as dairy producers continue through the second year of very slim or negative margins, I am sure many of you are feeling rather discouraged. I have never been a dairy farmer, so I cannot speak from experience
Change is only fun for a baby with a wet diaper. Sometimes we seek change, sometimes change finds us. When it finds us, it’s usually better to not be a baby about it
The best of 1976. Steve Jobs formed Apple computer. Nadia Comaneci won three Olympic Golds. Rocky premiered in cinema. ABBA had a number one song with “Dancing Queen.”
Global trade is forecast to grow at 3.6 percent per year over the next five years, requiring an additional 800,000 million pounds (370,000 tons) of product annually, according to a new USDEC report
There have been a number of people in my lifetime who have exemplified character qualities that influenced me to strive to do my best in whatever pathway I chose. The added bonus I received from
Iowa’s Millionaire Model Dairy Farms (MMDF) prove that financial success can be attained that can set dairy producers on a path to become “millionaires” by managing a variety of dairy...
At Vir-Clar Farm in Fond du Lac, Wis., co-owner and calf manager Katie Grinstead uses a system of colored duct tape to communicate with calf feeders. Different colored duct tape attached t
You know the slogan “no pain, no gain.” The toughness represented in those words fits our occupation and mentality as farmers. We work right through our ailments
To make feeding wrapped round bales easier in the barn we made a round bale turntable. On a four-wheeled wagon, we mounted an old wheel hub with the rim bolted on and then welded a metal plate t
Farms that utilize medicated milk replacer or calf starter should make adjustments now before the Veterinary Feed Directive (VFD) takes effect on January 1
Mother Nature can be good and bad. This year saw amazing examples of both, starting with winter storm “Goliath” that pounded key dairy areas in eastern New Mexico and the West Texas Panhandl
This November’s national election was historic. Not only did the Republican candidate, Donald Trump, win the presidency, both the Senate and House held their Republican majority. In rural area
"You always . . .” “Yeah, well you never . . .” Imagine those phrases, spoken in a loud, angry voice, and you can probably finish the sentences with words that you have heard uttered...
The nation’s dairy herd reached an impressive 9.36 million cows in September . . . a level not observed since the third quarter of 1996. The number of dairy cows has grown
One of the most important economic factors that determines a milking herd’s profitability is the average days in milk (DIM). That parameter obviously depends on getting the cow pregnant early
All I needed to make this homemade calf hutch door to protect calves during winter storms was a pallet, a tarp, staples, nails, baler twine, and slat wood. First, I took a tarp and folded it so
We built this 12- by 12-foot-square frame building to wash our calf hutches. It is 8 feet tall, has a floor grate that is 16 inches off the ground, and old windbreaker panels on three side
Design considerations we have used for decades could soon be going out the window,” forecasted Tom Haren with AGPROfessionals based out of Greeley, Colo. “We are going to have to unlea
DMI opened our eyes to dairy,” stated Taco Bell’s Heather Mottershaw. “DMI just brought such a different level of knowledge to us. Our focus is now cheese.” Mottershaw...
With each passing year, we do a better job growing calves and heifers. That has meant younger age at first calving and an earlier return on investment from herd replacements. Several years ago