04/11/2026
Kaitlin Buterbaugh, Dr. Nigel Cook's Master's student, is finishing up her thesis, which looked at how and why cows are culled on Wisconsin dairy farms. Here's a overview of her work, in her own words:
"Culling plays a critical role in the sustainability and profitability of dairy herds, but the factors driving those decisions are often complex and multifaceted. As part of my research with Dr. Nigel Cook at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, I have been working to better understand how management practices, cow health, and farm-level characteristics influence culling outcomes across Wisconsin’s freestall housed dairy herds. This work is part of a larger effort to develop practical on-farm decision-making tools that help producers to interpret their own data and make decisions informed by both science and on-farm management realities.
This is a snapshot of some key herd-level statistics from our study group of Wisconsin dairy farms (data collected May 2023-April 2024):
📊 Mean Death Rate: 5%
🔄 Mean Turnover Rate: 33%
🐮 Average Herd Size: 1,334 cows
🥛 Mean Milk Production: 93 lbs/cow/day
🛏️ Bedding Type: 79% of herds used deep bedding
• 45% used fresh sand
• 25% used recycled sand
• 21% used mattresses
These figures highlight the highly productive nature of Wisconsin’s commercial dairy herds, with a mean herd average milk production of 93lbs/cow/day (42kgs/cow/day). Milk production ranged from 55lbs/cow/day (25kgs/cow/day) to 107lbs/cow/day (49kgs/cow/day).
The mean turnover rate of 33% is reflective of the multifaceted nature of herd management, where producers regularly balance production, reproduction, and animal welfare considerations in culling decisions, while also maintaining a profitable farm business. Culling is not a one-size-fits-all all approach, and we must be mindful of that in developing tools to help commercial dairy farmers make more informed decisions.
The prevalence of deep bedding systems, especially sand-based systems, also highlights the ongoing focus on cow comfort and milk quality. As we know, bedding management affects udder health and disease prevalence, but it also plays a role in dairy cow longevity and, ultimately, culling risk.
Through this project, my goal is to help bring timely, data-driven insights to the conversation surrounding culling. I hope to bridge the gap between research and everyday farm decision-making. Understanding how these herd level metrics like turnover rate, milk production, and bedding choices relate to on-farm culling outcomes can help producers and consulting veterinarians to make more informed and proactive decisions, ultimately supporting farm sustainability, profitability, and animal welfare.
We know that culling is not just about removing cows; it is about making strategic and informed management choices that shape the future of the dairy herd. Through refining housing systems, improving transition cow health, and optimizing genetics, dairy farms constantly make decisions to better their production system. Every decision made on the dairy farm impacts longevity and sustainability, and must be considered in making culling decisions.
Wisconsin’s dairy farms are among the most innovative in the world. I am grateful for the opportunity to contribute to research that supports their continued success. I want to thank each of the Wisconsin dairy farms that participated in our research survey and data collection. We would not be able to do any of our research without your support, and look forward to providing you with valuable insights."
Congrats, Kaitlin! 🥳
