After the World Dairy Expo in Madison, Wisconsin, the Progressive Dairy team has been looking for new products, ideas and innovations to share with readers, which has become a tradition. With the theme of "Benefit to the Industry", the 2021 exhibition provided a lot of things.

Progressive Dairy editors Walt Cooley, Karen Lee, Peggy Coffeen, Dave Natzke, Jenna Hurty-Person, Audrey Schmitz, and Matti Leak provided their observations of the "cool stuff" that caught their attention at the show.

After the cancellation during the 2020 coronavirus pandemic, I am happy to return to Madison to establish contact with the industry and once again see elite cattle walking on colored shavings. Those who regularly participate in the event will notice some changes in the past few years, but in general, the atmosphere on the venue is very happy and excited, allowing the event to start again.

Photo: Against the amazing background of this year's theme "Helping the Industry", cows add luster to the colorful shavings. Photo by Karen Lee.

— Submitted by Karen Lee, Editor of Progressive Dairy

Agri-Comfort showed off their new two-button rubber floor surface, designed to provide better traction and slip resistance. Provides interlocking pads and Legacy Slat Rubber floor, which also provides better cushioning for animals, improves drainage and flexibility to absorb severe foot shocks. Due to these characteristics, this floor can reduce damage, better detect heat and extend the life and milk production of cows.

The slatted floor system also has the company's patented all-rubber fastener system. The fastener is a reverse barb wedge that is used to hold the mat firmly in place. Compared with systems that use metal or plastic in fasteners, the use of an all-rubber system can protect the hooves of animals and prevent the most injuries.

— Submitted by Progressive Dairy Editor Jenna Hurty

As many dairy factories face labor challenges, it is more important than ever to express gratitude to employees. The most important thing is to effectively track performance and compliance. The new PeopleCor employee management tool created by The Dairy Coach Tom Wall allows dairy managers to access important dates, such as working anniversaries or checking employees' vacation times-all quickly and conveniently via their smartphones. With this information in their hands, managers can easily answer questions and provide feedback, thereby increasing employee morale and ultimately increasing loyalty, without having to procrastinate through drawers and files to find answers.

As part of this app-based tool, dairy products can access the smart clock. This time tracking feature allows employees to clock in and off work and send automatic alerts to prevent costly time theft.

Learn more about PeopleCor and Smart Clock on the website.

Photo: Dairy coach Tom Wall introduces PeopleCor, a tool that simplifies employee management and ultimately improves satisfaction, morale and loyalty. Photo by Peggy Coffin.

— Submitted by Progressive Dairy editor Peggy Coffeen 

In order to better meet the needs of producers, Calf-Tel and Agri-Plastics have added more ventilation options to their chicken houses to better dissipate heat in summer and improve calf welfare. Adding these vents should reduce or eliminate the need for temporary ventilation repairs, such as adding a brick to the back of the calf cage.

The company designed a "giant ventilation door" that can be flipped in summer to improve air circulation and closed in winter to help calves stay comfortable and warm. The vent has an optional rear wire closure to help keep the calf safely in the cage. In addition, three vents can be added to the bottom of the kitchenware to get better air flow on the ground.

For those who wish to pair calves, the company's Elite Pair Fencing system can help simplify this process. The fence system is connected to the company's 24/74 and 35/85 cabins, locking the two cabins together. The fence system also has a central divider, and when the farm is ready to keep the calves together, it can flip down to keep the calves apart and flip up. To facilitate cleaning, you can flip the cage into the pen and vice versa.

In addition to the bottom airflow vents that are standard on all kitchenware, the company has added two optional top vents for its group and paired housing kitchenware options. The company is offering two new double-shell double-box models, Dual XL Hutch and Buddy Hutch. The Dual XL Hutch is similar to the traditional Hutch but is larger and can comfortably hold two calves until 8 weeks old. Buddy Hutch is essentially the company’s collective breeding box, but it has a detachable panel in the center, so the farm can raise calves individually or together. This cabin can house calves up to 14 weeks old, and has a multi-position awning and optional weatherproof cover extension to shade the calves and help them withstand bad weather.

