WEBVTT 00:00:11.720 --> 00:00:15.060 Breaking free from the chains of the past Where 00:00:15.060 --> 00:00:18.820 truth moves faster than a Holstein calf No law 00:00:18.820 --> 00:00:21.660 waiting on some printed page We're charting new 00:00:21.660 --> 00:00:25.300 ground in the digital age From genomic codes 00:00:25.300 --> 00:00:29.120 to robot facts We cut through the noise, no hold 00:00:29.280 --> 00:00:32.460 them back not your daddy's dairy news tonight 00:00:32.460 --> 00:01:03.840 we're sparking Welcome back to the Bullvine Podcast, 00:01:04.120 --> 00:01:06.659 where we cut through dairy industry noise to 00:01:06.659 --> 00:01:08.640 get you the insights that actually matter for 00:01:08.640 --> 00:01:11.299 your operation. We are diving deep today, and 00:01:11.299 --> 00:01:15.260 if you manage dry cows, transition cows, or fresh 00:01:15.260 --> 00:01:17.420 cows, you really need to turn up the volume. 00:01:17.719 --> 00:01:19.799 And today we're dissecting a feature piece that 00:01:19.799 --> 00:01:22.060 has some serious implications for your balance 00:01:22.060 --> 00:01:24.500 sheet. This isn't just about tweaking a ration. 00:01:24.640 --> 00:01:27.180 This is about recognizing that the difference 00:01:27.180 --> 00:01:31.140 between success and failure in the parlor Well, 00:01:31.180 --> 00:01:33.780 it starts a full 60 days before calving. Absolutely. 00:01:34.219 --> 00:01:36.500 It's a 60 -day opportunity or a 60 -day train 00:01:36.500 --> 00:01:38.159 wreck, depending on how you look at it. I think 00:01:38.159 --> 00:01:39.700 you hit the nail on the head. We've all spent 00:01:39.700 --> 00:01:42.459 countless hours worrying about fresh cow treatment 00:01:42.459 --> 00:01:44.760 protocols. You know, we panic when the DAs spike. 00:01:44.980 --> 00:01:47.280 But the conversation we should be having isn't 00:01:47.280 --> 00:01:49.640 about reaction. It's about precision prevention. 00:01:50.099 --> 00:01:52.819 And that's the core idea here. These transition 00:01:52.819 --> 00:01:55.859 cow cratches are just silently draining profits. 00:01:56.400 --> 00:01:59.370 Silently is the right word. And the data is screaming 00:01:59.370 --> 00:02:01.930 that targeted, you know, personalized protocols 00:02:01.930 --> 00:02:05.750 can cut disease rates by a solid 25 to 30 percent. 00:02:05.790 --> 00:02:08.430 Wait a minute. 25 to 30 percent. That's not a 00:02:08.430 --> 00:02:10.610 small number. It's huge. That's not marginal. 00:02:10.629 --> 00:02:13.129 That's revolutionary. We're talking about cutting 00:02:13.129 --> 00:02:17.530 metritis, ketosis, and DAs by a quarter to almost 00:02:17.530 --> 00:02:21.030 a third. On any mid -sized operation, that is 00:02:21.030 --> 00:02:24.979 just pure profit recovered. Especially now with 00:02:24.979 --> 00:02:28.740 how volatile feed inputs are. Exactly. And the 00:02:28.740 --> 00:02:32.460 stakes are, they're absolutely crystalline. The 00:02:32.460 --> 00:02:34.240 foundational science, and this is coming out 00:02:34.240 --> 00:02:36.840 of major institutions like Penn State, Cornell, 00:02:37.300 --> 00:02:40.560 Wisconsin, it all points to the same conclusion. 00:02:41.259 --> 00:02:43.539 Implementing these targeted protocols translates 00:02:43.539 --> 00:02:45.659 into a net benefit, and I want to emphasize net 00:02:45.659 --> 00:02:48.919 benefit, of somewhere between $200 to $500 per 00:02:48.919 --> 00:02:52.300 cow per lactation. Okay, stop right there. $500 00:02:52.300 --> 00:02:55.449 net benefit. Per cow. Per cow. That is a figure 00:02:55.449 --> 00:02:57.530 that should make every single listener sit up 00:02:57.530 --> 00:02:59.949 straight. Let's just put that into perspective 00:02:59.949 --> 00:03:01.590 for a second. Please do. If you're running a 00:03:01.590 --> 00:03:04.349 thousand cow dairy, that's half a million dollars 00:03:04.349 --> 00:03:07.090 annually just hanging in the balance, all based 00:03:07.090 --> 00:03:09.250 on how you manage a 60 -day window. A half a 00:03:09.250 --> 00:03:11.469 million dollars. That's enough capital to buy 00:03:11.469 --> 00:03:14.409 a decent piece of equipment, hire another specialized 00:03:14.409 --> 00:03:17.449 team member, or finally get that integrated software 00:03:17.449 --> 00:03:21.199 system you've been putting off. If the ROI is 00:03:21.199 --> 00:03:24.300 that obvious, if the science is settled, why 00:03:24.300 --> 00:03:26.379 are we here talking about this like it's a revolutionary 00:03:26.379 --> 00:03:28.960 concept instead of just standard operating procedure? 00:03:29.219 --> 00:03:31.580 That's where the controversy is. And it's deeply 00:03:31.580 --> 00:03:34.039 frustrating. It sounds like another case where 00:03:34.039 --> 00:03:36.560 the science is perfect in the lab, but the farm 00:03:36.560 --> 00:03:39.759 gate reality. Just kills the adoption. Precisely. 00:03:39.800 --> 00:03:42.280 The research suggests that roughly 80 percent 00:03:42.280 --> 00:03:44.580 of U .S. dairies, the majority of operations, 00:03:45.000 --> 00:03:48.680 they lack the integrated data systems or, and 00:03:48.680 --> 00:03:50.759 this is the really crucial part, the financial 00:03:50.759 --> 00:03:53.780 reserves to execute these approaches consistently. 00:03:54.120 --> 00:03:57.259 We know the solution, but most of the industry 00:03:57.259 --> 00:03:59.520 is stuck in what we call the productivity trap. 00:03:59.759 --> 00:04:01.719 So this isn't a science problem. The researchers 00:04:01.719 --> 00:04:03.400 aren't waiting for some magic bullet. This is 00:04:03.400 --> 00:04:05.419 fundamentally a management problem. A management 00:04:05.419 --> 00:04:08.340 and an infrastructure problem. You can't implement 00:04:08.340 --> 00:04:10.960 a precision protocol if your data is sitting 00:04:10.960 --> 00:04:13.659 on a clipboard that gets wet in the rain. Or 00:04:13.659 --> 00:04:16.000 if you can't afford the five grand for the software 00:04:16.000 --> 00:04:18.699 that would connect your BCS score to your feeder. 00:04:19.240 --> 00:04:22.500 Exactly. And we saw this play out so dramatically 00:04:22.500 --> 00:04:25.579 in Europe when the EU mandated selective dry 00:04:25.579 --> 00:04:29.259 cow protocols back in early 2022. They forced 00:04:29.259 --> 00:04:31.579 the industry to adopt this kind of precision. 00:04:31.899 --> 00:04:33.620 There was a lot of pushback on that, I remember. 00:04:33.839 --> 00:04:36.439 Of course, there was resistance. But what happened? 00:04:36.639 --> 00:04:39.480 They now report lower mastitis rates than they 00:04:39.480 --> 00:04:41.319 had with blanket treatment. Get out of here, 00:04:41.399 --> 00:04:44.939 really? Really. The forced regulatory shift created 00:04:44.939 --> 00:04:47.889 the necessary support infrastructure. It proves 00:04:47.889 --> 00:04:49.829 that when the industry aligns, whether it's by 00:04:49.829 --> 00:04:52.470 mandate or market pressure, the targeted approach 00:04:52.470 --> 00:04:55.889 works at scale. That's a critical point. It shows 00:04:55.889 --> 00:04:58.269 that if the system is built to support it, farmers 00:04:58.269 --> 00:05:00.370 will adopt it and they'll benefit. That's a powerful 00:05:00.370 --> 00:05:02.709 lesson for us here in the States, where voluntary 00:05:02.709 --> 00:05:05.649 adoption is still, you know, really low. It really 00:05:05.649 --> 00:05:08.310 is. It signals that we need a systemic push, 00:05:08.449 --> 00:05:11.269 maybe from processors or the large co -ops, to 00:05:11.269 --> 00:05:13.329 help build that technical scaffolding for everybody. 