Handy Hints

Do you have an idea you’d like to share with other dairy producers? Send it our way! We pay $50 for Handy Hints printed in the magazine.

To be considered, all submitted hints must include a clear, print quality photo (at least 240 dpi and approximately 4" by 6” in size). Please send items to Hoard’s Dairyman, Handy Hints Department, P.O. Box 801, Fort Atkinson, WI 53538. You can also email your Handy Hints to editors@hoards.com. Please include your name, full mailing address and a short description of the handy hint with each submission.


Click here to order our Handy Hints Book,
a collection of Handy Hints from our readers.



Here are a few Handy Hints from fellow readers.

Extended chute saves trucks and grain
Sept. 17 2014
Handy Hint: September 25, 2014 Extended chute saves trucks and grain When one of my employees came too close to a truck last year while filling it with the grain cart, I decided to fix the problem. I simply...
Save plastic with smooth bunker edges
Sept. 12 2014
Handy Hint: September 10, 2014 Save plastic with smooth bunker edges Tired of the plastic bunker cover getting caught and torn from the edge of the concrete walls. Reuter Farms in Peosta, Iowa, came up...
Keep vaccination supplies handy
Aug. 19 2014
Handy Hint: August 25, 2014 Keep vaccination supplies handy We created a belt that makes vaccinating calves easier. We took a carpenter apron and riveted three PVC clamps to the belt. Then we cut a PVC...
Makes great footing for cows
Aug. 1 2014
Handy Hint: August 10, 2014 Makes great footing for cows I made this grooving bull float to create good traction on the concrete in our dry cow yard. I bought a 4-foot magnesium bull float for $90 and...
Bottle holder keeps sunlight out
July 11 2014
Handy Hint: July 2014 bottle holder keeps sunlight out We put a bottle cooler around our medicine bottles that require protection from sunlight. (Temperature variation and exposure to sunlight can reduce...
Quick and easy calf ID
June 9 2014
Handy Hint: June 2014 Quick and easy calf ID When our primary calf feeder had time off, we sometimes got behind on tagging calves. We came to the solution of using plastic tags and dry erase markers that...
Creative solution for a small commodity bay
May 15 2014
Handy Hint: May 25, 2014 Creative solution for a small commodity bay We have a commodity bay on the farm that is too small for a truck to dump into. To solve this problem, we mounted a used cyclone from...
Jig moves combine headers
May 1 2014
Handy Hint: May 10, 2014 Jig moves combine headers I needed a way to move combine headers to work on them or put them away for storage without always starting the combine. I made this simple jig from scrap...
Hydraulic hose more durable for parlor
April 17 2014
Handy Hint: April 25, 2014 Hydraulic hose more durable for parlor We were going through two or three conventional rubber hoses a year in our parlor. They just didn't hold up to being drug around on the...
Belt keeps knives out of pockets and within reach
March 21 2014
Handy Hint: March 25, 2014 Belt keeps knives out of pockets and within reach After ruining several pairs of overalls during hoof trimming by placing my knives into the pockets, I finally came up with a...
Barrel gives float protection
Feb. 26 2014
Handy Hint: March 10, 2014 Barrel gives float protection Our cattle were constantly licking the bottom of our float and getting it out of socket, letting the water free flow and making a big mess. To prevent...
Great replacement for shoelaces
Feb. 19 2014
Handy Hint: February 25, 2014 Great replacement for shoelaces My shoelaces always break due to extreme conditions around the farm, so I use weed whacker replacement string instead
Wrap works better on teat injury
Jan. 29 2014
Handy Hint: February 10, 2014 Wrap works better on teat injury We used to use a teat bandage whenever we had a teat injury of any kind, but we could not get those bandages to stay on. Now we use Co-Flex...
Hoard's Dairyman Handy Hints 2013
Jan. 16 2014
Here are a few 2013 Handy Hints from fellow readers. Handy Hint January 10 Leg bands track weaning progress Handy Hint January 25 Durable milk room port Handy Hint February 10 Simple pipe protects water...
55-gallon drum makes packing weight
Jan. 16 2014
Handy Hint: January 25, 2014 55-gallon drum makes packing weight A number of years ago, Larry Baer of Marshallville, Ohio, created this weight to help ensure proper packing density in his corn silage bunker....
Hoard's Dairyman Handy Hints 2012
Dec. 31 2013
Here are a few 2012 Handy Hints from fellow readers. Handy Hint January 10 Quick-attach feed pusher Handy Hint January 25 No more spilled milk Handy Hint February 10 Improved whey coverage Handy Hint February...
Gate trains heifers
Dec. 31 2013
Handy Hint: January 10, 2014 Gate trains heifers We mounted an 8-foot gate to the main gate on the end of the alley of our freestalls. If fresh heifers don't know how to use the stalls at first, we move...
Handy Hint: December 2013
Dec. 13 2013
Portable plate cooler a hit Two field representatives from Maryland & Virginia Milk Producers invented this portable plate cooler. With quite a few Amish farms in the area having older milking setups,...
Handy Hint: November 2013
Nov. 12 2013
Space-saving palpation rail DeMange Dairy in Versailles, Ohio, needed a place to hold cows to do herd checks, so they built this palpation rail. It folds up and winches to the ceiling when it is not being...
Handy Hint: October 25, 2013
Oct. 22 2013
Retired street sweeper makes great brush Keith Bachelder of Epsom, N.H., attached this old street sweeper head to the wall of his freestall barn. The sweeper cost him nothing, and it works great as
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