Raising healthy calves is critical to the future and profitability of a dairy, so evaluating calf health should not be taken lightly. Sheila McGuirk, D.V.M., who is a regular veterinary columnist for Hoard's...
With half of the country now in a drought disaster area, if there was ever a year for dairy farmers to take reducing silage losses seriously, this is it. The most silage you have is when it is standing...
Most dairy nutritionists already have been stuffing cows with as many alternative feeds as they can lay their ration formulas on. If there is less corn or soybeans at harvest time, due to our current...
We have all read stories, seen comments, and observed television interviews that contain less-than-accurate information on our industry and our practices. We get irritated, but wonder if it is worth the...
It's hard to watch milk production drop during extended periods of high temperature. As you try to stay hydrated and cool while working outside during hot and humid temperatures, you must work even harder...
USDA's National Agricultural Statistics Service says 2012 will make it three record almond crop years in a row in California, which produces virtually all of the almonds in the U.S
Nichelle Stewert, a Georgia farmer who volunteers with her local Farm Bureau, gave one of our favorite sessions at this year's National Agriculture in the Classroom Conference
Clayton Yeutter, former U.S. Secretary of Agriculture and Trade Representative (USTR), opened Monday's "Is this farm boom different?" at the Kansas City Federal Reserve by answering the event's main question
With advancing technologies, how many (other than producers) have seen a working modern farm? The red barn, white fence and silo are not commonplace anymore. Thousands of guests, both rural and urban,...
The 2011 Guernsey Component Queens were compiled from all 305-day DHI and DHIR lactation records received and made official by the American Guernsey Association. To be considered official for production...
A broken piece of equipment, a visit from a neighbor, or simply losing track of time while completing a single task can wreak havoc on your to-do list. Some days we leave the barn with what seems like...
Uh-oh, they're back. After a quiet enough spring, corn prices roared back to life this month and shot past $7 per bushel as scorching temperatures and dry skies withered fields in America's Heartland
When Hoard's Dairyman commissioned artist Bonnie Mohr, Glencoe, Minn., to create a new edition to its Foster Mothers of the Human Race paintings, the result was astounding
As one of TIME magazine's 100 most influential people in the world in 2010, there's no doubt that Temple Grandin is the world's most influential autistic person
While it may no longer be June Dairy Month, educating the public is a year-round challenge. As summer shows and fairs get into full swing, do you take the time to educate the public about your animals,...
I spent the past week at my family's dairy farm in southwest Minnesota. One evening, while helping my dad with a few chores after milking, we felt a few drops of rain. We hoped the sprinkles would turn...
We've all heard the benefits of separating our first-calf heifers from their older herdmates. It provides our new cows with a chance to adapt to their surroundings, learn a new routine and, literally,...
The U.S. isn't the only place where dairy producer opinion is divided about the actions and motives of their cooperatives. Not by a long shot. My just-finished visit to New Zealand, the world's largest...
Last week at the National Holstein Convention in Springfield, Mo., junior members gathered for the youth forum to hear the state of the association address by JAC Chairman Derek Wasson and to select three...