00:05:13.529 --> 00:05:17.329 So our mission today is a bit complex. First, 00:05:17.550 --> 00:05:21.069 we need to identify exactly where that $500 leak 00:05:21.069 --> 00:05:24.310 happens. Second, we have to analyze the hard 00:05:24.310 --> 00:05:27.370 economics of targeted interventions versus just 00:05:27.370 --> 00:05:30.310 blanket treatment. And third, and this is the 00:05:30.310 --> 00:05:31.930 most important part for you listening right now, 00:05:32.050 --> 00:05:34.290 we need to figure out the realistic starting 00:05:34.290 --> 00:05:37.110 point for any operation, regardless of size, 00:05:37.230 --> 00:05:40.389 that wants to capture that $200 to $500 gap without 00:05:40.389 --> 00:05:42.750 bankrupting themselves on software. Let's do 00:05:42.750 --> 00:05:45.560 it. Let's start with the pain point. You're walking 00:05:45.560 --> 00:05:48.600 the fresh pen at 5 a .m. You spot that cow, that 00:05:48.600 --> 00:05:51.000 one cow that's just off. Oh, I know that cow. 00:05:51.139 --> 00:05:53.600 We all know that cow. Head is a little low. She's 00:05:53.600 --> 00:05:55.540 standing away from the bunk, looks sluggish. 00:05:55.560 --> 00:05:57.160 She's not lying down, but she's not eating with 00:05:57.160 --> 00:05:59.040 any purpose either. Right. That's not intuition. 00:05:59.439 --> 00:06:01.339 That's the sound of dollar signs flying out the 00:06:01.339 --> 00:06:04.220 window. That little flashing red light means 00:06:04.220 --> 00:06:07.459 you're probably about to spend $300 to $1 ,000 00:06:07.459 --> 00:06:09.800 dealing with the crash she's heading for. We 00:06:09.800 --> 00:06:12.139 feel that loss instinctively, right? The vet 00:06:12.139 --> 00:06:14.879 call, the syringe, the labor. But we need to 00:06:14.879 --> 00:06:17.079 quantify the true cost because I think farmers 00:06:17.079 --> 00:06:20.560 dramatically underestimate the persistent hidden 00:06:20.560 --> 00:06:22.839 losses. I think absolutely do. I mean, foundational 00:06:22.839 --> 00:06:25.639 research, specifically from people like Dr. Daryl 00:06:25.639 --> 00:06:28.639 Nyham and Dr. Jessica McCart, adjusted for today's 00:06:28.639 --> 00:06:31.600 incredibly high costs, estimates clinical ketosis 00:06:31.600 --> 00:06:35.800 alone at $300 to $350 per case. But again, that 00:06:35.800 --> 00:06:39.620 $300 to $350. That's just the immediate cost. 00:06:39.720 --> 00:06:42.439 Exactly. Covers the drugs, the extra labor to 00:06:42.439 --> 00:06:45.759 handle her, maybe the first vet visit. The real 00:06:45.759 --> 00:06:48.899 punch is the persistent milk loss that follows 00:06:48.899 --> 00:06:51.639 her for the next six months. Precisely. For a 00:06:51.639 --> 00:06:54.220 single case of clinical ketosis, we're talking 00:06:54.220 --> 00:06:57.759 about losing a staggering 600 to 800 pounds of 00:06:57.759 --> 00:07:00.819 milk over the lactation period. Wow. Now. Let's 00:07:00.819 --> 00:07:03.220 run the math on that at a $20 100 -wheat milk 00:07:03.220 --> 00:07:06.779 price. That's another $120 to $160 in lost revenue 00:07:06.779 --> 00:07:09.079 right on top of your treatment costs. So that 00:07:09.079 --> 00:07:13.720 $300 problem is now a $450 to $500 problem instantly. 00:07:14.199 --> 00:07:16.560 And that's just ketosis. Mitritis, the uterine 00:07:16.560 --> 00:07:18.839 infection, that's often considered the silent 00:07:18.839 --> 00:07:20.939 killer of profitability. It's not always dramatic, 00:07:21.199 --> 00:07:23.879 but the downstream effects are just relentless. 00:07:24.259 --> 00:07:26.300 Right. And research from Cornell in Wisconsin 00:07:26.300 --> 00:07:29.000 suggests the true cost of mitritis is somewhere 00:07:29.000 --> 00:07:32.579 between $300 and $500 per case. It's always higher 00:07:32.579 --> 00:07:34.720 than you think. And we need to be clear about 00:07:34.720 --> 00:07:37.540 why that number is so high. It's not just the 00:07:37.540 --> 00:07:40.620 antibiotics. That $300 to $500 for mitritis, 00:07:40.759 --> 00:07:43.360 it factors in three distinct areas. One, the... 00:07:43.500 --> 00:07:46.720 costs of treatment and labor. Two, the lost milk. 00:07:46.879 --> 00:07:50.000 But critically, number three is the massive fertility 00:07:50.000 --> 00:07:53.420 hit. Ah, the fertility factor. Yeah. When a cow 00:07:53.420 --> 00:07:56.339 has metritis, her uterus is inflamed. Even after 00:07:56.339 --> 00:07:58.699 that acute infection clears up, it takes way 00:07:58.699 --> 00:08:01.040 longer for her reproductive tract to recover. 00:08:01.199 --> 00:08:04.079 Which means? It means more days open, more expensive 00:08:04.079 --> 00:08:06.920 attempts at breeding, and ultimately a much lower 00:08:06.920 --> 00:08:09.610 chance of a successful next lactation. If you 00:08:09.610 --> 00:08:11.750 lose a month of a potential breeding window, 00:08:11.930 --> 00:08:14.649 that's hundreds of dollars in extended dry periods 00:08:14.649 --> 00:08:17.769 and feed costs right down the line. It just compounds. 00:08:17.829 --> 00:08:21.069 And here is the absolutely terrifying kicker 00:08:21.069 --> 00:08:23.709 that moves this from just a problem to a catastrophe. 00:08:23.970 --> 00:08:26.889 Okay. Concurrency. The research shows that when 00:08:26.889 --> 00:08:30.149 a cow gets multiple diseases, say subclinical 00:08:30.149 --> 00:08:32.850 ketosis that's followed by metritis, or a DA 00:08:32.850 --> 00:08:34.789 that requires surgery, which, by the way, happens 00:08:34.789 --> 00:08:37.879 about 35 % of the time in that first month. 35%. 00:08:37.879 --> 00:08:41.820 One in three. The losses easily top $1 ,000 per 00:08:41.820 --> 00:08:45.139 cow. $1 ,000. We're not talking about a rounding 00:08:45.139 --> 00:08:47.879 error anymore. That is a massive chunk of change 00:08:47.879 --> 00:08:50.240 that you just threw away. It's gone. You fed 00:08:50.240 --> 00:08:53.759 that cow for 60 days in her dry period. You invested 00:08:53.759 --> 00:08:56.840 in her future. And then in the first 90 days 00:08:56.840 --> 00:09:00.559 of lactation, you lose the margin on $1 ,000 00:09:00.559 --> 00:09:03.539 worth of production potential. You are actively 00:09:03.539 --> 00:09:06.590 subsidizing failure. Think about today's high 00:09:06.590 --> 00:09:09.090 feed costs. That margin is so much thinner than 00:09:09.090 --> 00:09:11.669 it was two years ago. Every day you feed a cow 00:09:11.669 --> 00:09:13.450 who is underperforming because of a transition 00:09:13.450 --> 00:09:16.190 event cuts deep into the profit of your healthy 00:09:16.190 --> 00:09:18.669 cows. You know, preventing that $1 ,000 loss 00:09:18.669 --> 00:09:21.730 is exponentially more valuable than chasing a 00:09:21.730 --> 00:09:24.429 $10 increase in peak milk from a healthy cow. 00:09:24.870 --> 00:09:28.279 100%. That changes the calculus completely. We 00:09:28.279 --> 00:09:30.639 have to view an investment in transition management 00:09:30.639 --> 00:09:33.659 not as an expense, but as a mandatory insurance 00:09:33.659 --> 00:09:37.419 policy against a $1 ,000 loss. Exactly. And that 00:09:37.419 --> 00:09:39.820 shift in mindset leads us straight to the prevention 00:09:39.820 --> 00:09:43.000 goal, the Penn State framework developed by researchers 00:09:43.000 --> 00:09:46.379 like Adrian Barragan. They are focusing the industry 00:09:46.379 --> 00:09:49.500 on preventing these expensive crashes by using 00:09:49.500 --> 00:09:53.100 existing information to identify who is at risk 00:09:53.100 --> 00:09:55.559 before the crash happens. So they're not asking 00:09:55.559 --> 