This podcast explores the role of probiotics in maintaining the health and productivity of dairy cows and calves. It highlights how specific probiotic strains enhance gut health, digestion, and immune function, leading to improved herd stability and fewer health challenges.

Key points:

Strain Selection Matters: Not all probiotics are equal—specific strains provide targeted benefits, making strain selection crucial for effective probiotic use.

Probiotics and Digestive Health: Beneficial bacteria, such as Lactobacillus and Bacillus species, support digestion, absorption, barrier and immune functions.

Probiotics in Calf Health: Research trials demonstrated that probiotics helped mitigate Clostridium perfringens challenges in calves, supporting normal performance and improving survival rates.

Key time markers:

• 1:05: What is Novonesis?
• 1:56: What does Novonesis do?
• 2:55: What makes probiotics effective?
• 4:34: Strain matters
• 6:15: The benefits of effective probiotics
• 11:19: What are our effective probiotics for dairy animals?
• 16:31: Effective probiotics support the well-being of the animals in our care
• 20:40: Effective probiotics for dairy cows

This episode is sponsored by Chr. Hansen.

Novonesis is a global biosolutions company with extensive expertise in bacteria culture science. As the product of two industry powerhouses — Chr. Hansen and Novozymes — Novonesis is poised to continue building on their more than 100-year history of bettering our world with biology. We’re on a mission to leverage the power of microbiology with science to transform global production and consumption. A big piece of that starts on the farm, with your herds. Why? Because daily feeding of effective probiotics helps herds perform at peak efficiency.

In this episode of the Progressive Dairy Podcast, learn how to set your star employees up for success as they transition into a supervisor role. Dr. Bob Milligan joins host Kimmi Devaney to chat about easing stress during this leadership transition, getting buy-in from other employees as their peer becomes their supervisor, skills that are essential to work on before transitioning into a leadership role and much more. This episode can also help those employees hoping to move up into a supervisor role in the future better prepare themselves for this transition.

Here's a breakdown of the episode:

• [~1:30] About Milligan and his background with leadership 
• [~3:00] As a leader, what are some indications that someone is ready to transition into a supervisor role?  
• [~4:00] How to recognize if you are ready to transition into a supervisor role yourself
• [~4:50] Skills that are important to develop before becoming a supervisor
• [~6:15] Tips to communicate clear expectations 
• [~7:20] Tips to provide effective feedback 
• [~11:15] How the job changes when transitioning into a supervisor role and why it should it be reflected in the job description 
• [~13:15] How and why it is important for farms to create job descriptions for employees
• [~14:55] Making the leadership transition more seamless and less stressful
• [~18:00] The types of training that are most helpful in preparing new supervisors
• [~19:00] Ways new supervisors can be proactive in their new role
• [~20:45] Gaining buy-in/support from other employees as their former peer now becomes their supervisor
• [~22:40] What to do when you are now supervising someone that you became friends with previously 
• [~26:30] Utilizing annual reviews to continuously gauge employee interest in future leadership roles
• [~29:05] How to hire career employees who move up into leadership roles over time
• [~31:40] Tips to improve confidence as a new leader
• [~22:45] Leadership pitfalls and how to avoid them 
• [~37:10] Tips for younger supervisors now supervising people old enough to be their parents
• [~41:10] Rapid-fire questions

DMI’s Megan Maisano and Aris Georgiadis speak with DMI’s Scott Wallin about how the checkoff is sharing dairy’s impact on children with the “First 1000 Days”. She also explains how the checkoff is promoting this research through our nutrition and health professionals and to consumers via trusted online resource centers.

Tune in to find out!

Your Dairy Checkoff Podcast

The Your Dairy Checkoff Podcast offers firsthand perspectives on examples of local, national and global checkoff collaborations to grow sales and build trust in U.S. dairy.

This episode is sponsored by Dairy Management Inc.

Veterinarian Michelle Schack joins host Matti McBride on this episode of the Progressive Dairy Podcast to discuss the importance of employee training and management. Learn more about why documentation, communication and repetition matters regarding training.

Here is the episode breakdown:

• 0:50 – Schack’s background
• 1:40 – The importance of documentation
• 3:08 – Training at onboarding
• 6:00 – Schack explains how DairyKind works
• 7:20 – Schack’s suggestions for finding time for training
• 11:30 – Bridging language barriers
• 13:30 – Training is important regardless of operation size
• 16:40 – How proper documentation can protect against animal activists
• 22:35 – Rapid-fire questions

Mental health among veterinarians has been a hot topic in the industry for several years. In this episode of the Progressive Dairy Podcast, Dr. Jen Roberts from Boehringer Ingelheim (BI) joins host Kimmi Devaney to discuss the importance of mental health among veterinarians and dairy producers, examine survey data and share some tips for how people involved in agriculture can improve their physical and mental well-being to be their best selves.

