Halting the milking routine for a pregnant dairy animal, usually 45 to 60 days before she is due to give birth. This rest period allows her udder tissue to regenerate, clears up minor infections, and lets her divert nutritional energy into the final stages of fetal growth.
Heard on the job
She's due in early March, so we need to dry off number 402 by the end of the week.
Insider tip
Abruptly stopping milking and reducing feed energy is the most common method to dry off a high-producing cow safely.