00:09:57.740 you to buy new gadgets? No, they're asking you 00:09:57.740 --> 00:09:59.919 to get significantly smarter about the data we 00:09:59.919 --> 00:10:02.139 already collect, especially around dry off and 00:10:02.139 --> 00:10:04.340 close up. So we've established the price of failure 00:10:04.340 --> 00:10:07.379 is high. Now let's look at where we can intervene 00:10:07.379 --> 00:10:09.879 most effectively. The framework highlights three 00:10:09.879 --> 00:10:13.179 critical windows, dry off, close up, and calving 00:10:13.179 --> 00:10:15.879 itself. In your experience, where does the trouble 00:10:15.879 --> 00:10:18.059 really start to germinate? It starts at dry off, 00:10:18.159 --> 00:10:20.820 full stop. You're going to say that. If you mess 00:10:20.820 --> 00:10:22.879 up the dry off period, you are fundamentally 00:10:22.879 --> 00:10:25.759 setting that cow up for inflammation and metabolic 00:10:25.759 --> 00:10:28.840 chaos for the rest of her lactation. And the 00:10:28.840 --> 00:10:31.740 number one flag, the biggest predictor of a future 00:10:31.740 --> 00:10:35.019 wreck, is the over -conditioned cow. We all know 00:10:35.019 --> 00:10:37.960 they're bad news. But it's the actual hard data 00:10:37.960 --> 00:10:40.360 on the cost that forces you to change your management. 00:10:40.480 --> 00:10:41.860 Let's hit them with the numbers because this 00:10:41.860 --> 00:10:44.480 is the data that has to drive the protocol. Cows 00:10:44.480 --> 00:10:47.980 with a body condition score, or BCS, of 3 .75 00:10:47.980 --> 00:10:50.779 or greater at dry off. They're just primed for 00:10:50.779 --> 00:10:53.919 metabolic catastrophe. And why 3 .75? What's 00:10:53.919 --> 00:10:56.120 the magic in that number? Because that threshold 00:10:56.120 --> 00:10:59.080 signals excessive fat mobilization in the fresh 00:10:59.080 --> 00:11:01.519 period. They tracked thousands of lactations, 00:11:01.519 --> 00:11:04.120 and the data showed these cows produced a whopping 00:11:04.120 --> 00:11:08.159 560 pounds less milk in the first 16 weeks of 00:11:08.159 --> 00:11:11.080 their next lactation. 560 pounds. That's not 00:11:11.080 --> 00:11:13.539 a mild inconvenience. That is a serious production 00:11:13.539 --> 00:11:16.340 hole, just because the cow carried an extra quarter 00:11:16.340 --> 00:11:18.340 point of fat at tryout. And it's never just the 00:11:18.340 --> 00:11:21.830 milk, is it? Never. They also show 10 % more 00:11:21.830 --> 00:11:24.529 health events. And that's the classic domino 00:11:24.529 --> 00:11:27.269 effect. She's fat. She mobilizes too much fat. 00:11:27.389 --> 00:11:29.950 She gets ketosis. That suppresses her appetite, 00:11:30.049 --> 00:11:32.710 which leads to metritis. And boom, suddenly she's 00:11:32.710 --> 00:11:34.990 in that $1 ,000 category. It's the cruel irony 00:11:34.990 --> 00:11:37.429 of farming, right? Comfort in the dry period 00:11:37.429 --> 00:11:40.009 translates to metabolic discomfort and sickness 00:11:40.009 --> 00:11:42.690 in the fresh period. It really does. But we also 00:11:42.690 --> 00:11:44.309 have to look at the genetics of high production. 00:11:45.230 --> 00:11:48.490 Cows still making 45 pounds of milk or more at 00:11:48.490 --> 00:11:51.549 dry off are also a high risk flag. And that's 00:11:51.549 --> 00:11:53.330 a management challenge because you hate to dry 00:11:53.330 --> 00:11:55.990 off a cow that's still producing that much. But 00:11:55.990 --> 00:11:58.129 if you push her hard right up to that 60 day 00:11:58.129 --> 00:12:00.190 mark, you increase the risk of milk leakage. 00:12:00.350 --> 00:12:02.889 Which leads to? Intramemory infections and mastitis 00:12:02.889 --> 00:12:05.330 in the dry period. You're fighting the very genetics 00:12:05.330 --> 00:12:07.870 you spent years selecting for. Wait, what's the 00:12:07.870 --> 00:12:10.669 absolute worst case cow? The one we absolutely 00:12:10.669 --> 00:12:13.639 must spend the 95 bucks on. Oh, that's the high 00:12:13.639 --> 00:12:15.799 -risk combo, the one that's both over -conditioned, 00:12:15.799 --> 00:12:19.000 say a BCS of 4 .0 and she's still producing 50 00:12:19.000 --> 00:12:22.179 pounds of milk. That cow is a walking liability. 00:12:22.639 --> 00:12:25.240 She needs to be separated, managed, and monitored 00:12:25.240 --> 00:12:27.940 like a hawk. And we can't overlook somatic cell 00:12:27.940 --> 00:12:31.320 count, SCC, as a high -risk marker. Research 00:12:31.320 --> 00:12:34.580 by Pam Ruge and Noelia Salvadorio clearly shows 00:12:34.580 --> 00:12:37.279 the long -term impact of high SCC at dry -off. 00:12:37.419 --> 00:12:40.299 Right, so cows over 200 ,000 cells at the time 00:12:40.299 --> 00:12:42.740 of dry -off. Yeah. They're not just mastitis 00:12:42.740 --> 00:12:45.240 risks themselves. No, they significantly compromise 00:12:45.240 --> 00:12:47.779 their colostrum quality. Which means their calves, 00:12:47.960 --> 00:12:51.039 the future of your herd, get lower antibody levels. 00:12:51.240 --> 00:12:53.639 And that makes them more vulnerable to scours 00:12:53.639 --> 00:12:55.960 and respiratory disease. It's a systemic failure. 00:12:56.139 --> 00:12:57.919 And the cow is penalized in production, too. 00:12:58.000 --> 00:13:00.620 She loses about a thousand fewer pounds of milk 00:13:00.620 --> 00:13:03.259 in the first 16 weeks. So high SCC at dry off 00:13:03.259 --> 00:13:06.220 is costing you twice in the cow and in the calf. 00:13:06.440 --> 00:13:08.720 So those are the dry off flags. Let's shift to 00:13:08.720 --> 00:13:10.320 the close -up period, the final two to three 00:13:10.320 --> 00:13:13.039 weeks. This window is all about logistics, stress, 00:13:13.240 --> 00:13:15.659 and nutrition. This is where we talk about DCAD, 00:13:15.779 --> 00:13:18.200 the Dietary Cation Any Indifference. I know that's 00:13:18.200 --> 00:13:21.179 a dense acronym, but for a farmer, DCAD is essentially 00:13:21.179 --> 00:13:23.580 your dietary electrolyte balance. And why is 00:13:23.580 --> 00:13:25.519 that so critical right before calving? Because 00:13:25.519 --> 00:13:28.340 if the diet isn't slightly anionic, if the DCAD 00:13:28.340 --> 00:13:31.100 is too positive, the cow can't mobilize calcium 00:13:31.100 --> 00:13:33.659 efficiently from her bones. When she calves, 00:13:33.860 --> 00:13:36.340 her sudden demand for massive amounts of calcium 00:13:36.340 --> 00:13:39.460 for colostrum and milk production creates a vacuum. 00:13:39.679 --> 00:13:43.039 And she drops into subclinical or clinical hypocalcemia. 00:13:43.210 --> 00:13:46.389 Milk fever. Exactly. And that paralyzes the smooth 00:13:46.389 --> 00:13:49.210 muscle functions. She can't stand up, she can't 00:13:49.210 --> 00:13:51.669 clean out her uterus, and her immune system just 00:13:51.669 --> 00:13:54.470 crashes. So DCAD is the nutritional linchpin 00:13:54.470 --> 00:13:56.769 for preventing the entire cascade of fresh cow 00:13:56.769 --> 00:13:59.110 diseases. If you mess up DCAD, you're pretty 00:13:59.110 --> 00:14:01.889 much guaranteeing metritis and ketosis. Right. 00:14:01.929 --> 00:14:03.929 And other close -up red flags are logistics. 