KetoMonitorTM: A Research Based Tool To Improve On-Farm Ketosis Management

May 08, 2015

From a metabolic standpoint, the start of lactation is the most challenging period in a dairy cow’s life cycle. Increased energy demands are often met by mobilizing fat reserves. This can result in Hyperketonemia, or ketosis, which is defined by elevated ketone bodies in the blood.

Ketosis and subclinical ketosis negatively impact milk production, animal health, and profitability. Research has shown that ketosis affects 40 to 60% of dairy cows, at an average cost of $289 per case. Cows with ketosis produce less milk, are more likely to develop a displaced abomasum, and are more likely to be culled from the herd. Ketosis in fresh cows can be seasonal and impacted by herd management changes.

Source:uwex.edu

Video: Evolution of Beef Cattle Farming

The Clear Conversations podcast took to the road for a special episode recorded in Nashville during CattleCon, bringing listeners straight into the heart of the cattle industry. Host Tracy Sellers welcomed rancher Steve Wooten of Beatty Canyon Ranch in Colorado for a wide-ranging discussion that blended family history and sustainability, particularly as it relates to the future of beef production.

Sustainability emerged as a central theme of the conversation, a word that Wooten acknowledges can mean very different things depending on who you ask. For him, sustainability starts with the soil. Healthy soil produces healthy grass, which supports efficient cattle capable of producing year after year with minimal external inputs. It’s an approach that equally considers vegetation, animal efficiency, and long-term profitability.

That philosophy aligned naturally with Wooten’s involvement in the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, where he served as a representative for the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association. The roundtable brings together the entire beef supply chain—from producers to retailers—along with universities, NGOs, and allied industries. Its goal is not regulation, Wooten emphasized, but collaboration, shared learning, and continuous improvement.