Each farm seems to have its own sweet spot when it comes to the number of cows they house per group. While some dairies can overcrowd successfully, others struggle to maintain individual cow performan

Credit is the lifeblood of agriculture, described Chad Jorgensen of the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago during the Fed’s Midwest Agriculture Conference. That’s why the focus of the event was...

“We're looking at fertilizer prices that have doubled or even tripled in the last 2-1/2 years,” shared Cornell’s Chris Wolf during the December 14, 2022, Hoard’s Dairyman DairyLivestream....

The Farm Workforce Modernization Act, twice passed by the U.S. House of Representatives, suffered a second death after failing to garner the necessary votes in the U.S. Senate. The second funeral tran

As the dairy industry closes the book on 2022, there were chapters that featured high milk prices, greater expenses, supply shortages, extreme weather conditions, growing dairy demand, global impacts

When it comes to forage inclusion in dairy cattle rations, producers have a myriad of options. Traditionally, alfalfa has been a staple providing fiber, protein, and plenty of quality roughage for the

The historically high price for butter is causing some market tribulations on the cheese pricing front.“There’s another consequence of high butter prices . . . its impact on Class III prices,”...

The National Milk Producers Federation (NMPF) and the U.S. Dairy Export Council (USDEC) are proud to be the voice of defending the American dairy industry and promoting dairy exports in Washington D.C

Planting cover crops is not just a fad; a packed house at the 2022 Winter Wisconsin Cover Crop Conference held in mid-December represented the growing interest in this agronomic practice.During the me

“Efficiency is where it’s at right now. We’ve got to make sure every dollar invested in feed works for us,” said Steve Martin, a nutritionist who works with dairy farms across the...

Dairy cattle semen used for artificial insemination comes in 0.5 mL or 0.25 mL straws, and University of Idaho professor and dairy extension specialist Joe Dalton said that both product sizes offer ex

The alfalfa price figure used to determine Dairy Margin Coverage (DMC) feed costs was amended in the final rule released late last year. What was once calculated as the average of high quality and ave

This October, dairy product sales continued to grow both at home and abroad. This has taken place despite relatively high retail product prices when compared to historical levels.In the United States

In many ways, the inflationary society we have been living and running our businesses in for more than a year now is a wakeup call. One of the shocks has been the climbing cost of borrowing money as t

Labor management may be one of the most difficult, yet relevant, tasks on dairy farms. As a generalization, the “80/20 rule” applies on many farms, meaning that 80% of the problems are associated

“Forward thinking will make the artificial insemination process go smoothly and allow us to retain the fertility inherent in the straws we purchase to generate those pregnant cows and heifers we...

Dealing with a standalone year of high fertilizer prices means one thing when trying to balance costs with soil health and fertility. Following that up with another year of expensive fertilizer means

When it comes to the collective dairy community, all involved are doing their part to ensure that milk meets the highest safety standard and that antibiotic resistance is held at bay.How do we know th

Over the past 12 months, 18.2% of U.S. dairy exports have gone to China. The world’s most populated nation is the second-largest destination for U.S. dairy after Mexico, which absorbed about 22.8%...

When it comes to handling dairy cattle semen in a liquid nitrogen storage tank, University of Idaho’s Joe Dalton offers this advice: “Always work below the frost line.”During the December...