— Submitted by Progressive Dairy Editor Jenna Hurty

Fodd made its debut at the World Dairy Expo. It is a mechanical silage separation technology that can provide a low-cost alternative to feed using ordinary feed. "It works by dividing the corn silage into two streams, adding value to the two streams," said developer Greg Friendshuh.

The separators are sorted by size to produce large feed pellets and fine grains with grains.

Compared with the purchased straw, this feed can replace straw and hay in dry cattle and young animal feed at about one-fourth the cost. Silage has a higher palatability, which reduces classification and increases the dry matter intake of 5 pounds per cow.

Lactating cows fed with higher energy and lower fine fiber powder increased their dry matter intake and milk production.

Friendshuh estimates that by replacing straw and hay in dry cow and heifer diets, and replacing corn silage and corn kernels in lactating cow diets, each lactating cow can save $150 in feed costs per year.

More information can be found on the Fodd website.

Photo: Separating corn silage into large pellets and fine powder can produce feed ingredients to better meet the needs of all dairy farm animals. Photo courtesy of Glori Enterprises LLC.

— Submitted by Karen Lee, Editor of Progressive Dairy

FutureCow exhibited a new calf jacket, which features a patented neck warmer. Sean Howells, general manager of FutureCow, said that the extension of wool "reduces the susceptibility to colds and respiratory infections."

In addition, the calf wearing an extended jacket gained half a pound a day during the first two weeks of use.

This jacket is machine washable and fastened to the neck with Velcro straps. They come in three different sizes-small, medium and large. Go to the FutureCow website to buy or learn more.

Photo: A new jacket with a fleece neck extension to minimize heat loss from the fragile parts of the calf. Photo by Karen Lee.

— Submitted by Karen Lee, Editor of Progressive Dairy

Robotic arms already used in automotive production lines are designed to manage vaccines or reproductive products when cows leave the milking farm. In the exit channel, cows can be scanned by RFID and camera ID readers to determine whether the cows need to be injected. If the cow needs an injection, the door at the injection site will be closed, and the two-part bumper restraint device will press on the cow's body to restrict any movement. Then, the second RFID will scan the cow to determine which injection the cow needs. The robotic arm then positions itself to inject the cow's neck. The drug moves from a cooling device placed next to the robotic arm and flows to the end of the robotic arm in a precise dose monitored by a peristaltic pump and sensors.

After the injection, the two-part bumper restraint device will be released and the door will open, allowing the cow to continue driving along the exit lane. The injection will then be automatically recorded in the dairy management software and linked to each cow via their RFID tag. Then dairy farmers will be able to see the health history of each cow immediately on their computer.

In dairy farms that use timed artificial intelligence, employees manage 15,000 to 18,000 injections per cow per year. The labor costs of administering injections and the average inaccuracy of injection protocols can cost the farm as much as $285 per cow per year. The estimated return on investment for this new technology is one to three years.

Watch a video about SureShot on YouTube.

Photo: Robotic technology borrowed from the automotive industry, SureShot can manage shots when cows leave the living room. Courtesy photo.

— Submitted by Audrey Schmitz, Editor of Progressive Dairy

The deeper the insight, the sooner you will notice changes in the health of the cow. SmaXtec's bolus measures internal body temperature, rumination time, cow activity and drinking behavior directly in the mesh. The collected data will be automatically transferred to the smaXtec cloud, where it will be supplemented with artificial intelligence-supported assessments.

Once the cow's immune system responds to pathogens or stress, the body temperature changes-long before external signs become visible. If the body temperature rises, it indicates fever, infection, or inflammation. On the other hand, a drop in temperature is a sign of metabolic diseases, such as milk fever or ketosis. In addition, continuous measurement of ruminant allows producers to draw more accurate conclusions about the disease and its severity. Measuring drinking behavior and activity can also help detect lameness and other problems early.

