BACKGROUND Cannon Dairy, founded in 1959, has around 8,000 cows on two farms near Idaho Falls, Idaho. About 5,500 cows are milked at Cannon’s farm in Roberts; an additional 1,500 milking and 1,000 dry cows are kept 30 minutes’ drive away at the dairy’s Shelley farm. CHALLENGES Cannon Dairy’s most pressing challenges center on its breeding program. The dairy’s pregnancy rate used to be a fairly steady 20%, but in late 2011 it began to fall, dropping to 11% by early 2012. “We think there were a number of causes that combined, like a perfect storm,” recalls in-house veterinarian Kevin Crandall. “We were expanding, fighting health issues, and temperatures were around 30° below zero for several weeks.” Chris Crandall, Office Manager (and Kevin’s brother) explains: “We needed to fin

Join for free to read