Milk and milk products are an important source of food that provides high-quality energy, protein, minerals, and vitamins of high quality. For dairy producers, optimizing feeding programs to meet the nutritional needs of cows during the transition period is critical to boosting milk yield and operational efficiency.

Pathogens slip into ruminant farms easily-from grazing with wildlife, or introducing infected cattle or sheep that weren’t tested. Then, they spread quietly via workers’ shoes, feed truck tires, or untreated manure (which reintroduces parasite eggs/bacteria to pastures).

Ruminants are constantly exposed to internal and external parasites-even in well-managed herds. Common, high-impact parasites such as gastrointestinal nematodes (e.g., Haemonchus in sheep, Ostertagia in cattle), lungworms (e.g., Dictyocaulus in cattle), ticks (e.g., Boophilus microplus in cattle), and mites (e.g., Psoroptes ovis in sheep) spread quietly via feed, pastures, or direct contact-complete avoidance is nearly impossible.

Pathogens slip into ruminant farms easily—from grazing with wildlife, or introducing infected cattle or sheep that weren’t tested. Then, they spread quietly via workers’ shoes, feed truck tires, or untreated manure (which reintroduces parasite eggs/bacteria to pastures).