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.

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
Handy Hint: October 10, 2013
Oct. 8 2013
Simple platform works well With a few pieces of scrap iron and three 2 by 8 boards, we built this platform on the 3-point hitch of our tractor. It can be lowered to the ground and raised up again. We find...
Handy Hint: September 25, 2013
Sept. 24 2013
Shoe rack serves as feed retaining wall Some auger mixers have a tendency to spill over the low front end, so we bolted a double shoe rack to the flat stock of the mixer wall with a washer and locknut....
Handy Hint: September 10, 2013
Aug. 31 2013
Homemade tractor weight Tractor weights can be expensive to purchase and cumbersome to attach. Stuart Meier of Rademacher Dairy in Sun Prairie, Wis., created this tractor weight using a 4,000-pound concrete...
Handy Hint: August 25, 2013
Aug. 19 2013
Fender keeps skid steer cleaner Stuart Meier at Rademacher Dairy in Sun Prairie, Wis., created this fender for the skid steer using a simple piece of steel and some welding. This helps keep the machine
Handy Hint: August 10, 2013
Aug. 6 2013
Dry overalls quietly Do you love your bib overalls but hate the noise of them clanking in the dryer? Here is a way to soften that jarring noise. Place a sock over the two ends, and secure with a rubber...
Handy Hint: July 2013
July 5 2013
Easy bottle fix Our calf bottles have an air intake valve on the bottom of them. After about two years of use the hole becomes bigger than the plug, and it leaks milk. We put silicone over the original...
Handy Hint: June 2013
June 14 2013
Holds three-point hitch steady I made this three-point arm holder by cutting a piece of rerod about 2 inches longer than the width from outside to outside of the arms. I welded a washer on one end, and...
Handy Hint: May 10, 2013
May 18 2013
Improved system to feed calves To help improve our calf feeding situation, I built a stainless steel vat that holds 20 gallons of milk or milk replacer. Now I don't have to carry heavy pails around that...
Hoard's Dairyman Handy Hints 2011
May 18 2013
Here are a few 2011 Handy Hints from fellow readers. 2011: Handy Hint January 10 Handy Hint January 25 Handy Hint February 10 Handy Hint February 25 Handy Hint March 10 Handy Hint March 25 Handy Hint April...
Handy Hint: May 25, 2013
May 17 2013
Low-Cost Bottle Holder We were tired of our bottles and nipples always being in a mess, so we built this holder out of 1/2-inch PVC pipe. We put the bottles on the long pipes and the nipples on the short...
Handy Hint: April 25, 2013
April 22 2013
Simple welds secure sliding barn door I made this holder for our pole barn door by first putting a hollow pipe 2 feet long in the ground at the center of the door. Then I took a pipe that fit inside and...
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