HD Notebook

Late last month, the entire Hoard Guernsey herd was appraised as part of June's scheduled rotation in Wisconsin. The youngest cow to receive a score was Dairyman Ben Neater, #1167. She calved on May 31 and will not reach her second birthday until September 19. She is a well-grown heifer that scored VG-82, with an 80-point udder, and an 87-point foot and leg. Read more

How deep a financial hole did milk producers dig in 2009? It was “Lassie, go get help!” deep.

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When there's producer and grower money at stake –quite a bit of it– there always are strong feelings about who should spend it and how it should be spent. That's why both the beef check-off and soybean check-off programs have been in the news lately. Read more

If you have a newly-found love or fascination with yogurt and yogurt drinks, you are not alone. It seems as if your neighbor has picked up on it too, as did European yogurt giant Danone. Read more

Every October, Shamrock Farms, located in Stanfield, Ariz., opens up its modern 10,000-cow dairy to the public, taking advantage of the growing agricultural disconnect as a way to market its brand and teach Arizona’s children about large-scale dairying.

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Dairy markets are beginning to improve according to the Dairy Market News for the week of July 26-30, 2010. Read more

Away at college, working on a master’s degree, many of my daughter’s calls and e-mails now include personal insights into the financial "joy" of being a grown-up.

“One day you’ll appreciate the starving grad student experience and how it made you tough,” I often say, trying not to laugh. She shared her newest revelation today; it was about meat prices of all things. Read more

A couple tablespoons of bleach and stainless steel water troughs could be your next arsenal in the fight against Johne’s disease. That’s the conclusion from Kim Cook, a USDA Agricultural Research Service microbiologist at the agency’s Animal Waste Management Research Unit in Bowling Green, Ky. Read more

They don’t wear capes or have super powers, but little brown cows are helping save the world. Seriously. Here’s how the dots are connected: Read more

In the past few days, three key reports have been released that provide some insight into what's ahead for dairy markets. They are last Wednesday's Livestock, Dairy, and Poultry Outlook from USDA's Economic Research Service, Thursday's NASS report Cold Storage, and Friday's NASS report, Cattle. Read more