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...
Surveys of dairy farmers show management and pricing are top priority. by Carolyn B. Liebrand and K. Charles Ling The authors are economists with USDA's Rural Business Cooperative Service. This article...
Green County Cheese Days recently celebrated its 100th anniversary, earning the title of the oldest festival in the Midwest. Cheese Days is a three-day festival which takes place only in even-numbered...
Handy Hint: October 25, 2014 An unbreakable bottle holder Our calves tended to destroy the bottle holders we've purchased in the past, so we created this alternative. After some construction on the farm,...
It may not seem like it, but times are a changing on the milk price front. After a stellar run in farm-level margins from mid-2013 through 2014, signs are pointing to dramatically reduced margins next...
Agriculture education attracts all types of students for all types of reasons. Both students who plan to enter the workforce after high school and those who advance to a two-year, four-year or postdoctorate...
Highly regarded cartoonist Walt Kelly once penned, "We have met the enemy and he is us." That statement, which appeared in Kelly's long-running cartoon series "Pogo," accurately describes the dysfunction...
Handy Hint: October 10, 2014 Keep water tank hose in place Our cows kept pulling the hose for our plate cooler out of the water tank. If we kept the end of the hose below the water surface, it would back...
This was the question posed to me a week ago by one of my customers as we considered an annual corn by-product feed purchase. He followed with the statement, "I guess I am greedy and want the bottom of...