The Moos Room™

15:55

Episode 366 - Virtual Fencing for Dairy Cattle:...

The Moos Room™ ·

2026/09/28

Virtual fencing is drawing plenty of questions from grazing dairy and beef producers. In this episode of The Moos Room, Brad shares what the University of Minnesota’s West Central Research and Outreach Center learned from using NoFence collars with heifers during the summer grazing season.Undergraduate interns observed 27 heifers from June through August and compared their behavior with collar records of audio warnings and pulses. The heifers spent most of their observed time grazing or

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17:43

Episode 365 - Serum Protein, Calf Survival, and...

The Moos Room™ ·

2026/09/21

Brad begins with an update from the WCROC dairy, where corn silage harvest is complete, fall calving is underway, and new Angus and beef-on-dairy calves are arriving.The episode then examines a six-year study of approximately 1,300 Holstein bull calves purchased through Wisconsin livestock auctions. Researchers measured serum total protein to evaluate whether the calves had received adequate immunity from colostrum. More than 70% of the calves were classified in the poor or fair categories,

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13:49

Episode 364 - Early calf socialization may deliver...

The Moos Room™ ·

2026/09/14

Early calf socialization may deliver long-term benefitsCan housing calves together during their first weeks of life affect how they perform as cows? This episode examines University of Florida research comparing individually housed, pair-housed and group-housed calves through their first lactation.Socially housed calves grew faster before weaning, producing up to 16% greater average daily gain than individually housed calves. Although differences in growth and reproductive performance

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19:56

Episode 363 - What Can AI Tell You About Your Dairy?...

The Moos Room™ ·

2026/09/07

Can AI turn mountains of dairy data into practical management insights? This episode explores how tools like ChatGPT can analyze bulk tank records, DHI reports, and milking-parlor data. Using examples from conventional and organic herds, we discuss how AI can reveal production and milk-quality trends, identify cows driving somatic cell count, highlight reproductive concerns, and uncover parlor-efficiency problems. AI cannot replace farmers, advisers, or Extension expertise—and its results

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16:20

Episode 362 - Age at First Calving: Why 22 to 23...

The Moos Room™ ·

2026/08/31

What is the ideal age at first calving for Holstein heifers? Brad examines a Zoetis study of nearly 130,000 cows from 74 dairy herds. Although heifers calving at 26 months produced slightly more projected first-lactation milk, those calving around 23 months produced more cumulative milk through two lactations, remained in the herd longer, and generated greater modeled net income.Replacement risk increased substantially as calving age rose, reaching about 35% for heifers calving at 27 months

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15:21

Episode 361 - Why Routine Hoof Trimming Pays:...

The Moos Room™ ·

2026/08/24

Lameness can quietly reduce milk production, cow welfare, and dairy farm profitability. In this episode of The Moos Room, we examine how a difficult, wet spring prompted our dairy to make routine hoof trimming a priority for both its grazing and confinement herds.Since 2019, every cow—including lactating and dry cows—has been trimmed twice a year, with hoof problems carefully recorded. The results have been substantial: the percentage of cows with hoof issues declined from 15.6% during the

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14:43

Episode 360 - Working With the Dairy Cow’s Biological...

The Moos Room™ ·

2026/08/17

After a busy week showing dairy cattle at the county fair, Brad explores research on the dairy cow’s 12-month biological clock. Using data from 332 Western U.S. dairy herds, the study examined how region, breed, housing, organic management, and BST use influence seasonal patterns in milk production, components, dry matter intake, and feed efficiency. Despite differences among herds, annual rhythms remained remarkably consistent: milk components peaked in winter, dry matter intake peaked in

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18:21

Episode 359 - New Calf Health and Fertility Traits:...

The Moos Room™ ·

2026/08/10

This episode previews new U.S. dairy genetic evaluations scheduled for release by the Council on Dairy Cattle Breeding on August 11, 2026.Two new calf-health traits will measure genetic resistance to diarrhea and respiratory disease in Holsteins and Jerseys. Positive predicted transmitting abilities indicate greater resistance. Although these traits have relatively low heritability, they may help producers gradually improve calf health, reduce treatment costs, and avoid the long-term

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17:34

Episode 358 - Footbath Management: What Dairy Farms...

The Moos Room™ ·

2026/08/03

After sharing how recent heat stress caused an average milk loss of four pounds per cow in his herd, Brad turns his attention to lameness and footbath management. He examines a study of approximately 250 Canadian dairy farms to explore how footbaths are being used, where management gaps exist, and what the future of hoof-health programs may look like.Most farms sent lactating cows through a footbath one or two times per week, commonly after milking. Copper sulfate was the most widely used

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17:00

Episode 357 - From Calf to Carcass: Early Nutrition...

The Moos Room™ ·

2026/07/27

Beef-on-dairy calves continue to bring strong prices, but producing calves that perform well from birth through harvest requires careful decisions about genetics and nutrition. In this episode, we look at current Minnesota calf markets, the factors influencing beef sire selection and recent research exploring how early feeding programs affect the long-term performance of Angus-Holstein calves.A University of Minnesota study compared conventional 20:20 milk replacer with a higher-energy

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16:01

Episode 356 - Heat Stress and Water Intake in Dairy...

