In determining how to employ margin insurance, understanding the premium cost relative to the expected payout for your dairy farm business will generally be the critical driver affecting coverage level...
While dairymen do not like rising feed and protein prices, it must be recognized that many of the same world export markets that are currently driving up protein and grain costs are the same markets that...
Genomics was a large focus at the Advancing Dairy Cattle Genetics workshop this past February in Phoenix, Ariz. The issue of bias in genomic evaluations was not on the official agenda, but it was discussed...
Rising retail prices for meat, milk and other staples have become routine leads in many media reports in recent months. While it's true that food costs have gone up slightly, lost in every story we've...
Heat abatement is not just for the milking herd. Dry cows that are cooled are healthier, breed back sooner and produce more milk. Heat stress has substantial impacts on milk yield during lactation
Facing mounting resource pressure, can California dairymen rise to the challenge, or will they continue to disappear? Kansas already requires dairies that pump more than 15 acre-feet of water to put meters...
Even though the body of scientific evidence backing GMOs is overwhelming, humans more easily relate to emotions, not facts. With the name "genetically modified organism" identifying the GMO moniker, all...
Walmart staff were amazed to learn that, at 300 cows, the Anglins' herd size is twice the national average. They had a perception that most dairy farms were much
Farm milk prices and margins were surprisingly strong this past winter. As we head into spring, prices may weaken, as they often do, as milk production marches toward its seasonal peak. Even so, prices...
Agronomists say that for all the plant growth you see above ground, there is an equivalent root mass found underneath the soil's surface supplying plants with life-giving nutrients. This living, breathable...
China and India's practices leapfrog a generation Farmers in the world's two most populous countries are updating production practices at a rapid pace. Even so, this modernization effort isn't without...
Recently, there have been a lot of comments, papers and seminars using the general phrase "Precision Farming." We have all marveled at the global positioning satellite (GPS) technology that was introduced...
Genetics, genomics and good cow sense all garnered attention at a recent national genetics workshop. The Genetic Workshop not only included discussions on breeding better cows, but attendees also brainstormed...
The family farm can beat the odds and survive with well-thought-out planning and sound execution. You may have never heard of the family business, Kongo Gumi, but it is in the Guinness Book of World Records
There was generally good news for U.S. dairy producers with the release of USDA's World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates (WASDE) report on February 10. On the input side, feed costs are going to...
Real dairy history took place when the President signed the new farm bill into law this past February. That momentous shift included the elimination of three underperforming dairy programs. Gone are dairy...
After operating for three decades with quotas, Europe's self-imposed muffler on milk production will expire on March 31, 2015. How might the new dairy landscape affect exports? by Hoard's Dairyman staff...