Jan. 10 2023
I had the recent opportunity to team up with a milk cooperative adviser to provide assistance to a member farm. As I finished up and returned home, I sent a short text thanking her for the support. Sh
Jan. 10 2023
Many A.I. studs are now offering straws of semen that contain sperm from multiple bulls. To understand the potential advantage of a mixed, or “heterospermic,” A.I. dose, let’s review...
Jan. 10 2023
We all know that dairy farming is a challenging business under the best of circumstances. Hoyt Hill Farmstead has experienced additional stress over the past two years as Scott and Amber Hoyt have dea
Jan. 10 2023
In the cold weather, I wanted to plug in my pickup truck’s block heater, but I didn’t want a plug-in hanging out of the hood, so I made a bracket to screw the plug-in onto the front bumper....
Jan. 10 2023
Changing economics and shrinking margins on dairy’s home front have been a strong driver in herd demographics throughout the United States. When Hoard’s Dairyman partnered with the American...
Dec. 28 2022
let’s talk agronomy in the Feeding Fundamentals column to start this new year. While an agronomy discussion may seem out of place in a nutrition-focused column, it shouldn’t be. In last June’s...
Dec. 28 2022
We are approaching three years since the COVID-19 pandemic started. As the disease becomes endemic, we start to see the unintended consequences of control measures. While these measures saved lives, m
Dec. 28 2022
The Fair Labor Standards Act (FSLA) of 1938 is a federal law that created the right to a minimum wage as well as overtime pay when people work more than 40 hours a week. The federal minimum wage was 2
Dec. 28 2022
Antibiotics play a critical role in fighting bacterial infections in animals on our farms. Of course, many of these same medications also restore human health, and that is one of the reasons why certa
Dec. 11 2022
Staphylococci are the most prevalent bacteria isolated from bovine mammary secretions. In the past, we would call them CNS, as in coagulase-negative Staphylococci. However, another classification sche
Dec. 10 2022
One of the greatest blessings Duane and I received this year was during one of the most difficult times. My mother had been ill for a few years, so her passing was not a total surprise. Her 91-year-ol
Dec. 10 2022
Butterfat composition in the national bulk tank has been on a meteoric rise over the past decade. Before that, according to USDA data, butterfat levels held in a tight window of 3.65% to 3.69% from 19
Dec. 10 2022
The author is a professor emeritus at Virginia Tech and an independent dairy consultant with Down Home Heifer Solutions.Each farm must weigh the pros and cons of feeding milk or milk replacer in their...
Dec. 10 2022
Central Lakes College in Minnesota has a law enforcement training course that teaches young recruits to respond to emergency and nonemergency calls for service. This includes traffic enforcement dutie
Dec. 10 2022
I took a used container that originally held ice melting salt and now use it in our shop to put down Floor-Dry. The slotted top works very well for spreading this product. Shaun Coyne, New York
Nov. 21 2022
I recently ran into a person who told me she sets a “gratitude” alarm on her phone. Four times a day, her phone rings to alert her that it is time to be grateful.I was not quite sure how to...
Nov. 10 2022
To find small leaks in tires, make a mixture of water and liquid soap. Put the mixture in a squirt bottle and spray it all over the tire. The air leaking out will create bubbles with the soapy mixture
Nov. 10 2022
the last few years have created some of the most unpredictable financial situations we’ve seen. As we prepare for 2023, here are five considerations to make in your business planning. 1. Milk p
Nov. 10 2022
I still vividly remember my first farm call following vet school graduation many years ago! Lloyd had called the practice early on a sunny June morning. His message was one of distress.“One of my...
Nov. 10 2022
When it comes to global warming, all greenhouse gases tend to get lumped into the same bucket. In reality, certain gases behave differently, and that affects their impact on climate change. During the
Nov. 10 2022
The collective dairy industry leapt into action after USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack shared he was open to a proposal to modernize Federal Milk Marketing Orders. In the ensuing 11 months, hundreds of meet