As publishers, we appreciate a good action photo as much as anyone. However, the time has come for all media outlets to join together and cease publishing photos of dairy judges slapping champions. Not...
What did your cows eat today? Think of all the steps required to put feed in front of your cows. Your nutritionist formulates a diet, your feeder mixes it, feed is delivered to the cows and they consume...
Handy Hint: November 2015 Get it right the first time Hooking the hydraulic hoses to our tractor can be time consuming and frustrating. It often takes a couple trips in and out of the tractor to rearrange...
After the scorching heat wave that gripped California in 2006, the DeJagers doubled down on their efforts to keep cows cool, and it has paid off in cow health and the bulk tank. Art, Renae and Alex DeJager...
Editorial: Firefighters know the dairy farmer's heart After listening in on a conversation between a mix of firefighters and first responders, we thought the respect those emergency personnel have for...
It certainly feels like a "checkbook shock treatment" comparing the milk checks of last year to the lack of numbers showing up now. And that is the way it is in the last of the true supply and demand businesses...
Handy Hint: October 25, 2015 Calves on the Move We like the convenience of a golf cart on the farm but had never found a good way to move new calves with it. My husband and father-in-law converted the...
When your milk price falls by more than 30 percent, there is little solace in hearing that it could be worse. But, really, it could be worse. U.S. dairy producers are faring better than their New Zealand...
Striving for optimum herd health is what we desire and try to accomplish. We build well-designed facilities . . . we feed properly formulated diets . . . we spend extra time developing tailored vaccination...
Avoid corn that is too dry when harvesting and storing high-moisture corn that will be later fed as starch to the milking herd. When corn kernels are below 24 percent
Handy Hint: October 10, 2015 A cow scratcher on demand We made a cow scratcher that we can move from pen to pen on our farm. We took an old road sweeper brush and washed and sanitized the bristles. Next,...
What's the farm worth to the next generation? He serves as dairy transitions coordinator for Pennsylvania's Center for Dairy Excellence. Sooner or later, most farm families reach a point where they must...
Corn silage doesn't bring protein to the table When balancing diets heavy in corn silage, don't skimp on the protein. Understanding corn's advantages and limitations enables us to maximize its nutrient...
Fluid milk was once the undisputed king of the dairy aisle. That is no longer the case as cheese passed the milk jug a decade ago. Given the current trajectory, dairy exports could also pass the former...
Handy Hint: September 25, 2015 A scrapper support system The metal support braces on my barn floor scraper rusted and broke before the scraper blade wore out. New replacements did the same thing. To solve...
Milk Check Outlook: It's worse than 2009 by Nate Donnay The author is director of dairy services at Informa Economics, Eagan, Minn. During the first five months of 2015, milk production across the major...
Nothing was more exciting for me as a young vet student than studying the "biology" of DAs (displaced abomasums). And, after 30-plus years of practice, I still find myself challenged with the diagnosis...
Editorial: World Dairy Expo has been a "labor of love" Scores of people deserve credit for being the driving force that launched the World Food and Agricultural Foundation in 1967. Fort Atkinson, Wis.,...
Handy Hint: September 10, 2015 A windbreak made of recycled tires Hunter Ridge Dairy in Ault, Colo., built a 3,800-head heifer yard last year to bring their young stock home to the dairy. While the outline...
Your ability to hear is a onetime deal. Once it's gone, it isn't coming back. Engines. Vacuum pumps. Animals. Motorized shop tools. What do they all have in common? They are found on dairy farms . . ....
Handy Hint: August 25, 2015 A Flexible Sprayer I created a single nozzle sprayer and attached it to a hydraulic cylinder. I mounted it on the front end loader of my tractor. I have a valve to feed this...