The Dairy Podcast Show Lindsay Ferlito & Betsy Hicks: Benchmarking Herd Health | Ep. 142
May 6, 2025
Join Betsy Hicks, an expert in dairy nutrition and management, and Lindsay Ferlito, a specialist in cow comfort, as they delve into the intricacies of benchmarking herd health. They discuss the challenges of disease recording and the need for consistent data collection to enhance farm management. Important insights on optimizing cow comfort and effective employee training practices are shared, showcasing how collaboration and data-driven approaches can significantly improve overall herd health and farm productivity.
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Benchmarking to Improve Antimicrobial Use
- New York dairy farms are reducing blanket antimicrobial treatments but need better benchmarking.
- Benchmarking helps farms see where they stand in disease incidence and treatment rates industry-wide.
Need for Uniform Disease Protocols
- Farms benefit from agreeing on disease diagnosis and treatment protocols for benchmarking.
- Uniform standards enable farms to compare themselves with similarly managed farms effectively.
Clear Reporting Supports Improvement
- Provide clear reports with key animal outcomes for farms to compare anonymously with peers.
- Avoid general conclusions; discuss data openly to interpret real issues versus recording gaps.