00:14:04.409 --> 00:14:07.230 Feed intake drops of 30 % or more, which indicates 00:14:07.230 --> 00:14:10.250 stress or sickness, and the stress caused by 00:14:10.250 --> 00:14:13.440 unnecessary pen moves. Pen moves are huge. That 00:14:13.440 --> 00:14:16.159 last movement into the maternity or close -up 00:14:16.159 --> 00:14:19.360 pen causes stress, which spikes cortisol, which 00:14:19.360 --> 00:14:21.860 suppresses the immune system right when she needs 00:14:21.860 --> 00:14:24.820 it most. Minimize those moves, especially in 00:14:24.820 --> 00:14:27.659 that last week. And of course, the obvious calving 00:14:27.659 --> 00:14:30.240 flags. First calf heifers, always higher risk. 00:14:30.440 --> 00:14:33.399 Twins and dystocia cases. These are the cows 00:14:33.399 --> 00:14:35.460 that need immediate, high -priority protocols. 00:14:35.899 --> 00:14:38.940 All of this data is gold. We can build the perfect 00:14:38.940 --> 00:14:42.029 checklist. But this brings us to the implementation 00:14:42.029 --> 00:14:45.549 barrier, the human factor, which research shows 00:14:45.549 --> 00:14:47.809 is the number one reason these protocols fail. 00:14:47.970 --> 00:14:49.769 You're talking about DCS scoring consistency. 00:14:50.149 --> 00:14:52.830 I'm not buying software if my team can't even 00:14:52.830 --> 00:14:55.950 agree on whether a cow is a 3 .5 or a 4 .0. Exactly. 00:14:56.110 --> 00:14:58.230 Studies from the University of Wisconsin have 00:14:58.230 --> 00:15:00.350 repeatedly shown that when you have two different 00:15:00.350 --> 00:15:02.690 people, even two trained people scoring the same 00:15:02.690 --> 00:15:05.610 cow, they disagree by half a point or more roughly 00:15:05.610 --> 00:15:08.059 one third of the time. Third of the time. 33 00:15:08.059 --> 00:15:10.240 % of the time, the people making the management 00:15:10.240 --> 00:15:12.960 decision don't agree on the primary metric. And 00:15:12.960 --> 00:15:14.860 half a point is the difference between classification 00:15:14.860 --> 00:15:18.399 and misclassification. If my protocol says treat 00:15:18.399 --> 00:15:22.000 cows 3 .75 and up, and the morning guy scores 00:15:22.000 --> 00:15:24.539 her 3 .5 while the afternoon guy scores her 4 00:15:24.539 --> 00:15:27.960 .0, my system has failed. Right. And I've either 00:15:27.960 --> 00:15:31.120 wasted money treating a low -risk cow or missed 00:15:31.120 --> 00:15:33.299 a high -risk cow who is now going to cost me 00:15:33.299 --> 00:15:36.240 $1 ,000. It undermines the entire economic benefit. 00:15:36.799 --> 00:15:39.379 The lack of consistency is the biggest red flag 00:15:39.379 --> 00:15:41.779 for implementation readiness. It's not about 00:15:41.779 --> 00:15:43.860 buying the right supplement. It's about ensuring 00:15:43.860 --> 00:15:46.220 the person with the clipboard or the tablet knows 00:15:46.220 --> 00:15:49.080 exactly what a 3 .75 looks like every single 00:15:49.080 --> 00:15:51.139 time. We have to address that human vulnerability 00:15:51.139 --> 00:15:54.340 if we really want to capture that $500 gap. We 00:15:54.340 --> 00:15:56.259 need to shift gears and talk about where we spend 00:15:56.259 --> 00:15:58.679 our limited resources smarter. We established 00:15:58.679 --> 00:16:01.279 that treating every cow the same, the blanket 00:16:01.279 --> 00:16:04.269 approach, is expensive and often wasteful. Where 00:16:04.269 --> 00:16:06.190 does targeted intervention really give us the 00:16:06.190 --> 00:16:08.889 biggest bang for our buck? The highest ROI currently 00:16:08.889 --> 00:16:12.049 sits in preventative anti -inflammatory intervention, 00:16:12.350 --> 00:16:15.549 specifically the trials using meloxicam. This 00:16:15.549 --> 00:16:17.529 is where precision timing really shines, and 00:16:17.529 --> 00:16:19.129 it's a great illustration of why the blanket 00:16:19.129 --> 00:16:22.029 approach fails. The anti -inflammatory revelation. 00:16:22.149 --> 00:16:25.230 So why is it so powerful and why is timing so 00:16:25.230 --> 00:16:28.070 critical? Because it's all about dampening the 00:16:28.070 --> 00:16:30.350 intense systemic inflammation that's associated 00:16:30.350 --> 00:16:33.350 with calving. Calving is, metabolically, the 00:16:33.350 --> 00:16:36.629 most traumatic event in a cow's cycle. So Berrigan's 00:16:36.629 --> 00:16:39.110 team focused intensely on timing and parity. 00:16:39.330 --> 00:16:42.289 They found that first calf heifers treated just 00:16:42.289 --> 00:16:44.929 before expected calving showed dramatically different 00:16:44.929 --> 00:16:47.110 results compared to the older cows. Okay, let's 00:16:47.110 --> 00:16:49.509 unpack the mechanism there. Why the difference 00:16:49.509 --> 00:16:51.690 between a heifer and an older cow? The first 00:16:51.690 --> 00:16:54.029 calf heifer is undergoing two massive stresses 00:16:54.029 --> 00:16:56.750 at once. The stress of calving and the stress 00:16:56.750 --> 00:16:59.470 of integrating into the milking herd and establishing 00:16:59.470 --> 00:17:01.909 social hierarchy for the very first time. Right. 00:17:01.970 --> 00:17:04.750 It's a double whammy. Her immune system and inflammatory 00:17:04.750 --> 00:17:07.769 response are disproportionately high compared 00:17:07.769 --> 00:17:10.109 to a fifth lactation cow who has been through 00:17:10.109 --> 00:17:13.579 this rodeo multiple times. The meloxicam targets 00:17:13.579 --> 00:17:16.579 that intense first -time inflammatory response 00:17:16.579 --> 00:17:19.400 in the heifer. So by reducing that inflammation 00:17:19.400 --> 00:17:22.940 and pain pre -calving, you immediately free up 00:17:22.940 --> 00:17:25.279 energy that the heifer can put into milk production 00:17:25.279 --> 00:17:27.779 and immune function instead of just fighting 00:17:27.779 --> 00:17:30.240 that inflammatory response. Exactly. And the 00:17:30.240 --> 00:17:32.700 results were staggering. In some of these trials, 00:17:32.880 --> 00:17:35.599 treated first -calf heifers yielded up to 10 00:17:35.599 --> 00:17:39.299 to 11 pounds more milk per day in early lactation. 00:17:39.339 --> 00:17:42.009 10 to 11 pounds more. That's not a sustained 00:17:42.009 --> 00:17:44.690 peak. That's a boost that shifts the trajectory 00:17:44.690 --> 00:17:47.349 of her entire first lactation, which is critical 00:17:47.349 --> 00:17:49.549 for her retention and lifetime productivity. 00:17:49.890 --> 00:17:52.450 Ten pounds a day difference just from one targeted 00:17:52.450 --> 00:17:54.710 intervention. That immediately justifies the 00:17:54.710 --> 00:17:57.089 cost. But beyond the milk, there was an unexpected 00:17:57.089 --> 00:17:59.930 massive health win, too, wasn't there? Yes. The 00:17:59.930 --> 00:18:01.869 stillbirth rates in those treated heifers dropped 00:18:01.869 --> 00:18:04.869 by a shocking 20 percentage points. 90! Saving 00:18:04.869 --> 00:18:07.369 a calf, improving the heifer start, and boosting 00:18:07.369 --> 00:18:10.190 milk production. That's a trifecta of ROI. OK, 00:18:10.269 --> 00:18:13.509 critical reality check here. Meloxicam is an 00:18:13.509 --> 00:18:16.430 anti -inflammatory and its use in this manner 00:18:16.430 --> 00:18:19.589 is extra label use in the U .S. Right. We need 00:18:19.589 --> 00:18:21.549 to emphasize this isn't something a farmer can 00:18:21.549 --> 00:18:24.619 just decide to implement next Monday. Absolutely. 