The goal of most dairy managers is to reduce stress by providing comfortable and clean bedding areas off the concrete and to keep the environment clean, thus reducing the potential for contact between pathogens and cows. The fact that various types of environmental stress influence the immune response bears relevance of dairy cattle to infectious diseases such as pneumonia and mastitis. Providing good cow comfort while maintaining a low pathogen level is directly related to the management of dairy waste. These systems, when managed properly, can reduce pathogens. Construct your dairy housing facilities so they provide efficient clean-outs and maximize cow comfort.
Techniques used on many dairies to reduce heat stress also influence a waste-management system.
Providing shade for larger herds necessitates additional confinement, and therefore, increases the quantity of manure and urine the waste-management system must process. Dairy Bedding Proper management is the most important aspect of bedding. No matter which bedding you choose, proper management determines how effective the bedding is in increasing cow comfort and reducing mastitis outbreaks. You can use organic and inorganic bedding materials successfully when managed properly. In particular, free-stall bedding choices can have a dramatic impact on the waste treatment lagoon.