Dairy Resources
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Toxic weeds may be found in pastures and hayfields throughout Georgia. This resource can help you identify the species on your farm and what symptoms to watch for in grazing livestock. If you suspect that your animal has consumed a toxic plant species, please contact your local veterinarian for an official diagnosis and treatment.
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This resource is for university researchers and Extension specialists, county Extension agents, and producers of livestock, forages, and feeds. It highlights the role of selenium in animal nutrition; selenium concentration and distribution in soils and feedstuffs (grains and forages) produced in various parts of the United States and in Georgia; disorders resulting from selenium deficiency or toxicity; various methods of selenium supplementation; and recommendations for selenium management in Georgia.
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AP 130-4-08
2026 Dairy Outlook
The key points for 2026 are: The outlook faces headwinds on increasing production that appears to be outpacing demand; potential improvements on the supply and demand balance may occur later in the year; and opportunities from new local processing could support Georgia producers this year.
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Determining an equitable price for purchased forages is a necessary but often uncomfortable topic of discussion for feed growers and purchasers. Usually this discussion is in the context of corn silage; however, the same principles can be used in any discussion involving hay, baleage or grains. In order for an input market to be efficient, the price agreed upon by both buyers and sellers should adequately compensate the producer while still allowing the purchaser the opportunity to economically use the input.
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Due to cows’ universal exposure to manure, which contains E. coli and other gram-negative bacteria, as well as the requirement to maintain sec as low as possible, all cows should be vaccinated with one of the coliform vaccines available on the market. These vaccines have been proven to significantly reduce clinical coliform mastitis and have been shown to be profitable when incidence of clinical coliform mastitis exceeds 1% of milking cows.
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When it comes to managing a dairy herd, infections and inflammation of the cow’s uterus can have negative implications for animal welfare, milk production, and rebreeding capacity. Maintaining uterine health is essential for proper ovarian function and the creation of a uterine environment that is favorable for successful pregnancy. Although all production species can suffer from disruptions to uterine health after parturition, the prevalence of endometritis is notably greater in dairy breeds when compared to other breeds of cattle. Producers should be willing and able to assess uterine health through reproductive records and visual observations (with or without additional tools), and work with their veterinarian for identification and treatment of subclinical cases of endometritis if an issue is apparent. This bulletin provides information on how to minimize the risk of endometritis.
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This guide to housing preweaned dairy calves is a resource for both farmers and youth participating in livestock projects. Housing can greatly impact the health and growth of dairy calves. Attention to factors that influence feed intake, comfort, and health are necessary for optimum growth and performance of calves, with long-term implication for their future productivity.
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Selecting commercial dairy heifers and monitoring their growth can be difficult for many farmers and youth exhibitors. The way in which farmers are achieving production efficiency is highly variable from farm to farm, so this publication provides guidance on the conformation and growth parameters of commercial heifers found to be most ideal for future production efficiency.
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Every animal emerging from the pasture or barn needs time and attention to get her show-ring ready. The showman on the other end of the halter needs to be prepared as well. Faults in either fitting or showing could lead to a less successful show experience than one might have hoped for. This publication offers advice on fitting and showing dairy animals, including the updated PDCA scorecard, maximizing your animal’s potential, behavior and grooming preparation, and show time.
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