Aug. 25 2015
Editorial: North American's future in a fog Dubbed the largest all-breed, purebred livestock exposition in the world, the 42-year-old North American International Livestock Exposition (NAILE) now appears...
Aug. 25 2015
For genomics to pay, you must use the information to keep or produce a larger supply of genetically superior heifers and remove the genetically inferior. That goal cannot get lost in the shuffle. by Patrick...
Aug. 25 2015
In general, the U.S. and world economies are pretty stagnant. Part of the issue is after the 2008 financial crisis consumers and businesses were just happy to still be around
Aug. 10 2015
Some chronic diseases are known to lower milk production, but others that are often widespread within herds may silently lower milk production while going unnoticed for years. by Geof W. Smith, D.V.M....
Aug. 10 2015
As the weather heats up, keeping milk cool becomes critical. Food safety, product flavor and shelf life - and, ultimately, consumer satisfaction - depend upon quickly cooling milk and holding it at the...
Aug. 10 2015
Now that Congress has approved Trade Promotion Authority, negotiators from 12 nations have begun final deliberations on the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP). Those final talks will ultimately determine...
Aug. 10 2015
We recently moderated a dairy farmer panel discussion where a member of the audience turned the conversation from cowside concerns to family matters. "How do you handle conflict on your family-run farm?"...
July 29 2015
Handy Hint: August 10, 2015 Combine gates for a flexible cattle corral Andy Musgrave of Pittsfield, Ill., was looking for a way to create portable cattle corrals. He took 20-foot metal gates and welded...
July 15 2015
Determining the breed composition of the U.S. dairy herd is somewhat of an inexact science because not all herds are enrolled in an official testing plan. Even among cows enrolled in a testing plan, the...
July 15 2015
From the heart of farm-centric Iowa, the Des Moines Water Works (a city department) has filed a lawsuit against three counties contending that drainage ditches that handle water collected by "engineered...
July 15 2015
A debate fraught with emotion, genetic engineering of crops may be a new concept, but trait selection has been practiced for centuries
July 7 2015
Handy Hint: July 2015 Portable vise makes work easier Sometimes I need a vise or something to hold parts that I'm working on when I am away from the workshop. Since I have an ATV bobcat with a dump box...
June 15 2015
It has been decades since a region looked to implement a Federal Milk Marketing Order. Dusting off policy rules reveals a structured, transparent and lengthy process
June 15 2015
Unless Congressional action is taken to clarify RCRA, the Washington state ruling on manure and its nutrients could forever change livestock production
June 15 2015
A shift toward group housing calves is taking place; now we must decide what size of group is best
June 15 2015
It has been nearly a generation since dairy farmers last formally petitioned the USDA Secretary of Agriculture to establish a Federal Milk Marketing Order (FMMO). That fact alone makes the California petition...
June 5 2015
Handy Hint: June 2015 Give cows privacy while calving (function(d, s, id) { var js, fjs = d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0]; if (d.getElementById(id)) return; js = d.createElement(s); js.id = id; js.src = "//connect.facebook.net/en_US/sdk.js#xfbml=1&version=v2.3";...
May 25 2015
Water is the chief building block of life. Without it, crops wither away and civilizations crumble
May 25 2015
One day your son or daughter may be running your dairy, and that begs the question, what should my 18-year-old know about farm finances? It might be hard to admit but each year everyone gets a year older
May 25 2015
When it comes to feed prices and dairy trade, two "C" words have dominated conversations for more than a decade: for ethanol it's corn and for dairy products it's China. Since only one in five of our readers...
May 19 2015
Handy Hint: May 25, 2015 Save hats from washing machine wear and tear (function(d, s, id) { var js, fjs = d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0]; if (d.getElementById(id)) return; js = d.createElement(s); js.id...