Tri-State Dairy Exchange Team Explores On-Farm Assessments and Audits in November Webinar

By Amber Machia

The mission of the Tri-State Extension Dairy Team is to unite Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont in advancing dairy management through collaborative educational programs, addressing shared industry challenges, and fostering innovation across northern New England.  Since January 2025, the team has been hosting live monthly webinars on the last Wednesday of each month from 11:30 AM to 12:30 PM.  Sessions have focused on current dairy research and program updates, including interviews, presentations, and roundtable discussions.  All recorded sessions are available to watch on the UVM Extension Northwest Crops & Soils YouTube Channel. 

On-Farm Assessments & Audits for Dairy Operations 

In November, the Tri-State Dairy Extension Team hosted a webinar focusing on on-farm assessment and audit programs available in the Northeast.  The session featured Dr. Clem Nash of NOVUS International and Dr. Bill Stone of Diamond V.  The presenters walked through the assessment and audit programs their teams offer to dairy producers and showed how the insights from these tools can drive better management, boost productivity, and improve overall profitability on the farm. 

NOVUS C.O.W.S Program 

The NOVUS C.O.W.S.® Program helps dairy producers assess herd behavior and make informed management decisions. Created with the University of British Columbia’s Animal Welfare Program, this national benchmarking effort highlights ways to improve cow comfort, support herd well-being, and strengthen sustainability in the dairy sector.  Comfortable cows perform better—driving productivity and long-term success.

Producers interested in having their operation assessed should work with their nutrition consultant to schedule a full assessment with the NOVUS team. The assessment includes a management interview; an evaluation of facilities; locomotion and hock scoring; collection of cow time-budget data using wearable loggers; measurement of stocking density; and monitoring of temperature and airflow conditions.  Quantitative and qualitative data collected during the assessment are analyzed and organized into a customized report, which is then delivered to the dairy. NOVUS works with the dairy’s management team to provide recommendations that align with existing management practices and support improved research based cow comfort and production performance.