See All Dairy
Find educational material about dairy cattle, including nutrition and feed management, health and care, reproduction, facilities and technology, and business management from Penn State Extension.
- Tools and Apps
Dairy Monthly Monitor
Use the Monthly Monitor to track key production and financial indicators for dairy advisory teams. -
- Articles
The People in Your Dairy Farm Business
This article is designed to assist managers in thinking about and reflecting on the faces in their business – their people. - Articles
Natural Ventilation for Freestall Barns
Cows continuously produce heat and moisture so a ventilation system is necessary to continuously exchange inside air for drier, cooler outside air. - Articles
Springtime Brings Tick Risks to People and Cattle Alike
The Asian Longhorned Tick (ALT) has been identified in at least 18 states. Rapid explosions of this tick can be detrimental to cattle. - Articles
Dairy Sense: Utilizing Pasture – Strategy to Lower Feed Costs
Incorporating grazing into your feeding management program can offer financial benefits. However it is important to ensure continued management of both animal and feed when doing so. - Articles
Antibiotic Stewardship: Can It Really Save Your Dairy Money?
Improving animal health offers a rewarding way to reduce antibiotic use. - Articles
What is Your Feed Refusal Costing You?
Managing feed refusals is a balance between providing enough to ensure that each cow has access to all the feed she wants and minimizing waste. - Articles
Reducing Heat Stress Can Help Lower Somatic Cell Counts
With hot weather, the main concern is often loss of milk production, but heat stress can also cause cows to experience a seasonal high SCC as well. - Videos
The Strip Yield Test
Length 4:32In this video, you will learn about an easy test that can be performed on your farm to test if overmilking is occurring. With these results, you can monitor unit removal as well as adjust unit take-off to reduce stress on teat ends. - Articles
Summer is Almost Here: It's Time to do Heat Abatement Maintenance
Inspect and perform maintenance on sprinklers, shade structures and cloths, fans and other ventilation systems, and water systems before the temperature rises. - Videos
Learn To Score Body Condition
Length 12:10Learn to assign body condition scores for dairy cattle on a 5-point scale by evaluating specific areas of the pelvis and loin. - Articles
Lameness: It's Costing You
Lameness can have negative implications beyond cow comfort. Lameness contributes to reduced milk production, reduced reproduction and increased costs related to treatment and prevention. - Articles
Harvesting Reminders for Small Grains
Small grains are beneficial for extending forage inventory, however be mindful of factors that impact overall feed quality. - Articles
Examples of Cows at Various Body Condition Scores
Photos demonstrate dairy cows with a range of body condition scores. Each photo includes key observations at that score. - Articles
Dairy Sense: Pairing Milk Urea Nitrogen (MUN) with Milk N Efficiency
Use multiple metrics when measuring farm performance. - Articles
Choosing a Nutrient Management Planner
Pennsylvania agricultural operations that are designated Concentrated Animal Operations or Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations are required to implement an approved nutrient management plan. - Articles
The Target Cow Concept: Finding the Right Cows at the Right Time
This article introduces the Target Cow concept, which focuses on identifying and proactively managing high-risk groups of animals during the transition period. - Articles
Health Events in Dairy Cattle: Prevent Them All for Optimal Repro!
This article describes the intricate relationship between animal health and reproductive performance in dairy cattle. - Articles
Keeping a Workforce Motivated Takes More Than Just Money
When considering ways to boost profits, do not overlook the assets you have in people. - Articles
Tax Changes in the Big Beautiful Bill: What Farmers Need to Know
The One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA), signed into law on July 4, 2025, marks one of the most comprehensive tax reforms in decades. - News
2026 Dairy Margin Coverage Program Enrollment is Now Open!
Date Posted 1/21/2026The Dairy Margin Coverage Program (DMC) is a federal safety net program for dairy producers administered by USDA-FSA, and the 2026 enrollment period is open from January 12, 2026, until February 26, 2026. - Tools and Apps
Dairy Heifer Diet Formulator - Spreadsheet
Choose feeds from the library or enter the composition of feeds on your farm, then balance a diet to meet a targeted growth rate. - Articles
Manual for Batch Mix Spreadsheet
Tips and instructions for using the Batch Mix spreadsheet, a simple tool for adjusting the amount fed as the dry matter of forages changes. - Articles
Economic Benefits of Rightsizing the Farm Dairy Replacements
Determine how many heifers you need on your farm for healthy economics.




























