For U.S. dairy farms, cows that have difficulty initiating and maintaining pregnancies can cost as much as $484 million annually in veterinary care and lost milk production, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Animal Health Reporting System, threatening farms’ long-term sustainability. One contributing factor could be the levels of phytoestrogens -- compounds similar to estrogen but derived from plants -- in cow’s feed.
Study examines phytoestrogens
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A research team looked at phytoestrogen -- a plant compound like estrogen but can cause reproductive health problems in dairy cows -- in various forage plants while under water stress.
Red clover is a common forage crop in New England. However researchers learned that when under water stress -- particularly drought conditions -- red clover produced more phytoestrogen content.
Graphic shows the impacts of cattle consuming phytoestrogen-rich forage crops.
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