Unusually heavy winter rainfall linked to El Nino has meant decreased milk production and increased sickness and death among California's dairy herds. "But it's not too late to reduce the effects of El Nino," says Dr. John Kirk, Cooperative Extension veterinarian at the UC Veterinary Medicine Teaching and Research Center in Tulare, Calif. "Right now dairy producers should be concentrating on cow comfort," he says. Extra bedding of straw and rice hulls should be provided to give the cows a clean, dry place to rest between milkings and feeding. Alleyways between corrals should be flushed with water and scraped clean more often to protect the health of the cow's feet. Dairy producers should expect extended milking times and may need to add an extra worker to maintain the milking parlor. In some cases, it may be necessary to reduce milkings for lower producing cows from three times daily to two times. Cows should be closely watched for increased health problems such as footwarts, digestive upsets, teat injuries and mastitis. "And producers should make sure their herd's vaccination program is up to date," says Kirk. "Muddy conditions are stressful and reduce the cow's ability to fight off infections of all types."