The author is an agricultural writer based in Dansville, Mich.University of Georgia student Kayla Alward discovered her desire to pursue a career in dairy after working as the calf manager at the university
The authors recently retired from the USDA-ARS U.S. Dairy Forage Research Center, Madison, Wis., where they were a research microbiologist and agricultural information specialist
Just you wait.” I used to never like that phrase. When I was just married and before I got pregnant, which was just a few months after, everyone would tell me, “Just you wait until...
The CDCB (Council on Dairy Cattle Breeding) announced during this year’s World Dairy Expo that they will conduct genetic evaluations for six disease resistance traits
The value that dairy calves, heifers, cows, bulls, and steers have in the beef industry is significant. In fact, dairy animals of all types are estimated to contribute 20 to 25 percent in any given year...
Bovine leukemia virus (BLV) is the cause of enzootic bovine leukosis, which is a noncurable, progressive disease that affects cattle in almost all U.S. dairy herds. The virus infects white blood
Linear score and percent of the herd not infected are two additional measures for evaluating udder health and milk quality. Of course, somatic cell counts are key, too.One of the key factors affecting
Marilyn Hershey When we give water to the pens in our calf barn, we do this by filling a 30-gallon tub using a hose. On days when that is my task, I end up tucking the water hose into the tub, le
A fundamental rule in business is that “The customer is always right.” If customers’ needs are not being met, they will look elsewhere for goods or services
The bills were pouring in. From the hospital, I received a bill for over $92,000, the anesthesiologist charged $7,000, radiology came next and was almost that high
Determining a cow’s due date is an imprecise science. We can predict the date for most cows within a day or two, but the sex of the calf, season of year, and geographic region all play a role
The first colostrum feeding not only helps calves establish passive immunity, it also populates the intestinal tract with bacteria needed for digestion
Starch leads a storied life on the modern dairy farm. It begins in the cornfields where sunlight converts water and carbon dioxide to sugars, and these sugars are stored as starch in the grain
A year ago, the combined milk output in the key exporting regions — Argentina, Brazil, the European Union (EU), Oceania, and the United States — trailed the prior year
Marilyn Hershey I was told several times in my youth to “dream big.” I do not remember having a ton of aspirations, but I know that one of my childhood dreams came true