by Abby Bauer, Associate Editor When you want to go to bed but sleep escapes you, a warm glass of milk has been a long-standing solution. Any milk should do the trick, but new research suggests that some...

It's our most crucial decision of the year. By incorporating a blend of homegrown forages and those raised by Gene Baumgardner, Teun Verhoeven fills the bunkers for his 1,400-cow dairy. On his South Solon,...

Hoard's Bull List available for download. Nearly 3,400 bulls were declared active by A.I. marketing organizations. Of those sires, 2,576 were Holsteins, 515 were Jerseys, and the remaining 297 bulls could...

China's heifer buying binge is over, too. Dairy products aren't the only import that China has cut way back on in 2015. It has also drastically reduced purchases of replacement heifers, which is making...

Select the cream of next year's corn crop. As one corn harvest season comes to a close, plans are already underway for the next growing season. Many critical agronomic conversations happen around the kitchen...

Overnight, transition cows are required to shift from being a "couch potato" to a marathon runner. The cow's nutrient and energy demands rise dramatically at this time to support the metabolic marathon...

McDonald's forges stronger dairy menu. With Americans spending more money on food at restaurants than in-home dining, forging strategic partnerships with food chains has become crucial to selling others...

"We find that if the same person who breeds the animal records the data, there is a reduced likelihood that information is lost or incorrectly recorded," said Jill Gerling, pictured center, when discussing...

The downturn in California milk production during 2015 is almost unprecedented. For 30 years in a row (1979 to 2008), total output in the nation's largest dairy state went up. Gains were usually large,...

Move over, bacon. Cheese wants to share the spotlight. The widespread popularity and almost cult-like following of bacon makes it an easy choice for sprucing up common menu items at any restaurant, from...

Most times, you'll be hard-pressed to find a dairyman who wouldn't take another 8 to 10 percent more milk per cow. Long-day lighting could help get them there. "In general, milk yield rises 8 to 10 percent...

There is no doubt 92 percent of sales would be considered the lion's share. Where butter exports are concerned, 92 percent of those sales so far this year - 104 million quarter-pound sticks of butter to...

"I need to start by simply thanking the producers . . . what you do each and every single day," said USDA Secretary Vilsack

Of the 154,418 individuals employed on U.S. dairies, slightly more than half are of immigrant origin, noted David Anderson with Texas A&M. "In the last five years, dairy has become more reliant on an immigrant...

When it comes to dry period length, are we aiming for the right target? "Most people will say ‘I dry my cows up 50 days before calving.' But how do you know when she will calve?" Jose Santos from...

The days of $500 day-old bull calves are probably gone for some time. Lower milk prices aren't the only disappointing news forecast for dairy producers in 2016. Foreign imports and continued rebuilding...

"Thanksgiving is a great holiday. It's a great holiday because it's centered around food," noted USDA Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack. "We bring our families together from all parts of the country...

"We use presynch-ovsynch with cows resynched on Day 14," explained Kevin Collins, who is pictured at the far left. "At 35 to 40 DIM, cows are given Lutalyse on a Monday. Two weeks later, we administer...

Brightly colored leaves hanging from the trees are one of Mother Nature's finest beauties and a sure sign that autumn is here. The fallen leaves can be a challenge for communities to clean up, but one...

Talk about unintended consequences, here is one that lawmakers in the nation's biggest dairy state probably never saw coming: The new ability of illegal immigrants to get driver's licenses has made the...