00:18:24.839 --> 00:18:28.019 Mandatory clarification. It requires a valid 00:18:28.019 --> 00:18:31.779 VCPR veterinary client patient relationship and 00:18:31.779 --> 00:18:34.240 a prescription. You have to have an established 00:18:34.240 --> 00:18:36.779 ongoing relationship with your herd vet who knows 00:18:36.779 --> 00:18:39.599 your farm and prescribes this intervention under 00:18:39.599 --> 00:18:42.299 the proper legal framework. Which just underscores 00:18:42.299 --> 00:18:44.940 that targeted protocols are a team project, not 00:18:44.940 --> 00:18:48.210 a DIY endeavor. You don't have a VCPR. You can't 00:18:48.210 --> 00:18:50.410 access this powerful tool. And this brings us 00:18:50.410 --> 00:18:53.009 back to the older cows. If the anti -inflammatory 00:18:53.009 --> 00:18:55.609 works by targeting that intense first -time inflammation, 00:18:55.990 --> 00:18:57.990 what about the fifth lactation cow? Does she 00:18:57.990 --> 00:19:00.130 still benefit? This is why the targeted approach 00:19:00.130 --> 00:19:02.950 saves money. Older cows, according to tracking 00:19:02.950 --> 00:19:05.609 by Mike Overton's group, showed no significant 00:19:05.609 --> 00:19:08.690 economic benefit from the same blanket pre -partum 00:19:08.690 --> 00:19:10.809 anti -inflammatory protocols. Not at all. They 00:19:10.809 --> 00:19:13.630 handle the inflammatory stress differently. So 00:19:13.630 --> 00:19:16.609 treating every cow, old and young, means you 00:19:16.609 --> 00:19:19.529 are actively wasting $40 to $60 per treatment 00:19:19.529 --> 00:19:22.250 on a large segment of your herd that won't see 00:19:22.250 --> 00:19:25.190 a return. So we save money by ignoring the cows 00:19:25.190 --> 00:19:27.589 that don't need it, and we amplify production 00:19:27.589 --> 00:19:29.809 by focusing on the heifers who need it most. 00:19:30.329 --> 00:19:32.690 That's the definition of precision. Let's quantify 00:19:32.690 --> 00:19:36.029 that economic win conservatively. Even conservative 00:19:36.029 --> 00:19:38.490 estimates suggest the targeted approach can yield 00:19:38.490 --> 00:19:42.690 450 to over 1 ,500 pounds of extra milk over 00:19:42.690 --> 00:19:46.190 150 days of lactation. Let's just settle on 750 00:19:46.190 --> 00:19:49.349 pounds of extra milk. At $20 a hundredweight, 00:19:49.470 --> 00:19:52.569 that's $150 in recovered revenue, just on the 00:19:52.569 --> 00:19:54.849 milk side. Now let's run the net benefit calculation 00:19:54.849 --> 00:19:57.900 comparing the two worldviews. The traditional 00:19:57.900 --> 00:20:01.740 or blanket approach costs about $45 to $60 per 00:20:01.740 --> 00:20:05.440 cow herd -wide. And the NAHMS data confirms that 00:20:05.440 --> 00:20:07.779 with this approach, disease rates still hover 00:20:07.779 --> 00:20:10.819 around 27 to 25 percent in the first 60 days. 00:20:10.960 --> 00:20:14.140 Right. Now, the targeted approach flips the cost 00:20:14.140 --> 00:20:18.019 structure. Your low risk cows, the healthy, normal 00:20:18.019 --> 00:20:21.859 BCS older girls, they only cost $15 to $25 in 00:20:21.859 --> 00:20:24.660 basic support. But your high risk cows, the fat 00:20:24.660 --> 00:20:28.400 heifers, the high SEC cows, they get the full 00:20:28.400 --> 00:20:31.500 sophisticated treatment costing maybe $65 to 00:20:31.500 --> 00:20:34.299 $95 per head, depending on what you do. But the 00:20:34.299 --> 00:20:36.480 outcome is the proof. You're talking about disease 00:20:36.480 --> 00:20:40.039 rates dropping to 18 to 24%. That's a measurable, 00:20:40.220 --> 00:20:43.700 bankable 25 to 30 % reduction in sickness. You 00:20:43.700 --> 00:20:45.940 cut your vet bills, you cut your labor costs, 00:20:46.039 --> 00:20:47.980 and you recover production. When you net all 00:20:47.980 --> 00:20:50.460 that out, the reduced treatment costs, the reduced 00:20:50.460 --> 00:20:52.440 vet fees, the recovered milk, and the reduced 00:20:52.440 --> 00:20:55.700 fertility hit, you land squarely in that $200 00:20:55.700 --> 00:20:59.099 to $500 per cow per lactation net benefit. That 00:20:59.099 --> 00:21:01.940 is the actual gap we are trying to close. But, 00:21:01.940 --> 00:21:04.230 and there's always a but. Here's the caution 00:21:04.230 --> 00:21:06.490 we must always include. CheckGuard's emphasis 00:21:06.490 --> 00:21:09.470 rings loudest here. Right. The benefit only applies 00:21:09.470 --> 00:21:11.950 if you can execute consistently. And that if 00:21:11.950 --> 00:21:14.470 is where 80 % of U .S. dairies are stumbling. 00:21:14.650 --> 00:21:17.569 We have to tackle the elephant in the room, the 00:21:17.569 --> 00:21:20.490 infrastructure hurdle. If the economics are this 00:21:20.490 --> 00:21:25.930 clear, a $200 to $500 ROI, why are 80 % of U 00:21:25.930 --> 00:21:28.349 .S. dairies lagging behind? Why aren't they ready 00:21:28.349 --> 00:21:30.490 to implement this? I wish the answer was exciting, 00:21:30.569 --> 00:21:33.039 but it's brutally simple. Cash flow and capital 00:21:33.039 --> 00:21:35.799 access. It always comes down to money. The USDA 00:21:35.799 --> 00:21:38.700 outlook suggests profitability is shaky for a 00:21:38.700 --> 00:21:41.119 lot of farms right now. When milk is volatile 00:21:41.119 --> 00:21:44.299 and feed costs are high, putting $10 ,000 into 00:21:44.299 --> 00:21:47.480 a new data system or even $1 ,000 into new protocols, 00:21:47.819 --> 00:21:50.559 it feels like an unaffordable luxury. Even if 00:21:50.559 --> 00:21:53.099 the long -term ROI is guaranteed. Even then. 00:21:53.680 --> 00:21:56.319 Chris Wolf at Cornell articulated this perfectly 00:21:56.319 --> 00:21:59.279 as the productivity trap. The farms struggling 00:21:59.279 --> 00:22:01.759 the most, the bottom 40 percent with the highest 00:22:01.759 --> 00:22:04.839 cost of production, are precisely the ones that 00:22:04.839 --> 00:22:07.220 lack the capital to invest in the data systems 00:22:07.220 --> 00:22:08.980 and labor training that would actually close 00:22:08.980 --> 00:22:11.980 the gap. It's a cruel, self -perpetuating cycle. 00:22:12.259 --> 00:22:14.799 The farms that need the efficiency gains most 00:22:14.799 --> 00:22:16.880 are the ones that can least afford the upfront 00:22:16.880 --> 00:22:19.380 investment to get them. It's so frustrating, 00:22:19.619 --> 00:22:21.720 because the investment isn't just in expensive 00:22:21.720 --> 00:22:24.559 software, it's in discipline and training. But 00:22:24.559 --> 00:22:27.359 even training costs time, and time is money when 00:22:27.359 --> 00:22:29.359 you're milking three times a day. That leads 00:22:29.359 --> 00:22:31.740 us straight into the behavioral side, which often 00:22:31.740 --> 00:22:35.400 overrides logic. Jennifer Van Oss' work at Wisconsin 00:22:35.400 --> 00:22:38.099 on the prevention paradox is essential reading 00:22:38.099 --> 00:22:40.420 here. She points out that preventing ketosis 00:22:40.420 --> 00:22:43.940 or a DA is psychologically unsatisfying. Say 00:22:43.940 --> 00:22:45.940 more about that. What do you mean by unsatisfying? 00:22:46.019 --> 00:22:48.180 You follow the protocol religiously. You spend 00:22:48.180 --> 00:22:50.160 the money on the targeted treatment. The cow 00:22:50.160 --> 00:22:52.599 doesn't crash. And nothing visible happens. There's 00:22:52.599 --> 00:22:55.380 no drama. You can't point to the zero sick cows 00:22:55.380 --> 00:22:57.519 and declare victory because it just feels like 00:22:57.519 --> 00:23:00.619 you did your job. The success is quiet, invisible, 00:23:00.859 --> 00:23:03.630 and easily forgotten. But when you miss one, 00:23:03.789 --> 00:23:07.069 and she crashes. That is immediate, visible, 00:23:07.269 --> 00:23:09.829 and requires a massive, memorable intervention. 00:23:10.450 --> 00:23:13.049 That's the $1 ,000 loss that creates a visceral 00:23:13.049 --> 00:23:15.569 memory. Exactly. Think back to that anonymized 00:23:15.569 --> 00:23:18.009 dairyman story we referenced. He implemented 00:23:18.009 --> 00:23:20.289 the protocols for six months and saved a dozen 00:23:20.289 --> 00:23:23.170 cows from crashes, a massive financial win. But 00:23:23.170 --> 00:23:26.390 he lost one high -value genomic heifer because 00:23:26.390 --> 00:23:29.069 she was misclassified and the protocol failed 00:23:29.069 --> 00:23:32.150 on her. And what did he remember? He remembered 00:23:32.150 --> 00:23:35.609 the $3 ,000 loss on the one he missed, not the 00:23:35.609 --> 00:23:38.230 quiet cumulative gains on the dozen he saved. 