• 3:40 – The development of the feed additive calculator tool (https://agnext.colostate.edu/dairy-fact)
• 9:00 – Comparing the beef and dairy industries approaches to sustainability
• 10:30 – How methane emissions are measured in a grazing environment
• 12:00 – Understanding insets and offsets
• 14:55 – Where beef-on-dairy fits into the sustainability scope
• 16:15 – Is net zero possible by 2050?
• 19:20 – How the beef and dairy industries are measuring up
• 21:00 – Where is there room for improvement?
• 23:15 – Rapid-fire questions

In this episode, Dr. Emily Meccage, senior manager of research and development at Forage Genetics International and Dave Ribeiro, a California dairy farmer, discuss Dave’s experience with growing and feeding alfalfa on his dairy farm and what HarvXtra alfalfa offers dairy producers.

This episode is sponsored by Forage Genetics International.

For more than 30 years, FGI has led the alfalfa industry by breeding, developing and producing premier alfalfa seed and technologies that have advanced farm operations across the country. FGI’s innovative genetic discoveries, variety developments and cutting-edge alfalfa trait technologies have led to the creation of several patented traits and technology in alfalfa, including HarvXtra® Alfalfa with Roundup Ready® Technology, as well as varieties with the UltraCut® alfalfa disease package. Forage Genetics International is the only alfalfa trait provider in the industry that is solely devoted to the relentless pursuit of advancement in the alfalfa industry.

What sets SenseHub Dairy monitoring apart from other monitoring systems? It’s reliable data that leads to needle-moving insights. It’s intuitive reports that simplify tasks and identify problems sooner. It’s time-saving cow location tools. And it’s fully integrated with M-Power, the new full-solution approach to dairy from Merck Animal Health. Now, producers and veterinarians can use M-Power solutions to eliminate guesswork, solve specific problems and operate at peak efficiency. Learn more about what it means for you and your dairy from Erica Tessmann, Marketing Manager for Dairy Monitoring Technology at Merck Animal Health.

This episode is sponsored by Merck Animal Health.

With identification, monitoring and biopharma products fully integrated in one portfolio, Merck Animal Health offers the only true full-solution approach in the dairy industry. Identification. Monitoring. Biopharma. Which means you get the tools you need to eliminate guesswork, solve specific problems, let cows be cows and put more milk in the tank. It’s the way you want to work, working better than ever before. Learn more about this unique approach to dairy at M-Power-Dairy.com.

In this episode of the Progressive Dairy Podcast, Dr. Mark Kinsel joins host Kimmi Devaney to discuss how to optimize the data available on the farm when making management decisions. Kinsel is the CEO of Agricultural Information Management Inc. and is also a veterinarian who has worked in many different areas throughout his career.

Here is the episode breakdown:

• [~1:10] About Kinsel’s agricultural and professional background with data and information management, veterinary management, emergency management and more
• [~3:25] How dairy producers can wade through all of it and best optimize it to meet their farm goals
• [~6:50] Whose job is it to manage records? 
• [~8:30] Record flow between employees in the barn and the records manager/records system 
• [~11:20] Utilizing data as herds get larger 
• [~13:30] Tips to improve the information producers are entering into their records program
• [~18:00] Considerations when purchasing a new records system 
• [~23:40] Data management strategies of successful dairies 
• [~25:30] What data do consultants need to help them be successful? 
• [~27:25] Cybersecurity – what to know, how to protect privacy and data, etc. 
• [~29:20] What Kinsel wishes dairy producers knew about data and records management that will help them take their management to the next level
• [~31:10] Rapid-fire questions

Check out season 6, episode 17 of the Progressive Dairy Podcast to hear Kinsel’s biosecurity tips for dairy farms.

Justin Graham of Brooksco Dairy joins Matti McBride on this episode of the Progressive Dairy Podcast, chatting about milk quality. Learn about Graham’s role as staff veterinarian at southern Georgia’s Brooksco Dairy; milk quality protocols, including Brooksco’s sand reclamation program; challenges and changes in milk quality over the years; and his role as a member of the National Mastitis Council’s board of directors.

Here is the episode breakdown:

• Get to know Graham
• About Brooksco Dairy and Graham’s responsibilities
• Milking protocols at BrooksCo Dairy
• Graham’s role with the National Mastitis Council
• Effects of procedural drift on milk quality
• What’s changed with milk quality management in 10 years
• Potential challenges producers might be facing with milk quality
• Practices important to maintaining a low somatic cell count
• Rapid-fire questions 

Biosecurity should be a top priority for dairy producers to keep their herds healthy. By implementing strict biosecurity measures, producers can prevent the spread of disease among their cattle and workers. Investing in these protocols is not just a matter of farm management but a commitment to animal welfare, public health and the long-term viability of animal agriculture.

Today, we are joined by Dr. Tom Earleywine, director of nutritional services for Purina Animal Nutrition, who will dive deep into biosecurity practices to implement in your dairy operation.

Questions in this episode:

• Pork and poultry producers are no strangers to biosecurity protocols. In what ways are dairy producers practicing safe biosecurity amidst current health challenges?
• Could you tell us why proper biosecurity practices are important and how they can directly impact a dairy producer’s bottom line?
• We now understand the importance of implementing biosecurity practices and how they can impact your animals and bottom line. What other measures can dairy producers take to ensure proper biosecurity?
• What five pieces of advice do you have for our listeners who are working on implementing stronger biosecurity practices on their dairy operations?
• Where can listeners go to learn more about proper biosecurity measures?

Tom Earleywine, Ph.D.

Director of Nutritional Services

Purina Animal Nutrition

[email protected]

This episode is sponsored by Purina Animal Nutrition.

In this episode, Dr. Jeffrey Bewley from Holstein Association USA visits with host Kimmi Devaney about the opportunities and limitations of utilizing artificial intelligence (AI) in the dairy industry.

Here’s a breakdown of the episode:

• [~0:55] About Bewley’s background
• [~1:30] What is AI and machine learning? 
• [~4:00] Current uses in the dairy industry
• [~6:15] AI’s role in on-farm automation 
• [~6:40] Utilizing AI to look at old data in new ways 
• [~10:05] Tips for managing information overload 
• [~14:55] Recommended “maintenance” for optimizing AI capabilities
• [~16:40] Questions dairy producers should ask when considering AI
• [~18:25] What’s on the horizon with AI in dairy?
• [~19:15] When to proceed with caution when using AI on the farm 
• [~21:20] AI applications in the crop industry
• [~22:15] Key takeaways about AI that dairy producers should know
• [~23:25] Rapid-fire questions