In addition, when using pill monitoring technology, producers can obtain accurate and automatic heat detection and calving detection as early as possible.

Photo: This rumen device captures individual cow data internally and transmits it to a cloud-based system for health and calorie monitoring. Photograph by Audrey Schmitz.

— Submitted by Audrey Schmitz, Editor of Progressive Dairy

The new ear tag technology with light-emitting diode (LED) indicator lights enables dairy managers, employees, and veterinarians to quickly identify specific animals at a glance-even in large groups of people-minimizing interference and saving them time and time to find the target cow. Labor identification number. Different LED light patterns indicate different cow needs. For example, a slowly blinking light may indicate that a cow is ready to breed, while a fast blinking label may indicate that she may need animal health intervention. This technology enables producers to more quickly select cows that need attention and speed up overall herd health checks.

Photo: This ear tag with LED light can help manage the health of the herd. Photograph by Audrey Schmitz.

— Submitted by Audrey Schmitz, Editor of Progressive Dairy

Dairy products can use AgPro's new technology to increase production and save water. The company launched a new sports activated cow sprinkler called SmartSoaker at the World Dairy Expo. The device is located above the head lock to control when the cow is atomized, and is activated when the cow puts its head into the head lock to obtain feed. Dairy products can control the length of the spray and the interval between spray episodes. AgPro engineer David Gribble said: "This technology allows individual cows to better control their cooling schemes and bring all the benefits of soaking to dairy farms that were previously restricted by water supply or waste systems." Data collected from the unit Summarize on an application to display the water level and total water consumption of the dairy farm. The company recommends installing a device for every two cows in a pen.

Photo: A new sport-activated cow sprinkler can help dairy farms conserve water and better track the water they use to cool their cows. Photo courtesy of AgPro.

— Submitted by Progressive Dairy Editor Walt Cooley

Even with the best overhead living room lighting, any living room will inevitably have shadows and dimly lit areas. Under Udder LED lighting has introduced a new tube-type LED light, which can better illuminate the living room deck and milker’s work space after installation. These lights help workers properly prepare their breasts for milking and connect devices faster. Another benefit of lighting observed from early installations is the increased throughput in the living room. Bob West, a representative of Under Udder, said cows don't like to go through shady areas. After installing the lighting, the dairy farm sees that the cows are more comfortable, and they can be packed into the living room for milking more quickly. The system can be installed in parallel, herringbone, rotating milking parlors, and even in most milking robots.

Photo: The new LED tube system after installation helps to better illuminate the living room deck and the milker’s work area. Photo by Walter Cooley.

— Submitted by Progressive Dairy Editor Walt Cooley 

Maybe it is because all the preventive measures related to COVID-19 at the exhibition reminded me of biosafety, but a footwear disinfection station of BioSec attracted my attention. The station uses ultraviolet light and ozone to disinfect the pathogens on the soles of shoes in just eight seconds. The user stands on a half-inch thick semi-transparent glass plate. The ultraviolet rays under the glass combine with ozone permeable to the glass to kill pathogens together. Of course I know that ultraviolet light is a disinfectant, but I understand that adding ozone will speed up its disinfection ability. This innovation has been used in hospital settings, but the company's dairy plant has already used them for staff in and out of living rooms and baby animal facilities.

Photo: This footwear disinfection station used in living rooms or baby animal facilities can kill pathogens in 8 seconds. Photo by Walter Cooley.

— Submitted by Progressive Dairy Editor Walt Cooley

Golden Calf has released a disposable tube feeding device that can be used with their colostrum bag. The plastic tube is designed to eliminate cleaning chemicals, minimize water consumption, save time and labor, have a leak-proof seal and reduce the chance of cross-contamination between calves.

You can learn more about this product on the Golden Calf Company website.   

— Submitted by Progressive Dairy Editorial Intern Matti Leak

Cover photo: The earth, flags flying, and people eating grilled cheese sandwiches are familiar sights at the World Dairy Expo. Photo by Karen Lee.

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