Forages are at their highest quality when first cut. After that, quality begins to deteriorate quickly. Therefore, the goal should be to minimize quality losses during both harvest and storage. A method...

John Umhoefer of the Wisconsin Cheese Makers Association (WCMA) recently assembled the first-of-its kind list of the nation's top natural cheese processors. In making the list, the WCMA executive director...

Those promoting vegan agendas have spent a great deal of time, energy and resources trying to closely emulate the qualities of animal-based food products. The latest project reported by the green-leaning...

Idaho Congressman Mike Simpson (pictured) is not a big fan of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Nor is he reluctant to say so, as seen at the Western Land Symposium in Boise last week

Across the Midwest, dairymen have noted that last year's crops are not feeding as well as anticipated. While this alone may cause a slight dip in the bulk tank's volume, those harvesting haylage in 2014...

If you thought that we could put the term Polar Vortex behind us for a while, think again. If the Old Farmer's Almanac prediction for the winter rings true, most of the nation will be experiencing another...

Milk is not alone in losing market share. Soda and orange juice are some other long-time beverage giants that have fielded sputtering national sales totals in recent years. Domestic milk consumption fell...

There has been growing concern that high-end genomic bulls are no longer being randomly sampled. If that is truly taking place, the potential exists that the genetic evaluations on these elite individuals...

This year's ongoing national debate about minimum wage levels from state to state should remind everyone in the dairy industry that there is nothing minimum about how much workers on their farms typically...

Comparisons are often made between organic and conventionally managed dairy operations. Whether it's the nutritional value of milk or the health of the herd, efforts are made to tease out differences and...

Yes, there is a "price penalty" for dairying in California, as noted in the June 23 Hoard's Dairyman Intel "A price penalty for dairying in California." The current California system is the penalty. The...

The first-ever robotic rotary milking parlor in North America is coming to Wisconsin. An exciting groundbreaking ceremony was held last week at Mlsna East Town Dairy in Cashton, Wis. Excavation has already...

The latest Hoard's Dairyman Bull List, complete with rankings of the nation's top bulls for all seven dairy breeds, can now be downloaded by clicking the link found at the bottom of this Hoard's Dairyman...

New practices have been put into place to make the nation's favorite form of beef safer than ever. Last week, the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) announced updated...

In California's third year of historic drought, the price of water on the open market is being pushed to staggering levels that scream what a bargain farmers have enjoyed forever. It also raises the question...

The data is mixed when it comes to antimicrobial resistance. While some livestock and retail meat sectors have gained ground compared to their previous five-year average, others have slid backward, as...

This is your chance to chime in and have your thoughts heard. Some of the nation's best and bright dairy economists will be rolling out important educational tools for those dairy producers who wish to...

It's unfortunate that the picture of an irrigation system shown with the August 4 article "Could city voters dictate farm water use?" illustrates one of the most wasteful ways of irrigating that exists....

It takes brains, dedication and determination to run a farm of any kind. It also costs money, and, in 2013, farmers spent even more than they did the year before. The USDA's National Agricultural Statistics...

Since the Net Merit (NM$) index was developed 20 years ago, it has undergone five revisions as new traits have been added and the relative emphasis on these traits is reevaluated. As an index for commercial...