Cora Okkema: Udder Edema in Heifers | Ep. 24

Having successful lactating cows in the future depends on having successful heifers in the present. However, it is not that simple, as we need to be prepared for any challenges and disorders that heifers may face. With that in mind, how do we deal with udder edema? To answer the question, in this episode, Cora Okkema and I discuss what udder edema is, its prevalence, and how we can evaluate its causes. As a bonus, she also gives us some tips on maintaining mental health and engaging dairy consumers.

“We may never be able to completely remove or mitigate udder edema, but we can reduce its severity.’’ - Cora Okkema

What you’ll learn:

• Highlight (00:00)
• Introduction (1:48)
• What is udder edema? (8:37)
• Difficulties in researching udder edema (18:56)
• How do we evaluate cows for udder edema? (23:00)
• How do we reduce and prevent udder edema? (27:48)
• Mental health management (30:22)
• Engaging dairy consumers (37:05)
• The final questions (40:53)

Meet the guest: Cora Okkema

Experience:

• Current: Dairy Educator at Michigan State University Extension
• Past: Graduate Research Assistant at Colorado State University; Dairy Production Director of the Graduate Student Division at the American Dairy Science Association (ADSA)

Background:

• M.Sc., Animal Sciences (Colorado State University)
• B.Sc., Animal Sciences (Dordt University)

Connect with the guest on Social Media: LinkedIn

𝗟𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗻 𝗼𝗻 𝗔𝗽𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝗣𝗼𝗱𝗰𝗮𝘀𝘁𝘀, 𝗦𝗽𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗳𝘆 𝗼𝗿 𝗮𝗻𝘆 𝗺𝗮𝗷𝗼𝗿 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺.

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