00:23:38.430 --> 00:23:41.509 The pain is psychologically more potent and memorable 00:23:41.509 --> 00:23:44.710 than the quiet success of prevention. So we need 00:23:44.710 --> 00:23:46.930 management systems that actively celebrate and 00:23:46.930 --> 00:23:49.730 confirm prevention, even when there's no drama. 00:23:49.869 --> 00:23:52.369 And that's why integrated data is not negotiable, 00:23:52.410 --> 00:23:55.630 eventually. Right. Marcia Andres' research shows 00:23:55.630 --> 00:23:58.009 the immense difference integrated data makes. 00:23:58.250 --> 00:24:01.289 Farms using herd management software, where BCS 00:24:01.289 --> 00:24:03.269 scores, milk weights, health events all flow 00:24:03.269 --> 00:24:05.950 seamlessly into one system, they have significantly 00:24:05.950 --> 00:24:08.349 higher adoption rates for these precision protocols. 00:24:08.690 --> 00:24:10.789 And why is that? Because the system doesn't rely 00:24:10.789 --> 00:24:13.549 on human memory or clipboards. It solves the 00:24:13.549 --> 00:24:16.430 Jose versus Miguel problem. Let's drill down 00:24:16.430 --> 00:24:19.369 on this. The problem is consistency across shifts 00:24:19.369 --> 00:24:21.950 and across languages. When your best transition 00:24:21.950 --> 00:24:24.970 cow manager, Jose, is off on Sunday, does the 00:24:24.970 --> 00:24:27.930 substitute worker, Miguel, know that cow 1847 00:24:27.930 --> 00:24:30.910 is on the high -risk protocol and needs that 00:24:30.910 --> 00:24:33.910 specific feed additive or that anti -inflammatory 00:24:33.910 --> 00:24:36.630 shot? Without system integration, without a hard 00:24:36.630 --> 00:24:38.690 red flag popping up on the screen, regardless 00:24:38.690 --> 00:24:41.250 of who was entering the data, the whole delicate 00:24:41.250 --> 00:24:44.109 implementation just breaks down instantly. Human 00:24:44.109 --> 00:24:46.750 error overrides good science. That's the reality 00:24:46.750 --> 00:24:50.089 of working with large, diverse teams. The team 00:24:50.089 --> 00:24:52.009 needs training, but it also needs guardrails. 00:24:52.130 --> 00:24:53.630 And that's why the training has to be hands -on, 00:24:53.690 --> 00:24:56.390 too. Gustavo Schumann's finding confirmed that 00:24:56.390 --> 00:24:58.490 physical, hands -on walkthroughs of the protocol 00:24:58.490 --> 00:25:01.109 yield significantly better compliance than just 00:25:01.109 --> 00:25:02.910 handing out a written standard operating procedure. 00:25:03.470 --> 00:25:06.049 You can't just memo the team on what a BCS 3 00:25:06.049 --> 00:25:08.609 .75 looks like. You have to physically show them 00:25:08.609 --> 00:25:11.450 on the cow, in the pen, on the feed bunk. It's 00:25:11.450 --> 00:25:13.410 about building muscle memory and shared knowledge. 00:25:13.750 --> 00:25:16.230 Okay, let's be the solution for a minute. For 00:25:16.230 --> 00:25:19.390 the 80 % caught in the productivity trap who 00:25:19.390 --> 00:25:21.609 can't afford the $10 ,000 integrated software 00:25:21.609 --> 00:25:24.269 system right now, how do they bridge this data 00:25:24.269 --> 00:25:27.089 gap? We need low -tech solutions that build discipline. 00:25:27.710 --> 00:25:30.009 You don't need a central database to start. You 00:25:30.009 --> 00:25:32.630 need a dedicated whiteboard in the dry cow barn. 00:25:32.710 --> 00:25:35.049 A whiteboard. Instead of trying to track 15 metrics, 00:25:35.190 --> 00:25:37.930 you track just the high risk group. So the low 00:25:37.930 --> 00:25:41.289 tech bridge could be as simple as the person 00:25:41.289 --> 00:25:44.809 scoring BCS on dry off day writes the cow number 00:25:44.809 --> 00:25:47.369 on the whiteboard and the feeder knows that every 00:25:47.369 --> 00:25:50.910 cow on that list gets the high risk dry cow ration 00:25:50.910 --> 00:25:54.309 TMR specs. That's system integration using analog 00:25:54.309 --> 00:25:57.670 technology. Exactly. It forces discipline, visibility, 00:25:58.009 --> 00:26:00.609 and accountability without massive capital expenditure. 00:26:00.930 --> 00:26:03.589 It addresses the Jose versus Miguel problem by 00:26:03.589 --> 00:26:06.390 creating a shared, simple, visual queue that 00:26:06.390 --> 00:26:08.250 everyone can follow. And if that whiteboard system 00:26:08.250 --> 00:26:10.589 fails, you know your management needs operational 00:26:10.589 --> 00:26:12.869 work before you ever spend a dime on software. 00:26:13.150 --> 00:26:15.730 That's a great test of readiness. If you can't 00:26:15.730 --> 00:26:18.190 manage a whiteboard, you can't manage SAP. This 00:26:18.190 --> 00:26:20.210 is about building the culture of precision first. 00:26:20.700 --> 00:26:23.059 Let's look overseas for a second, because Europe 00:26:23.059 --> 00:26:26.000 gave us a clear roadmap for large -scale systemic 00:26:26.000 --> 00:26:29.680 change, albeit a forced one. The EU regulation 00:26:29.680 --> 00:26:35.380 2196, January 2022. That date terrified European 00:26:35.380 --> 00:26:38.240 dairy farmers. It banned prophylactic antibiotic 00:26:38.240 --> 00:26:41.460 use, specifically eliminating blanket dry cow 00:26:41.460 --> 00:26:44.859 therapy across the board. The fear was that mastitis 00:26:44.859 --> 00:26:47.500 rates were going to skyrocket. And what we saw 00:26:47.500 --> 00:26:50.019 after the initial chaos was a massive success 00:26:50.019 --> 00:26:51.960 story. Countries like the Netherlands, which 00:26:51.960 --> 00:26:54.519 started with low voluntary adoption, rapidly 00:26:54.519 --> 00:26:57.579 pivoted to over 80 % selective adoption. And 00:26:57.579 --> 00:27:00.000 the result? Dr. Krumker's research confirms that 00:27:00.000 --> 00:27:02.200 they now see mastitis rates drop below what they 00:27:02.200 --> 00:27:04.460 had with blanket treatment. Wait, they were forced 00:27:04.460 --> 00:27:06.859 to stop using antibiotics protectively, and their 00:27:06.859 --> 00:27:09.359 mastitis rates improved. That seems counterintuitive. 00:27:09.710 --> 00:27:11.549 It speaks volumes about the importance of good 00:27:11.549 --> 00:27:14.150 management. The forced shift created accountability. 00:27:14.529 --> 00:27:17.289 It created the necessary infrastructure. Vet 00:27:17.289 --> 00:27:19.609 schools had to fast -track training on culturing 00:27:19.609 --> 00:27:21.869 and selective dry cow therapy decision trees. 00:27:22.109 --> 00:27:24.369 The co -ops had to step up and provide advisory 00:27:24.369 --> 00:27:27.119 support to their members. The entire ecosystem 00:27:27.119 --> 00:27:29.400 adapted because the government drew a line in 00:27:29.400 --> 00:27:31.920 the sand, and that systemic support is what's 00:27:31.920 --> 00:27:34.599 missing for U .S. voluntary adoption, which is 00:27:34.599 --> 00:27:37.420 currently stuck at about one in four farms. So 00:27:37.420 --> 00:27:39.640 if we don't have that mandatory push here, what 00:27:39.640 --> 00:27:42.039 does success look like for the U .S. farms that 00:27:42.039 --> 00:27:44.720 are successfully capturing that $500 gap today? 