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PODCAST

The Moos Room™

University of Minnesota Extension

Hosted by members of the University of Minnesota Extension Beef and Dairy Teams, The Moos Room discusses relevant topics to help beef and dairy producers be more successful. The information is evidence-based and presented as an informal conversation between the hosts and guests.

science natural sciences

All Episodes

19:14

Episode 335 - What the Necropsy Revealed: Hidden...

The Moos Room™ ·

2026/02/23

In this solo episode, Brad shares a few recent herd-health case studies from his dairy, highlighting the value of diagnostics and transparency.He walks through two calf losses—one at 60 days old and another at 9 months. Both animals had been treated for common issues but continued to decline. Necropsies revealed severe heart abnormalities in each case (thin, underdeveloped ventricles), pointing toward possible genetic or nutritional causes. The takeaway: without a necropsy, these would have

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33:37

Episode 334- The Cow of the Future: Built for...

The Moos Room™ ·

2026/02/16

Emily and Brad re-record this episode of The Moos Room after a technical glitch wiped out Emily’s audio—and dive into a big question: What does the dairy cow of the future look like?Inspired by a recent Journal of Dairy Science paper, they move beyond the classic Holstein vs. Jersey debate to discuss a more balanced vision. Instead of selecting for maximum milk at all costs, the future cow will prioritize resilience, fertility, longevity, feed efficiency, and environmental

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32:05

Episode 333 - Beef on Dairy in a Hot Market: Calf...

The Moos Room™ ·

2026/02/09

Calf prices are making headlines, and in this episode Emily and Brad are joined by UMN Extension beef educator Melissa Runck to talk through what today’s hot beef and beef-on-dairy markets mean for producers.They discuss why newborn beef-cross calves are bringing record prices, how that cash can help dairy farms when milk prices are low, and what the latest Cattle on Feed report tells us about declining inventories and producers’ reluctance to keep heifers as replacements. The group then

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17:46

Episode 332 - From Herd Counts to Cow Scratches:...

The Moos Room™ ·

2026/02/02

On a warm-for-February day in Minnesota, Brad dives into two topics shaping today’s dairy landscape: changing dairy herd demographics in the Upper Midwest and new research on dairy cow preferences for grooming brushes.The episode opens with a look at dairy farm numbers in Minnesota, where the state has lost nearly 37% of its dairy farms since 2019—dropping from 2,567 to just 1,622 operations. Brad breaks down herd size distribution, showing Minnesota remains dominated by small herds

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27:37

Episode 331 - Why I Use the Bulls I Do: Fertility,...

The Moos Room™ ·

2026/01/26

Brad checks in from a brutally cold stretch in western Minnesota (30–40°F below zero), noting the cows are handling it well and somatic cell counts tend to run low in the extreme cold. He then walks listeners through how he thinks about sire selection in his research herd—mostly Holsteins, plus Jerseys and a few “colored breeds” like Norwegian Red, Montbéliarde, and Normande.His selection philosophy is clear: he starts with Net Merit, but he doesn’t blindly follow it. Brad says he doesn’t

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16:24

Episode 330 - Circadian Rhythms in Dairy Cows: What...

The Moos Room™ ·

2026/01/19

In this solo episode of The Moos Room, Brad shares “hot off the press” research on circadian rhythms in dairy cows and what long-term sensor data can tell us about cow welfare. Drawing from a study presented at the International Precision Dairy Farming Conference in New Zealand, the episode explores how daily and seasonal behavior patterns—such as eating, rumination, activity, and rest—are shaped by environment, management, and breed.Using more than 10 years of CowManager sensor data from

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8:44

Episode 329 - Winter Mastitis Management: Don’t Let...

The Moos Room™ ·

2026/01/12

In this solo “Emily Show” episode of The Moos Room, Emily takes a timely look at mastitis management during the winter months. While mastitis and high somatic cell counts are often associated with summer heat and humidity, Emily reminds listeners that cold weather brings its own risks and requires just as much attention to udder health.She begins by emphasizing the foundation of mastitis prevention: clean, dry bedding, cow comfort, and good ventilation. These basics reduce stress on cows

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33:21

Episode 328 - Working Smarter, Not Longer: What Great...

The Moos Room™ ·

2026/01/05

In the first episode of 2026, Emily and Brad kick off a New Year’s “resolution” to record more episodes together and dive into one of their favorite themes: management. The conversation is sparked by a German case study Brad found that followed 10 German dairy herd managers (average ~600 cows; range 200–1,200) for three weeks, tracking their work minute-by-minute to see how managers spend time—and what actually drives herd performance.The key concept is “controlling activities,” defined as

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25:48

Episode 327 - Closing Out 2025: Reflections,...

The Moos Room™ ·

2025/12/29

In the final episode of 2025, Emily and Brad reflect on another big year for The Moos Room, marking more than 300 episodes since launching in 2019. They look back on key 2025 topics, including real-world dairy case studies from the Morris Research Dairy, health and safety conversations, emerging disease issues, beef markets, virtual fencing, and growing interest in agrivoltaics.Brad highlights the value of openly sharing on-farm challenges—from calf health issues to nutrition

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8:18

Episode 326 - A Holiday Reminder: Boundaries Are...

The Moos Room™ ·

2025/12/22

In this short solo episode of The Moos Room, Emily takes the mic to talk about managing holiday stress through setting healthy boundaries. With the holidays approaching, Emily shares practical guidance on navigating family dynamics, uncomfortable conversations, and competing demands on time and energy.She outlines three simple steps for setting boundaries—being clear and direct, stating what you need, and accepting any discomfort that may follow—and walks through real-world examples such as

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21:43

Episode 325 - Calf Transport: Why Early-Life...