Link to BI’s Share the Weight program

Link to Progressive Dairy Podcast episode about nutrition, sleep and optimizing health during busy seasons

Here's a breakdown of the episode:

• [~1:20] About Roberts, her background and her work with veterinarians and dairy producers
• [~2:10] Why mental health matters in agriculture, especially with veterinarians and producers
• [~3:15] The difference between mental health and well-being
• [~4:40] Roberts discusses survey data 
• [~10:50] Some reasons for mental health challenges among veterinarians
• [~12:35] Tips for listeners to be proactive with their physical health and mental fitness
• [~22:55] The importance of implementing boundaries and how to put boundaries in place 
• [~30:15] Resources available 
• [~36:00] Rapid-fire questions

HerdFlex beef embryos are great tool for dairies that are taking advantage of the beef on dairy trend. Embryos offer more than obtaining calves with a higher market value. A number of farms have also found embryos can have a positive impact on dairy herd reproductive performance, especially in the case of cows that have been bred with semen multiple times without conceiving.

This episode is sponsored by Simplot Animal Sciences.

Simplot's Animal Sciences team uses an innovative approach to provide advanced reproductive solutions for beef and dairy cattle producers to improve efficiency, productivity, and profitability in a changing market. Combining extensive experience in agribusiness with the latest in reproductive solutions, the Animal Sciences team developed the innovative SimVitro branded platform for improving genetics and reproductive efficiency in dairy and beef cattle. For more information on beef embryos visit simvitro.com/herdflex

In this episode of the Progressive Dairy Podcast, Bethany Dado-Senn of Vita Plus joins host Matti McBride to discuss calf care. Learn from Dado-Senn as she discusses the importance of colostrum quality and management, general sanitation, calf management in the winter months, the benefits of pair housing calves and more. 

Here is the episode breakdown:

• 0:50 – Dado-Senn’s background
• 2:15 – The importance of sanitation and plane of nutrition
• 4:20 – Colostrum management
• 5:40 – Feeding colostrum and transition milk
• 8:00 – Feeding quality colostrum
• 11:00 – Testing for passive transfer
• 14:30 – Helping employees buy into calf protocols
• 18:00 – Suggestions for preventive care
• 20:30 – Pair-housed calves
• 23:20 – Calf management in winter
• 28:00 – Dado-Senn’s passion surrounding women in agriculture
• 31:20 – Rapid-fire questions

Join Progressive Dairy Podcast co-hosts Kimmi Devaney, Walt Cooley and Matti McBride – along with special guest David Cooper, who is the managing editor of Progressive Cattle magazine – for a recap of their favorite articles, podcast episodes and some of the biggest dairy news stories of 2024. Stay tuned to the end for an entertaining New Year's-themed round of rapid-fire questions to learn what they want to forget from the last year, New Year’s resolutions and more. 

Listen to the biosecurity episode Devaney mentions here: https://www.agproud.com/articles/59575-podcast-dr-mark-kinsel-what-dairy-producers-should-know-about-biosecurity. 

Join Wisconsin dairy farmer Dan Scheps and agronomist Parker Heise as they discuss the benefits of HarvXtra® Alfalfa. From improved forage quality and harvest flexibility to the potential for increased milk production and feed efficiency, this episode covers why HarvXtra® Alfalfa is a must for modern dairy operations. Tune in to learn how it can help boost your farm's productivity and profitability.

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.

USDA reports indicate that the incidence rate of mastitis has increased from 13% in 1996 to 25% in 2014. Considering the average case of clinical mastitis in the United States costs an average of $569, it’s imperative for dairy producers to adopt protocols to prevent this costly disease. Dr. Craig Louder, Axiota® technical service veterinarian, joins us to discuss the importance of udder health, the role of strategic trace mineral supplementation on milk quality, and how producers can help support trace minerals through increased demand.

This episode is sponsored by Axiota® Animal Health.

This podcast is brought to you by Axiota® Animal Health. Axiota discovers, develops, and commercializes scientifically proven products, such as Multimin® 90 (zinc, copper, manganese, and selenium injection) and Lactipro®. Axiota supports dairy producers’ goals of optimal health, performance, and animal well-being. To learn more, visit www.axiota.com.