A survivor of childhood leukemia, Robert Hershey is running to show Noah Flores, who is currently battling leukemia, that there is hope for a bright future. This past Thanksgiving, while many people sat...
Handy Hint: February 10, 2015 Ensure headlocks are unlocked Do you ever worry about leaving cows potentially locked up in the headlocks? Mike McLeod had the same concern and decided to do something about...
A startup company wants to put you out of business by creating a genetically modified, animal-free milk beverage. MILK IS MILK . . . isn't it? The name "milk" has been somewhat marginalized
One of the keys for a breed to remain economically viable is the ability to make genetic progress, and small populations are at a large disadvantage in this respect. Genomic selection may create an even...
Dairy price discovery mechanisms have come a long way in recent decades. Not only do domestic futures markets offer an enhanced opportunity to both farmers and processors to lock-in milk prices, the resulting...
Handy Hint: January 25, 2015 This mineral feeder stays in place We use this concrete pipe to offer our cows a mineral block and sodium bicarb. It is roughly 20 inches tall and 20 inches in diameter. It...
Organic food sales have been booming, paced by double-digit growth in each of the past five years. As food marketers look to expand that high-margin category, dairy will remain at the epicenter because...
Prevent winter teat damage before it occurs with the right teat dip, properly working equipment and protection from the elements. Stan and I settled into a comfortable routine flipping burgers and turning...
A dairy "bellwether" drops prices again. Just how much milk could be available globally in 2015? Plenty, is the short answer. New Zealand believes the demand-supply balance has tipped and created a buyer's...
Handy Hint: January 10, 2015 A way to better track colostrum After collecting colostrum from fresh cows at Caroncrest Farms in Caronport, Saskatchewan, Canada, each container is given a tracking tag. The...
As we celebrate Christmas and usher in the New Year, the question posed in the above title might be a good way to start a conversation about agriculture. The full question posed recently by USDA Secretary...
The Spaghetti Western film - The Good, the Bad and the Ugly - had a complex plot where three cowboys form an uneasy alliance to find hidden gold. Of course, good triumphs over bad . . . and good eventually...
The combination of more cows, more milk and lower international product prices could place downward pressure on U.S. milk prices. However, lower feed costs should buffer margins on producing milk. by Scott...
Handy Hint: December 2014 Shield keeps stalls dry We had cows splashing water from the drinking fountain into the first two stalls of our freestall barn, and no one would lie in them. To stop this, we...
In the movie "Patton," there is a famous opening scene where the accomplished four-star general, played by George C. Scott, is pacing in front of an enormous American flag. He delivers a blistering, motivational...
With a $30 million investment of dairy farm checkoff dollars into fluid milk, seven beverage partners have committed another $500 million of their own capital to potentially reinvigorate the long-slumping...
A number of wake-up calls in the 1990s caused leaders in the Badger State to step up and take action. As a result, Wisconsin's stalled production began to take off. The word renaissance means rebirth or...
Handy Hint: November 2014 Keep vaccines convenient and cool I'd like to make an addition to the handy hint, "Keep vaccination supplies handy," which appeared on page 549 of the August 25, 2014, issue....
If you can't beat them, join them. Rather than tearing your hair out trying to rid your farm of pest birds and rodents, why not invite predator birds in to help you do the job?
The next round of genetic evaluations is scheduled to be released December 2. These evaluations will involve a great deal more than just typical proofs, as there will be a base change and updates to $CM...
Frustrated by the clear lack of progress after three years from the "Beef Checkoff Enhancement Working Group," USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack announced he would take matters into his own hands. The secretary's...