1. What are current homeopathic remedies for mastitis? Published: September 14, 2007
2. What is the "best" postmilking teat dip to use in my herd? Published: September 14, 2007
3. If a cow's dry period is accidentally shortened to one and a half months, how will her next lactation be affected? Published: September 14, 2007
4. What are the recommended milking procedures for a dairy herd? Published: September 14, 2007
5. Our vet says that cows with a high somatic cell count produce lower quality milk in that the protein portion has less casein and more albumin and globulin. Can you please expand on this? Published: September 14, 2007
6. A herd wants to do individual cow cultures. What is the proper way to pull these cultures, with the help of a vet? Also, what is the average cost per sample? They need a ballpark figure. Published: September 14, 2007
7. Should a 500-lb open heifer be treated for mastitis with the same protocol as a lactating cow? Published: September 14, 2007
8. We are currently pre-dipping with 25% Clorox/water mixture, drying, milking, and post-dipping with Della Soft iodine, drying and turning out. Is this the best thing to do in this severe weather? Published: September 14, 2007
9. Do some teat dips work better against Staphylococcus aureus, especially under extreme dry conditions (West Texas)? Published: September 14, 2007
10. How does a person determine the best milker inflation to use? Published: September 14, 2007
11. Which toxins (e.g., mycotoxin) may be related to somatic cell counts? Published: September 13, 2007
12. Which minerals may be related to somatic cell counts? Published: September 13, 2007
13. I read that cows like routines and that you can increase milk production by sticking to a rigid routine in the production process. Is this true? Published: September 13, 2007
14. What exactly is mastitis, how do you cure it, and is there a chance it will come back? Published: September 13, 2007
15. We have cultured our bulk tank numerous times, and it comes back primarily environmental strep mastitis. We have a good cow prep routine and use sand in freestalls. We have used a custom-made mastitis vaccine made from our culture results for several years. We dry treat and use Stronghold Barrier dip to try to seal the teat at dry off. All teats are cleaned with alcohol before dry treatment and before using Stronghold dip. Some cows come back with recurring mastitis in the same quarters as previous lactation, and some are new infections at any stage of lactation. Some cows show clinical signs in two to three quarters at any given time. Is there anyone we can work with to help us get on top of this problem? This has been going on too long. We need quicker results than we are getting from our vet (sometimes two to three months before we get culture results). Published: September 13, 2007
16. Our cows do not respond positively to any mastitis treatment. Feed intake is good, production around 70 lb/day, but when cows get mastitis they tend to go downhill slowly and don't respond to antibiotic treatments. Published: September 13, 2007
17. Could you please provide me with articles describing the effect of vitamin E injections on the incidence of mastitis? Published: September 13, 2007
18. Could you please define lactation and milk let down? Published: September 13, 2007
19. Should I dry treat all my cows or only those that have shown signs of either clinical or subclinical mastitis during the current lactation? Published: September 13, 2007
20. What is the best and latest proper milking procedure? Published: September 13, 2007
21. Roughly how much does a dairy cow eat throughout her life (from birth to market)? pounds of grain/feed? pounds of hay/silage? Published: September 13, 2007
22. How is ethyl alcohol produced during rumen acidosis (grain overload)? Published: September 13, 2007
23. What is the concern level of mycotoxins for dairy cows in the total mixed ration? (for example, zearalenone, vomitotoxin (DON), aflatoxin, etc.) Published: September 13, 2007
24. How does sodium bentonite, activated carbon, B-glucans, or other mycotoxin binders compare for binding aflatoxins in the diet? Is it true that bentonite ties up minerals and does more harm than good? Published: September 13, 2007
25. What are the advantages and concerns of purchasing a premixed complete dairy feed compared to mixing it yourself at the farm? Published: September 13, 2007
26. Would steam rolled corn or fine ground corn be better added to a total mixed ration of 45% forage? Published: September 13, 2007
27. When feeding roasted soybeans, how much (if any) can I expect to find passing through into the manure? At what point would it also justify grinding or rolling the beans prior to feeding? Published: September 13, 2007
28. What benefits do pellets have over a crushed grain mix? Published: September 12, 2007
29. Who can prepare a Comprehensive Nutrient Management Plan (CNMP) that would allow the preparation costs of the CNMP to be reimbursed by USDA/NRCS? Published: September 11, 2007
30. When is a livestock or poultry producer required to have a Comprehensive Nutrient Management Plan (CNMP)? Published: September 11, 2007

Didn't find what you were looking for? Try asking one of our Experts.