Dr. Phil Cardoso
May, 2021
Heat stress occurs in dairy cattle when there is a negative balance between the amount of heat energy an animal produces and the amount transferred from the animal to its surrounding environment. An estimated $2.4 …
Category Archives: Newsletter Issues
Lessons learned from the 2021 Illinois Dairy Summit
Dr. Phil Cardoso
February, 2021
On February 3, 2021, the University of Illinois and the Illinois Milk Producers’ Association held the Illinois Dairy Summit. This year’s event, which was conducted virtually, was attended by more than 150 people, and we …
Feeding rumen-protected amino acids during the transition period – insights on the economics
Laura Fehlberg and Dr. Phil Cardoso
November, 2020
For more than 20 years, the transition period, characterized as 3 weeks prior to calving to 3 weeks after calving, has been extensively researched. The transition period is a very challenging time …
Starch and amino acids; back to the basics and their connection
Geoffrey T. Carney and Dr. Phil Cardoso
September, 2020
Starch is a nonstructural storage polysaccharide in plants, made solely of glucose linked in alpha (1,4) and (1,6) linkages. Amylose consists of linear, helical chains of roughly 500 to 20,000 alpha-D-glucose …
Calculating the costs of disease on farm with special regards to mastitis
Dr. Derek T. Nolan, Assistant Teaching Professor, Department of Animal Sciences, University of Illinois
June, 2020
Mastitis is one of the costliest diseases in the dairy industry. Estimates suggest that mastitis costs the US dairy industry $2 billion per year. …
Five strategies to limit production in your dairy farm during COVID-19
Dr. Phil Cardoso
May, 2020
Different situations may require dairy farmers to limit production. One example is when a quota is imposed on dairy farmers by milk processors. Recently, the COVID-19 situation has threatened milk consumption and, therefore, could impose …
Ready, set, go! Points to consider when feeding rumen-protected amino acids and clay to dairy cows
Dr. Phil Cardoso
April, 2020
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Aflatoxin contamination in dairy cows: Beyond dumping milk
Russell Pate and Dr. Phil Cardoso
November, 2018
Aflatoxins are a type of mycotoxin produced by fungi that can grow on feedstuffs such
as corn grain, corn silage, and cottonseed. Because of its cancer-causing properties in humans, the FDA has …
Infrared thermography as a tool in disease screening and detection
Sierra Schreiber, Kelly Ryan, and Dr. Phil Cardoso
October, 2018
Rectal temperature has long been the gold standard for disease detection in postpartum dairy cows. Rectal temperature readings are used to monitor and detect variations in the body temperature of …
Ten steps for a successful transition period: Part 2
Dr. Phil Cardoso
November, 2017
The transition period (3 weeks before calving through 3 weeks after calving) has been considered by some researchers as the most critical and stressful phase of the lactation cycle. Nutrition and management of the dry …