Milk production is beginning to outpace demand even though domestic and international consumption remains strong. As this takes place, milk prices could soften. For good or bad, basic economics remain...

The group includes: a two-time grand champion, a bred-and-owned champion, and a national butterfat record holder. These cows not only look good . . . 19 of the 20 cows were bred by the five herd owners...

Portable Electric Panel If you need a temporary place to plug in a lot of cords, this panel comes in handy. Your cords stay out of the snow or mud, it's portable, and it stores easy. Isaac Hackel

USDA's pilot insurance project can provide insights into producer's demand for different levels of margin protection and the price they are willing to pay

Those who support the legalized sales of raw milk do so with a zeal and passion that is rarely seen in our industry. Despite proponents' strong personal beliefs, science is not on their side. A study recently...

Most consumers have a positive perception of dairy farmers thanks to our track record of concern for our farms, our land, and our animals. With a proactive approach, we can ensure that credibility remains...

Silage roll-up We created a homemade roll-up with 1-inch cable and a piece of pipe bent into a crank, then welded the cable to the crank. The cable length depends on the size of the bag. We use a 12-foot...

For back-to-back years, U.S. milk output rose by a remarkably uniform 1.8 percent. However, unlike 2010 when higher production gains fell solely on improved milk per cow, the nation's dairy herd expanded...

Only 1,651 dairy operations hung up their milkers in 2011. That's the smallest drop, both percentage and actual, since 1992. After losing over 80,028 dairy farms since 1992, it appears the reductions in...

There's a new showmanship scorecard this show season Taking into account how judges actually evaluate during showmanship, the Purebred Dairy Cattle Association has improved its showmanship scorecard. At...

Use curtain strapping in front of stalls We use 2-inch strips of curtain strapping to keep cows from going forward in the face-in free stalls at the Hoard's Dairyman Farm. This polypropylene strapping,...

2012 hay outlook: Prices may dip a little, but they'll still be painful for buyers. Alfalfa hay market analyst Seth Hoyt always draws a big crowd for his annual forecast at the Western Alfalfa and Forage...

Editorial: It's Time For Dairy to Take The Lead on ID For too long, the dairy and beef industries have been tethered together when investigating approaches on identification. After over a decade of joint...

Despite gains in milk per cow, component levels are climbing. It's good for manufacturers and bottlers alike. Without the fat, protein, and other solids, milk has little or no economic value. Today, more...

Dry erase hutch map One of my jobs is to feed baby calves. I found this dry erase board handy to map calves in hutches. This system works very well when others need to feed calves if I am not available....

Some good news came at year's end as Capitol Hill allowed two key ethanol subsidies to expire. That decision could have eased corn and soybean prices were it not for the 15.2-billion-gallon Renewable Fuel...

by Marina A. G. von Keyserlingk and Daniel M. Weary The authors are with the Animal Welfare Program, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada. When calves are fed more milk, weight gains before...

There's a 50-50 chance for a farm bill in 2012 Former Washington legislative staffers told those attending IDFA's Dairy Forum that we may see a new farm bill before the fall election. If not passed before...

Improved whey coverage We started feeding whey upon the recommendation of our nutritionist. After pumping whey into our TMR mixer and not getting good coverage of the feed, we added this 6-foot horizontal...

Genetic evaluations are at a crossroads. Both the science of genomics and government's funding limitations are reshaping the field. As decisions are being made on a new structure to fund and calculate...

We were halfway through reproductive exams when Henry told me that they had sold a load of cull cows last week that averaged 1,900 pounds and that brought in over $1,100 each. At first, this seems very...