Normal calving progress is just 70 minutes long. If you do need to intervene, 30 minutes of pulling is enough. Henry called with a calving just as I was finishing supper. He said he had not worked on this...
by Mark Hardesty, D.V.M. The author is a partner in Maria Stein Animal Clinic, Maria Stein, Ohio. Normal calving progress is just 70 minutes long. If you do need to intervene, 30 minutes of pulling is...
In recent years, there has been an explosion of interest in the use of foliar (leaf) fungicide treatments. That extra attention has paralleled the steady upward climb in grain prices. Industry estimates...
Heifer timed A.I. may benefit average heat detectors by Jeff Stevenson The author is a professor of animal sciences at Kansas State University, Manhattan. At the 2009 Dairy Cattle Reproduction Council...
Consumers say they hear the warnings about raw milk, but they don't care. A recent article in the San Jose Mercury News highlighted one of the head-shaking realities that the dairy industry is up against...
Growth doesn't stop in her second lactation. When facilities and space allow, most dairy farmers will separate their first-lactation cows from the cows in their second lactation or greater, recognizing...
Multiple options to consider when breeding heifers. One of your greatest assets should be your heifer population. Raising quality heifers starts with proper sire selection, good dry cow and late-gestation...
These pdfs compliment an article, "Will robots make or break the bank?", by Larry Tranel, in our May 25, 2012 issue of Hoard's Dairyman on page 363. The Economics of Automatic Milking Systems The Economics...
Welcome to A.I. breeding 101 - a virtual college class held here today! We have come a long way since the 1970s when fixed-time A.I. was first attempted in our industry. In those days, prostaglandin F2?...
We often think the relationship between milk production and fertility is a relatively recent concern. But, in fact, it has been debated for quite some time
Flexibility and simplicity are major differences between USDA's LGM-D pilot project and NMPF's DPMPP protection proposal In 2010, the National Milk Producers Federation (NMPF) developed and promoted a...
The August 10 Artificial Breeding column on page 490 highlighted a new reproduction protocol sheet created by the Dairy Cattle Reproduction Council. It is available on their website, www.dcrcouncil.org,...
Those who actively manage your farm's A.I. breeding program and read my column already know that reproduction is a key factor to farm profitability. You also realize that, in many cases, reproductive performance...
If you have been A.I. breeding cows for some time, you understand that many factors influence the success of each insemination, not the least of which is cleanliness of the equipment used in the process....
Probably among the best-known lines in English literature are from William Shakespeare's Hamlet's soliloquy: "To be, or not to be, that is the question." As dairy producers, you probably ask a similar...
Achieving excellent reproductive performance is a critical goal for any dairy enterprise because reproductive efficiency drives overall profitability. Although numerous factors affect reproductive performance,...