It is eight weeks until 1 September so the dry period is looming for many of these cows. Body condition score is important. I was in Scotland last week and the top-performing all-year-round-calving high-input farms are looking to minimise BCS change. The difference in BCS between the cows calved 40 days and those due to calve was minimal. Their target is to have BCS between 2.75 and 3.25, with minimal changes throughout the year. Cows that lose more than 0.5 of a BCS unit are the problem cows. Research from Moorepark backs up this theory. Avoid letting dry cows get too fat on lush grass. Stemmy grass or a bare paddock with access to hay or low DMD silage is sufficient. This also helps in preventing metabolic disorders post-calving.