The top 25 counties are now home to one-third of the nation's entire dairy herd. That compares to one-fifth of the cows just 20 years ago. With 489,436 cows in the most recent U.S. Census of Agriculture,...
it may not be the leading cause of improved milk production, but behavioral research in Europe has shown that cows that listen to music produce more milk. While it remains a relatively unstudied field,...
The Class III futures market expects $18 prices in early 2015. May's Class III price announcement of $22.67 per hundredweight was just the start of what is likely to be more cuts. Announcement of the $1.74...
We recently heard a presentation from a nutritionist in one of America's largest school districts who was struggling to comply with USDA's school cafeteria requirements. After listening to her discuss...
Despite our growing ability to find a needle in the "foodborne illness" haystack, as a whole, food safety continues to show steady improvement. Foodborne illnesses reported to the Centers for Disease Control...
Will today's record milk prices lead to new price lows? The billion dollar question every dairyman would love to know: how long will these historical milk prices last? In April, USDA announced Class III...
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...