00:27:44.859 --> 00:27:46.619 They must have common threads. They absolutely 00:27:46.619 --> 00:27:49.400 do. Three things stand out. integrated data and 00:27:49.400 --> 00:27:51.440 discipline, which we've talked about, but it 00:27:51.440 --> 00:27:54.500 often includes using automated scoring systems 00:27:54.500 --> 00:27:57.859 like cameras or automated feeders to get rid 00:27:57.859 --> 00:28:01.140 of that human error in BCS scoring. Okay, what's 00:28:01.140 --> 00:28:03.519 that again? Second, they have strong veterinary 00:28:03.519 --> 00:28:06.740 partnerships. Their vet isn't just someone they 00:28:06.740 --> 00:28:09.269 call when a cow is sick. The vet is an embedded 00:28:09.269 --> 00:28:12.289 consultant reviewing protocols monthly, helping 00:28:12.289 --> 00:28:15.150 design the targeted intervention, and critically, 00:28:15.450 --> 00:28:18.609 facilitating the actual label uses like meloxicam 00:28:18.609 --> 00:28:21.470 legally and responsibly through a solid VCPR. 00:28:21.730 --> 00:28:24.589 And third. And third, the implementation discipline. 00:28:24.950 --> 00:28:27.630 Someone on staff, the herd manager, the owner, 00:28:27.750 --> 00:28:30.029 the lead milker, owns the protocol review every 00:28:30.029 --> 00:28:32.470 single month. It's a standing agenda item, not 00:28:32.470 --> 00:28:34.750 an afterthought. Beyond those foundational pillars, 00:28:35.009 --> 00:28:38.150 I love looking at how smart farmers tailor the 00:28:38.150 --> 00:28:41.630 system. The generic protocol works, but local 00:28:41.630 --> 00:28:43.970 adaptation is what makes it profitable. Give 00:28:43.970 --> 00:28:45.750 us some examples of that regional calibration. 00:28:46.529 --> 00:28:48.950 Okay, think about the southwest in New Mexico 00:28:48.950 --> 00:28:52.549 and Arizona. Heat stress compounds every metabolic 00:28:52.549 --> 00:28:55.609 issue. A cow that's borderline ketotic in Wisconsin 00:28:55.609 --> 00:28:59.390 might be fine, but under 110 degree heat stress 00:28:59.390 --> 00:29:02.069 in Arizona, she crashes immediately. So they 00:29:02.069 --> 00:29:04.700 use it for survival. Exactly. They can't afford 00:29:04.700 --> 00:29:07.480 to guess which cows need extra support when their 00:29:07.480 --> 00:29:09.460 core body temperature is already elevated. And 00:29:09.460 --> 00:29:13.240 what about humidity? Florida dairies near Okeechobee 00:29:13.240 --> 00:29:15.920 face relentless humidity. They found that subtle 00:29:15.920 --> 00:29:18.339 BCS shifts happen really rapidly in the summer. 00:29:18.660 --> 00:29:21.079 So they adapted their protocols to conduct twice 00:29:21.079 --> 00:29:23.519 -daily scoring on their close -up pens during 00:29:23.519 --> 00:29:26.170 the worst of the summer heat. Twice a day. Twice 00:29:26.170 --> 00:29:28.109 a day. Because they learned they could catch 00:29:28.109 --> 00:29:30.549 a cow dropping half a point faster, which signals 00:29:30.549 --> 00:29:33.130 massive energy mobilization and prevents a crash. 00:29:33.430 --> 00:29:36.069 That's a huge operational cost, but I guess it's 00:29:36.069 --> 00:29:38.890 justified by preventing the $1 ,000 crash that 00:29:38.890 --> 00:29:41.869 summer heat makes inevitable. It is. And my favorite 00:29:41.869 --> 00:29:43.910 is the common sense adaptation I've seen in the 00:29:43.910 --> 00:29:46.490 Pacific Northwest. The mud stress system. Yes. 00:29:46.730 --> 00:29:49.950 In parts of the PNW where mud and moisture stress 00:29:49.950 --> 00:29:53.069 are constant, a simple rule trumps the data sometimes. 00:29:53.960 --> 00:29:56.640 Dairies near Yakima Valley are flagging any cow 00:29:56.640 --> 00:29:58.539 that spent more than two weeks in the hospital 00:29:58.539 --> 00:30:01.319 pen last lactation. So forget the BCS and SCC 00:30:01.319 --> 00:30:03.779 for a second. Right. If she was sick, then her 00:30:03.779 --> 00:30:06.339 immune system is compromised and she is high 00:30:06.339 --> 00:30:09.599 risk now. That's farming wisdom integrating perfectly 00:30:09.599 --> 00:30:12.339 with the precision goal. Those are powerful examples 00:30:12.339 --> 00:30:15.059 of why precision needs to be customized. But 00:30:15.059 --> 00:30:17.480 we have to address the reality check. Targeted 00:30:17.480 --> 00:30:19.539 management is not a silver bullet. There are 00:30:19.539 --> 00:30:21.599 critical limitations that can negate all that 00:30:21.599 --> 00:30:25.759 hard work. Number one limitation, genetics. Kent 00:30:25.759 --> 00:30:28.019 Waggle's work in genomics suggests cows bred 00:30:28.019 --> 00:30:31.140 for high genetic merit health traits, low SCC, 00:30:31.240 --> 00:30:33.599 good reproductive health, may already be more 00:30:33.599 --> 00:30:35.740 resilient. They're inherently less likely to 00:30:35.740 --> 00:30:38.279 crash. So they show a less dramatic response 00:30:38.279 --> 00:30:41.160 to targeted intervention. Exactly. They're already 00:30:41.160 --> 00:30:43.140 doing part of the job themselves, which means 00:30:43.140 --> 00:30:46.480 the ROI is lower. And the facility issue is non 00:30:46.480 --> 00:30:49.460 -negotiable. Peter Kratzel documented that if 00:30:49.460 --> 00:30:52.079 you are chronically overcrowded stocking densities 00:30:52.079 --> 00:30:56.279 at 110 to 120 percent or higher, the stress from 00:30:56.279 --> 00:30:58.539 that overcrowding just overwhelms any precision 00:30:58.539 --> 00:31:01.000 intervention you try. Oh, absolutely. You can 00:31:01.000 --> 00:31:03.240 give a cow the best targeted nutrition and the 00:31:03.240 --> 00:31:05.960 best anti -inflammatory shot. But if she can't 00:31:05.960 --> 00:31:07.660 physically get to the bunk because of bullying 00:31:07.660 --> 00:31:10.180 or competition, or if she has to stand in the 00:31:10.180 --> 00:31:13.620 alleyway all day, the system fails. overcrowding 00:31:13.620 --> 00:31:15.839 negates targeted protocol benefits entirely. 00:31:16.220 --> 00:31:19.160 It's the hierarchy of needs. Space, comfort, 00:31:19.259 --> 00:31:22.279 and fresh feed first, then precision interventions. 00:31:22.779 --> 00:31:26.180 So if the facility isn't right, stop trying to 00:31:26.180 --> 00:31:28.640 fine -tune the carburetor and fix the cracked 00:31:28.640 --> 00:31:31.960 engine block first. Precisely. So finally, if 00:31:31.960 --> 00:31:33.980 we want to accelerate adoption across the entire 00:31:33.980 --> 00:31:36.680 U .S. industry, especially helping that 80 % 00:31:36.680 --> 00:31:39.500 stuck in the productivity trap, what policy or 00:31:39.500 --> 00:31:41.819 industry changes would actually lower those barriers? 00:31:42.359 --> 00:31:44.339 Processor requirements are the quickest lever. 00:31:44.619 --> 00:31:47.359 If Tillamook or another major processor ties 00:31:47.359 --> 00:31:50.960 a quality premium directly to documented SEC 00:31:50.960 --> 00:31:53.920 -based selective dry -off protocols, every producer 00:31:53.920 --> 00:31:56.420 on that contract adopts it overnight. That ties 00:31:56.420 --> 00:31:59.440 quality control directly to management precision. 