The Moos Room™ ·

2026/07/20

This episode examines how heat stress affects water intake in dairy cows—and why farms must prepare their watering systems for increasingly hot weather.A review of studies from 1985–2024 found that Holstein cows producing roughly 65–70 pounds of milk averaged about 24 gallons of water per day under thermoneutral conditions. During heat stress, intake increased by approximately 10 liters, or 2–3 gallons, per cow per day. Each one-unit increase in the temperature-humidity index was associated

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15:21

Episode 355 - How Breed (Holstein and Crossbred)...

The Moos Room™ ·

2026/07/13

Brad shares preliminary results from a University of Minnesota study examining feed intake, methane emissions, and feeding behavior in Holstein and crossbred dairy heifers. Using precision feeders, methane-monitoring equipment, and activity sensors, the research team compared Holsteins with ProCROSS and GrazeCross heifers.The early findings show that methane production generally increased with feed intake. Smaller GrazeCross heifers consumed less feed and produced less methane and carbon

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19:56

Episode 354 - Hot Calves, Lower Gains: Rethinking...

The Moos Room™ ·

2026/07/06

Brad takes a closer look at heat stress in dairy calves and cows. This episode highlights several recent studies on how temperature-humidity index affects calf behavior, lying time, respiration rates, shade use, and growth performance.Brad discusses research from the University of Guelph, The Ohio State University, and Mississippi State showing that heat-stressed calves spend less time lying down, stand more often, breathe harder, and may gain less weight when shade is not provided. He also

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19:10

Episode 353 - Calf Research Roundup: Colostrum,...

The Moos Room™ ·

2026/06/29

Back from the ADSA annual meeting in Milwaukee, Brad shares highlights from several calf-focused dairy studies. This episode covers new research on colostrum management for beef-on-dairy crossbred calves, including how feeding practices differ between retained dairy heifers, beef-on-dairy calves, and calves not kept on farm.Brad also reviews a study comparing fixed-age weaning with starter-intake-based weaning in Holstein and Angus-Holstein calves, plus new work using ear tag sensors to

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17:05

Episode 352 - Somatic Cell Count Genetics and Heifer...

The Moos Room™ ·

2026/06/22

Brad shares two studies He presented at the American Dairy Science Association annual meeting. First, he examines records from more than 150,000 lactations to compare genetic predictions for somatic cell score and clinical mastitis. The results suggest that PTA for somatic cell score is more useful for predicting and ranking cows by observed somatic cell count than PTA for mastitis.He also discusses a study comparing Holstein and crossbred heifers for feed intake, methane emissions,

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17:33

Episode 351 - High Oleic Soybeans: A New Tool for...

The Moos Room™ ·

2026/06/15

Brad discusses what he learned about high oleic soybeans at the Four State Dairy Management and Nutrition Conference in La Crosse, Wisconsin. High oleic soybeans are gaining attention in dairy nutrition because they can provide both rumen undegradable protein and a more rumen-friendly fat source, potentially reducing the need for purchased protein and fat supplements.The episode covers how high oleic beans differ from conventional soybeans, why roasting quality matters, and how measures

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14:37

Episode 350 - New World Screwworm Returns to the...

The Moos Room™ ·

2026/06/08

A case of New World screwworm was recently identified in a three-month-old calf in Zavala County, Texas, near the Texas-Mexico border. In this episode, Brad breaks down what New World screwworm is, why it matters to livestock producers, and what signs to watch for in cattle and other animals. He explains how the larvae infest live tissue, how the pest spreads, and why early detection, reporting, quarantine, and treatment are key to preventing further spread.The episode also clears up common

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17:41

Episode 349 - Can Pasture-Raised Heifers Outperform...

The Moos Room™ ·

2026/06/01

Brad discusses new research comparing dairy heifers raised on pasture versus in confinement, focusing on studies from Wisconsin and Minnesota. Both studies found that pasture-raised heifers were slightly lighter and gained less before calving, but they reached calving at a similar age and showed advantages after freshening. Pasture-raised animals had higher dry matter intake, fewer health issues in the Minnesota study, and stronger first-lactation milk production, especially under

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24:00

Episode 348 - Holstein Classification and...

The Moos Room™ ·

2026/05/25

Brad shares updates from the University of Minnesota Morris dairy herd, including cows heading out to spring pasture, a recent Holstein classification, and highlights from several high-scoring cows. He then revisits University of Minnesota crossbreeding research comparing Holsteins with Viking Red and Montbéliarde crosses. The results show that crossbred cows often had better fertility, lower health treatment costs, improved survival to later lactations, and higher daily profitability,

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19:37

Episode 347 - Heat Stress Starts Earlier Than We...

The Moos Room™ ·

2026/05/18

In this episode of The Moos Room, Brad discusses spring pasture challenges in western Minnesota, including dry conditions, temperature swings, and slowed grass growth. With summer heat on the horizon, the focus shifts to heat stress in dairy cows and how precision technologies, especially internal bolus sensors, can help farmers identify problems earlier.Brad shares observations from cows monitored with Smaxtec boluses, including rumination, internal body temperature, and water intake data

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