To ensure the dairy industry will thrive, we must focus on transferring vital knowledge, developing the proper skills and providing valuable experiences. There was a time not long ago when the major concerns...
Simple welds secure sliding barn door I made this holder for our pole barn door by first putting a hollow pipe 2 feet long in the ground at the center of the door. Then I took a pipe that fit inside and...
Farm milk prices are in great flux this spring. Nationally, milk supplies remained above last winter's levels, despite high feed prices coupled with limited supplies of forage in many areas
Dairy has been long governed by a series of rules known as "standards of identity." While these federal requirements have protected our products from imitations, the rules have also stymied innovation...
Glove box rack made from old calf pen panels I made this simple and inexpensive glove box holder out of calf panels that were so bent we couldn't use them any more. I cut the pieces to my desired length...
The three c's of farming: Character, capital and conditions are critical considerations for anyone who wants to farm in the future. The dream of farming has become a reality for thousands around the world...
Children start out as avid milk drinkers. Then consumption plunges as youth approach their teen years and flock to other beverages. While many reasons could be at play, we can't help but think packaging...
We're creating cow islands Our milk production is moving west, north and away from populations. But the trend west is slowing, and more areas are losing milk than gaining
Plastic barrel holds entire milking set The farm at Mississippi State University, Starkville, Miss., needed a way to hold milk meters when they weren't using them. They were able to fit over a dozen in...
New possibilities emerge for innovation, alliances and joint ventures to reshape dairy's flagship product. The gallon jug is part of our future. However, to grow beverage sales, we must expand beyond it
Inbreeding, and more importantly its consequences, has long been a concern of breeders as it reduces production, lowers fertility, causes more stillbirths and leads to fewer days in the herd. While genomics...
If we use a multi-prong approach to better hoof health - much like our udder health plans - we can see less disease and lameness, paired with more milk. by Gerard Cramer, D.V.M. The author is owner of...
Grader makes great feed scraper We needed something to scrape up feed on our farm and had this three-point grader blade that we no longer used. We welded a short piece of angle iron onto our skidloader...
Safer calf hauler After seeing some great adaptations of chemical totes for calf haulers in the Handy Hints' section, we tried our own. Hoard's Dairyman Farm staff folded one section of plastic down and...
Domestic markets to face slower growth Over the next decade, the majority of new opportunities in dairy product sales will come from Asia and other developing markets
The Animal Improvement Programs Laboratory (AIPL) at USDA releases DHI statistics every year. Those trends found at http://aipl.arsusda.gov/publish/dhi.htm allow us to track a variety of traits
While science has greatly enhanced our ability to improve human health and longevity, Mother Nature has also provided us with many mechanisms to ward off disease. Our zeal to utilize products that kill...
Hoard's Dairyman Editorial: it's time to overhaul immigration Our citizenry and its elected representatives must come to grips with the fact that our country has a broken immigration structure. Continuing...
Hoard's Dairyman Editorial: Abrupt plant closure highlights a larger problem If there was ever an industry-wide wake-up call that the fluid milk sector is in dire need of innovation, it would be the demise...
Congressman David Valadao is a partner in his family's 1,700-cow dairy operation. While his new job forced him to take a back seat on the dairy, he is excited to represent us in Washington. Whether he's...