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

In this episode of the Progressive Dairy Podcast, Dr. Ken Griswold, the Lead Ruminant Technical Manger @Selko, will talk with us about the importance of Ramping Up Your Herd Health. With today’s feed prices and an extremely volatile market, keeping your animals in top notch health is key. As a PhD, and also a father of two daughters who grew up showing dairy cows, Dr. Griswold knows first-hand, just how important it is to protect herd health at all costs. Listen in as we chat with Ken one-on-one to collect his insights on how to Ramp Up Your Herd Health and keep it there.

To learn more about how Selko can help dairy producers and nutritionists ramp up herd health, please visit https://www.selko.com/en-us/

Questions in this episode:

• Tell us a little about yourself and your involvement in the dairy industry.
• Dr. Griswold, can you give us a quick snapshot of the dairy industry today? How many cows, where are they located?
• What are the biggest health challenges facing the dairy industry today?
• When talking about herd health — what components make the “ideal health” state for a dairy animal?
• What are the essential trace minerals that contribute to ruminant performance?
• Are there any warning signs that suggest an animal may have a deficiency with a trace mineral?
• How do we know if the dairy animal is getting “enough” proper nutrition? 
• What measures/actions can producers take to ensure they have a herd that is healthy and remains healthy? (IntelliBond research)
• I’m curious about whether trace minerals need to be fed more or less based on seasonal stressors a ruminant might experience — like summer heat. 
• What do you tell a producer who thinks trace minerals are over-rated?
• Knowing Selko tends to heavily invest in data/ study research, what kind of data does Selko have that proves strong results for proper herd health?
• What sort of efforts does Selko exhibit to ensure their customers herds are healthy?
• Talk to us about feeding and trace mineral usage in dairy herds — what do you want the producer to know?

About Dr. Ken Griswold:

Ken is responsible for dairy technical support for the Micronutrients team and has been professionally involved in the dairy industry for over 30 years. Ken was raised on a family-owned dairy in New York and holds degrees in animal science, dairy nutrition, and rumen microbiology. He has worked in academia, extension, and industry positions ranging from on-farm nutritional consulting to university research to feed additive development and technical support. Ken is a member of ADSA and ARPAS and served on the National ADSA Board. Additionally, he has been an author or co-author on over 50 articles in scientific and lay publications.

This episode is sponsored by Selko.

On this Progressive Dairy Podcast, Matt Kauffman, Great Lakes Regional Sales Manager at Papillon Agricultural Company, chats with Clayton Stoffel, Technical Services Manager at Papillon, about getting the most from amino acid blends. They examine the importance of quality control, ration diversity and targeting amino acids, plus how all of this impacts IOFC.

Episode Highlights:

• The deficiencies of commodity proteins (~1:43)
• The importance of quality control (~7:33)
• The benefits of targeting amino acids (~12:10)
• The economics of blended proteins (~15:44)

This episode is sponsored by Papillon Agricultural Company.

Papillon Agricultural Company develops and produces premium nutritional products for consultants, feed suppliers and producers nationwide. We commit to progressive research and a rigorous quality control program to deliver consistent, high-quality ingredients designed to maximize feed efficiency at the farm level. Our product portfolio includes prebiotics and probiotics, amino acid blends and specialty solutions.

From improving soil properties to being a powerhouse ingredient in feed rations, alfalfa has a lot to offer dairy producers. Emily Meccage, Ph.D., senior manager of research and development with Forage Genetics International, joins the discussion to share about the many opportunities for dairy farmers to capitalize on growing, harvesting and feeding alfalfa.

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.

In this episode, Lucas Fuess from Rabobank joins host Kimmi Devaney to chat about economic conditions, the factors affecting them and key insights from recent Rabobank reports related to milk production, on-farm margins and more.

Here's a breakdown of the episode:

• [~1:10] About Rabobank and what their dairy team does
• []~2:05] What dairy producers can expect to see with milk prices and dairy markets for the remainder of 2024
• [~4:45] Factors affecting these economic conditions
• [~7:00] Impact on dairy farm margins and profitability
• [~8:30] Projections for milk production and herd size expectations this year and into 2025
• [~12:35] The impact of highly pathogenic avian influenza on dairy markets
• [~16:00] Dairy price changes at the grocery store leading up to barbecue season
• [~18:35] An overview of Mary Ledman’s recent paper about the impact of China’s increased self-sufficiency in dairy production on world dairy markets
• [~21:20] What dairy producers should know about the U.S. dairy export competitiveness and other global shifts
• [~24:50] Rapid-fire questions

In this session with Virtus, Western Sales Manager, Renee Smith shares the impact that feeding adequate levels of essential fatty acids have on embryo development and retention. Listen in to learn how feeding EPA/DHA for greater reproductive efficiency is working in breeding heifers, in IVF programs, and in lactating herds as well.

This episode is sponsored by Virtus Nutrition.

At Virtus Nutrition our mission is to help you feed a better balance of fatty acids to improve reproduction, health, and profitability. In the early 2000’s, we invented the process to deliver EPA/DHA in a form that dairy cows can utilize. Since then, we’ve developed several products, including Strata and EnerG-3, that give customers flexibility in how to deliver these essential fatty acids to their cows. Lost pregnancies are costly at every stage of pregnancy, and EPA/DHA is the pregnancy nutrient that resolves inflammation, supports healthy embryo development, and improves retention of pregnancy.

The first Canadian Progressive Dairy Podcast guest hails from Prince Edward Island and has made her mark on the dairy industry as a first-generation dairy farmer. Host Matti McBride chats with Suz Brouwer about her dream of owning a dairy, her work to acquire one and the lessons learned along the way. 

Here is the episode breakdown:

• 0:45 – Get to know Eastview Dairy
• 2:42 – What sparked Brouwer’s interest in dairy farming
• 4:05 – The journey to Eastview Dairy
• 7:50 – Handling negative feedback when sharing goals
• 10:30 – Brouwer’s advice for young people interested in dairy farming
• 12:55 – Skills acquired that have aided in Brouwer’s own dairy management
• 14:40 – Facing challenges and maintaining a vision
• 16:20 – Brouwer reflects on the first day cows were milked on her dairy
• 17:45 – Lessons learned in the first year of dairy farming
• 19:00 – Challenges and triumphs of being a first-generation dairy farmer
• 21:40 – Rapid-fire questions

Listed on Forbes 30 Under 30, dairy farmer, dog mom and businesswoman Hayley Painter joins host Matti McBride to tell the story of Painterland Sisters Organic Skyr Yogurt. Learn about Painter’s youth on an organic dairy farm in rural Pennsylvania, where the idea to diversify the family business came from and how Hayley continues working alongside her family. 

Here is the episode breakdown:

• 0:30 – Growing up on a dairy farm in rural Pennsylvania
• 3:00 – The idea of producing direct-to-consumer goods
• 5:50 – Finding a manufacturer
• 10:30 – Hayley shares how she and her sister manage the business as co-CEOs
• 16:00 – Telling the dairy farmer’s story 
• 18:15 – Tips for diversifying a farm’s income
• 21:50 – Hayley’s thoughts on being listed on Forbes 30 Under 30 as a woman in agriculture
• 24:00 – Rapid-fire questions

What is M-Power? It’s Allflex identification products, SenseHub® Dairy monitoring and comprehensive animal health solutions all available through Merck Animal Health to give you greater control over herd performance than ever before. Learn more about this unique, full-solution approach to dairy and what it means for you and your dairy from Erica Tessmann, Marketing Manager for Dairy Monitoring Technology, and Austin Snook, Dairy Marketing Manager, 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.