The Moos Room™ ·

2025/12/15

In this episode of The Moos Room, Brad dives into a landmark new study examining the effects of short- and long-distance transport on the health, survival, and growth of pre-weaned dairy and dairy–beef crossbred calves. Drawing on data from nearly 392,000 calves across multiple farms and transport durations (ranging from 30 minutes to 24 hours), the study challenges common assumptions about calf transport. Surprisingly, mortality upon arrival was extremely low and unaffected by transport

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29:20

Episode 324 - A New Vet in Town: Dr. Angie Joins the...

The Moos Room™ ·

2025/12/08

In this episode, Brad and Emily welcome a special guest: Dr. Angie Varnum, the University of Minnesota Extension’s new livestock veterinarian. After some banter about Minnesota winters—and a classic round of The Moos Room’s “super-secret” cattle breed questions—the crew dives into Angie’s unique path to Extension.Angie shares how she went from growing up in suburban Maple Grove to studying Spanish education, teaching in schools, and eventually being inspired to pursue veterinary medicine

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20:02

Episode 323 - Why Aren’t The Cows Milking in Our...

The Moos Room™ ·

2025/12/01

In this solo episode of The Moos Room, Brad dives into a deep, honest look at production challenges in the University of Minnesota dairy herd and the nutrition and management factors that may be holding cows back. After noticing low udder fill during classification and reviewing herd data, Brad confirms a troubling trend: cows across all lactations are producing 20–30% less milk than predicted. Early-lactation health issues—ketosis, metritis, and retained placentas—are also more common than

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23:43

Episode 322 - Understanding Farmer Stress: What to...

The Moos Room™ ·

2025/11/24

Brad and Emily reunite on the podcast to dive into an essential—and timely—topic: farmer mental health. With fall wrapping up and winter on the horizon, stressors on the farm shift and often intensify. Emily shares updates on her recent travels and outreach work in farm safety, health, and wellness, highlighting the seasonal rise in mental health–related concerns across rural communities.Together, Brad and Emily walk through:Why stress is so high right now — uncertainty in markets, weather,

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24:47

Episode 321 - Timers, Tech, and Jerseys: A South...

The Moos Room™ ·

2025/11/17

Brad recaps a fall road trip with the Minnesota dairy extension team to South Dakota’s rapidly growing I-29 dairy corridor, highlighting what innovative farms are doing to boost efficiency, cow health, and profitability. Along the way, they tour the Bel Brands plant in Brookings, where milk from about 10,000 cows a day is turned into those familiar Babybel snack cheeses, and hear how the plant’s demand for high-protein milk is shaping local production.On the farm visits, Brad digs into why

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24:18

Episode 320 - Robots, Crossbreeding, and Straw — A...

The Moos Room™ ·

2025/11/10

Brad recaps his trip to dairy farms in the Netherlands and Germany, where robotics, crossbreeding, and creative manure and energy management are everywhere — even on small farms. He visited farms using Lely robots, grass/rye silage-based diets, and small-scale digesters that capture manure methane. Crossbreeding (Holstein × Montbéliarde × Viking Red) is common, driven by goals of longevity, health, and reducing inbreeding.He also saw some surprising management choices: dry cows fed only

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21:10

Episode 319 - Inbreeding: Is It An Impending Doom? -...

The Moos Room™ ·

2025/11/03

In this episode, Brad is back from Europe—jetlagged but full of insights from farms and conferences in Germany and the Netherlands. He dives into one of the biggest topics he heard about abroad and at home: Inbreeding in dairy cattle.Brad explains how inbreeding occurs, what it costs farmers economically, and how inbreeding levels have climbed across all major dairy breeds—especially Holsteins and Jerseys. Drawing on recent research from Italy and data from the U.S. Council on Dairy Cattle

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58:58

Episode 318 - Cattle, Shade & Solar: What...

The Moos Room™ ·

2025/10/27

Brad kicks off a solo episode (recorded before a trip to Germany) and turns the mic to rangeland scientist Anna Clare for a deep dive into “the solar savanna”—treating solar arrays on grasslands as functioning grazing ecosystems. She shares early results from Silicon Ranch’s Cattle Tracker research on integrating cattle (not just sheep) with PV systems. Brad follows with University of Minnesota’s on-farm demos: panel heights that work for cattle, heat-stress reductions, forage performance

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36:38

Episode 317 - Emily’s Back! Farm Emergency Planning...

The Moos Room™ ·

2025/10/20

Emily is back from medical leave (hooray!) and she and Brad dig into an essential topic for every operation: emergency planning. You can’t predict every detail, but you can make the first decisions easier when seconds count.What we cover:What an emergency plan is (and isn’t): a concise, written set of steps and key info you can default to under pressure.Start with a farm map: access routes, gates/fences, livestock locations, hazardous/flammable materials, and utility shutoffs.Make the red

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24:28

Episode 316 - Genomic Testing: Is It Worth It and How...

The Moos Room™ ·

2025/10/13

In this episode, Brad shares his fall updates from western Minnesota before diving into a detailed discussion on genomic testing in dairy herds. Drawing on his experiences from recent farm visits in South Dakota and ongoing University of Minnesota research projects, he explores how producers are using genomics and whether the investment pays off.Brad explains that while some herds use genomic testing solely to decide which animals to breed to beef, he believes the technology’s value lies

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337 results

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