The Moos Room™

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 pu...

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% o...

Early calf socialization may deliver long-term benefits

Can 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. Altho...

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...

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 a...

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:...

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 consiste...

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 he...

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, commo...

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 compare...

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 ...

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 heifer...

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, ...

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...

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 c...

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 ...

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...

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...

 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 ...