00:31:59.740 --> 00:32:02.079 Right. Cooperative shared infrastructure is also 00:32:02.079 --> 00:32:05.059 key. The organic valley model, where smaller 00:32:05.059 --> 00:32:07.400 farms can access shared vet support programs 00:32:07.400 --> 00:32:09.980 and specialized advisory services, that dramatically 00:32:09.980 --> 00:32:12.680 shrinks the economic barrier. If your co -op 00:32:12.680 --> 00:32:14.880 provides the software infrastructure, you don't 00:32:14.880 --> 00:32:17.299 have to buy it yourself. Exactly. And finally, 00:32:17.440 --> 00:32:21.079 federal support. The USDA has funds for precision 00:32:21.079 --> 00:32:23.779 agriculture. If they made transition management 00:32:23.779 --> 00:32:26.420 protocols like the cost of targeted vaccines, 00:32:26.900 --> 00:32:29.059 specialized feed additives, or data consulting 00:32:29.059 --> 00:32:31.779 services eligible for cost share programs, that 00:32:31.779 --> 00:32:33.779 would provide the necessary capital buffer for 00:32:33.779 --> 00:32:35.589 struggling farms. It would let them actually 00:32:35.589 --> 00:32:37.569 implement the program without immediate cash 00:32:37.569 --> 00:32:39.910 flow panic. That's the missing link. Capital 00:32:39.910 --> 00:32:41.809 access for infrastructure improvements that, 00:32:41.849 --> 00:32:44.730 you know, guarantee a massive ROI down the line. 00:32:44.849 --> 00:32:46.829 All right. A farmer just finished milking. The 00:32:46.829 --> 00:32:49.069 sun is coming up and they are driving to the 00:32:49.069 --> 00:32:51.630 feed store right now. The message is clear. The 00:32:51.630 --> 00:32:55.450 $500 gap is real and the science works, but implementation 00:32:55.450 --> 00:32:58.430 is the killer. What are the three things they 00:32:58.430 --> 00:33:00.769 need to remember from today? We need immediate. 00:33:01.309 --> 00:33:03.769 practical advice. This is about starting simple, 00:33:03.890 --> 00:33:06.430 visible, and building discipline before you try 00:33:06.430 --> 00:33:08.769 to climb the data mountain. Takeaway one, focus 00:33:08.769 --> 00:33:12.250 on the one simple flag, BCS greater than or equal 00:33:12.250 --> 00:33:16.740 to 3 .75. Immediate action this week. Forget 00:33:16.740 --> 00:33:18.500 the spreadsheets and the expensive software for 00:33:18.500 --> 00:33:21.259 now. Get a highly visible tool, an orange livestock 00:33:21.259 --> 00:33:24.059 marker, a specific brightly colored ear tag, 00:33:24.259 --> 00:33:27.380 and set up one simple rule. Every cow with a 00:33:27.380 --> 00:33:30.980 BCS of 3 .75 or more at dry off gets that orange 00:33:30.980 --> 00:33:33.170 stripe on the tail head. That is your high -risk 00:33:33.170 --> 00:33:35.529 group. It has to be simple, cheap, and visible 00:33:35.529 --> 00:33:37.549 to every single person on the farm. It has to 00:33:37.549 --> 00:33:39.849 be. Medium -term strategy, three to six months. 00:33:40.069 --> 00:33:43.130 Run this single, simple protocol religiously. 00:33:43.170 --> 00:33:45.509 The orange stripe means logistically that cow 00:33:45.509 --> 00:33:47.869 is on the most controlled, energy -dry cow ration. 00:33:48.529 --> 00:33:51.269 Ensure your feeder knows the specific TMR specs 00:33:51.269 --> 00:33:53.210 for the orange group versus the no -mark group. 00:33:53.470 --> 00:33:55.809 This builds the foundational logistics around 00:33:55.809 --> 00:33:58.390 a visible signal. Long -term positioning, one 00:33:58.390 --> 00:34:00.839 to two years. This process is your implementation 00:34:00.839 --> 00:34:03.759 audit. If you can't consistently manage the orange 00:34:03.759 --> 00:34:06.660 stripe protocol for 90 days, you won't successfully 00:34:06.660 --> 00:34:09.460 manage a complex software platform. Use this 00:34:09.460 --> 00:34:11.760 period to determine if your team and management 00:34:11.760 --> 00:34:14.699 system are truly ready for precision. That's 00:34:14.699 --> 00:34:17.179 a great point. Takeaway two, align the team and 00:34:17.179 --> 00:34:19.960 budget for the behavioral curve. Immediate action 00:34:19.960 --> 00:34:23.179 this week. Schedule a hands -on physical walkthrough 00:34:23.179 --> 00:34:25.719 of the dry off process with everyone involved. 00:34:26.179 --> 00:34:29.880 Feeders, dry off crew, fresh cow crew. It has 00:34:29.880 --> 00:34:32.440 to be a physical step -by -step walkthrough focusing 00:34:32.440 --> 00:34:34.920 on how to identify the orange stripe cow and 00:34:34.920 --> 00:34:36.840 what she gets. Remember Schooneman's finding? 00:34:37.099 --> 00:34:39.260 Hands -on training works better than just a written 00:34:39.260 --> 00:34:41.719 SOP. Medium term strategy, three to six months. 00:34:41.940 --> 00:34:45.059 Set realistic expectations for the ROI. Budget 00:34:45.059 --> 00:34:47.179 for the five to six months required to see positive 00:34:47.179 --> 00:34:49.840 trends in the parlor, not five weeks. Be mentally 00:34:49.840 --> 00:34:51.840 prepared for that temporary production dip around 00:34:51.840 --> 00:34:54.380 month two as your systems adjust and you stop 00:34:54.380 --> 00:34:56.949 overfeeding low -risk cows. Don't let the prevention 00:34:56.949 --> 00:34:59.429 paradox convince you to pull the plug too early. 00:34:59.590 --> 00:35:02.170 And for long -term positioning, one to two years. 00:35:02.730 --> 00:35:05.190 Use this initial discipline period to ensure 00:35:05.190 --> 00:35:07.809 everyone, Jose and Miguel, understands the high 00:35:07.809 --> 00:35:10.349 -risk protocol. If the implementation fails, 00:35:10.690 --> 00:35:13.690 you stop, you retrain, and you fix the operational 00:35:13.690 --> 00:35:15.989 workflow before you waste capital and technology. 00:35:16.449 --> 00:35:19.070 And finally, takeaway three. Track the three 00:35:19.070 --> 00:35:22.389 key outcomes and ignore the rest. Immediate action. 00:35:22.710 --> 00:35:24.929 This week, get your vet and nutritionist involved 00:35:24.929 --> 00:35:27.309 from day one, if they aren't already. They need 00:35:27.309 --> 00:35:29.130 to help you design the specifics of the intervention 00:35:29.130 --> 00:35:31.789 for your specific orange cows based on your regional 00:35:31.789 --> 00:35:34.550 challenges. This is a team project. You cannot 00:35:34.550 --> 00:35:37.090 be an island. Medium -term strategy, three to 00:35:37.090 --> 00:35:39.449 six months. Pick just three simple, actionable 00:35:39.449 --> 00:35:42.570 metrics for monthly review. Focus on fresh disease 00:35:42.570 --> 00:35:45.929 rate, aim for under 20 % by six months. 60 -day 00:35:45.929 --> 00:35:47.929 milk average, watch the trend, not the daily 00:35:47.929 --> 00:35:50.590 spike. And days to first service, target under 00:35:50.590 --> 00:35:53.730 70 days. Do not track 20 metrics, focus breed 00:35:53.730 --> 00:35:56.489 success. Long -term positioning, one to two years. 00:35:56.849 --> 00:35:59.550 If these three numbers consistently improve over 00:35:59.550 --> 00:36:02.369 nine months, you are actively capturing that 00:36:02.369 --> 00:36:06.070 $200 to $500 per cow net benefit and pulling 00:36:06.070 --> 00:36:08.210 ahead of your neighbor. If they aren't improving, 00:36:08.530 --> 00:36:11.269 the process, not the science, is broken, and 00:36:11.269 --> 00:36:14.429 you know exactly where to audit your team. This 00:36:14.429 --> 00:36:16.750 has been another Bullvine Podcast from the Bullvine 00:36:16.750 --> 00:36:19.489 Podcast. The cows that need targeted help are 00:36:19.489 --> 00:36:22.090 already in your barn. The crucial question is 00:36:22.090 --> 00:36:23.570 whether you can build a system of discipline 00:36:23.570 --> 00:36:26.389 and data to find them before they crash and cost 00:36:26.389 --> 00:36:28.989 you $1 ,000. For more straight -talking industry 00:36:28.989 --> 00:36:34.130 analysis, head to www .thebullvine .com. Subscribe 00:36:34.130 --> 00:36:36.980 wherever you get podcasts. We're out with new 00:36:36.980 --> 00:36:39.059 episodes every day and upcoming topics will be 00:36:39.059 --> 00:36:41.519 the debate over heifer raising costs versus outsourcing. 00:36:41.599 --> 00:36:43.519 Where do you save money and where do you sacrifice 00:36:43.519 --> 00:36:45.940 genetics? Thanks for diving deep with us.