Retired street sweeper makes great brush Keith Bachelder of Epsom, N.H., attached this old street sweeper head to the wall of his freestall barn. The sweeper cost him nothing, and it works great as
Global demand for dairy products remains strong. As a result, international factors are playing a larger role in determining milk prices. But farm-level profits - or losses - are still a local matter
Asking questions helps you zero in on why your business has changed and to focus future efforts. The top 20 percent of herds saw gains in labor efficiency, milk sales and herd size. Change in the financial...
As farms have grown in size, so has the equipment used in crop production. Field equipment is heavier, with the potential to cause more soil compaction at depths that make it difficult (in some cases impossible)...
Simple platform works well With a few pieces of scrap iron and three 2 by 8 boards, we built this platform on the 3-point hitch of our tractor. It can be lowered to the ground and raised up again. We find...
Many breeders believe that today's cows lack the strength needed to withstand the rigors of high production. In recognition of the need to emphasize a balance between high yield and cow fitness, a new...
Many university budgets across the country have come under duress in recent years. While nearly all academic programs have felt the pain, programs viewed as traditional science - particularly ones with...
There appears to be a "shift" coming that will put a strain on most dairy farm cash flows. In the past five years, lenders have been flush with money. With historically low interest rates, it has been...
Shoe rack serves as feed retaining wall Some auger mixers have a tendency to spill over the low front end, so we bolted a double shoe rack to the flat stock of the mixer wall with a washer and locknut....
Sensitivity analysis is about asking "What if" scenarios. It involves the study of how uncertainty in the output of a mathematical model can be apportioned to uncertainty in the inputs to the model
Click to open the August 2013 Hoard's Dairyman Bull List This bull list appears on pages 577 to 580 of the September 10, 2013 issue of Hoard's Dairyman
Homemade tractor weight Tractor weights can be expensive to purchase and cumbersome to attach. Stuart Meier of Rademacher Dairy in Sun Prairie, Wis., created this tractor weight using a 4,000-pound concrete...
Curds and whey. Those two words are more than a short line in a nursery rhyme. Curds and whey are the two main products of cheesemaking, as 100 pounds of milk yields 10 pounds of cheese and 90 pounds of...
Fender keeps skid steer cleaner Stuart Meier at Rademacher Dairy in Sun Prairie, Wis., created this fender for the skid steer using a simple piece of steel and some welding. This helps keep the machine
After nearly two years of debate and one failed vote for passage in June, the House of Representatives passed a farm-only farm bill in mid-July. Not only does this version not address food assistance which...
Review these ten decisions to determine if you can find additional income or reduce expenses on your farm or with your clients. Be a detective and make long-term economic decisions
Dairy demand exists. Are we poised to take advantage, or will processors continue to take the lead? Food and beverage giant, PepsiCo, went on record last year saying that the U.S. market for dairy products...