Locomotion scoring can help detect lame cows and gauge overall herd health. When it's not a problem, foot and leg health is something that flies under the radar on a many dairies, but soggy spring conditions...

Understanding immunity promotes calf health. Vaccinations are designed to stimulate the immune system. They aren't cures, but tools to help the calf defend its body from viruses, bacteria and parasites....

Animal activists are becoming bolder in their actions; even events like dairy shows could attract guests with ulterior motives. You've lined up the judge, secured the award sponsors and ordered the ribbons....

A good herdsperson not only observes but takes action. In college, I fielded many questions about my agricultural communications degree that went something like this, "So you're studying to be a cow whisperer?"...

Have a plan for what you want to see and do. Winter – the season when not a lot happens in the fields. And for this reason, trade shows are scheduled to entice busy farmers to attend. With World...

Farms with more cows prove that animal welfare is still a priority. The average herd size for dairy farms in the United States keeps growing while the number of farms continues to decline. This trend is...

Young calves demand much care and patience. My two siblings and I grew up showing Holsteins, and from the time I was pretty young, I seemed to be the one who always ended up showing the flighty animals....

Jim Baird, gifted Hoard's Dairyman Art Director, passes on We would consider ourselves lucky to be really good at one thing – something that truly symbolized the essence of our being. But to be...

An array of factors help this Illinois dairy farm maintain a below average somatic cell count month after month. When it comes to milk quality, Sycamore, Ill., dairyman Bill Deutsch focuses both inside...

The Holstein breed would look different without the influence of Roy Ormiston. As dairy producers, we can all appreciate the power of a single generation or a single cow to alter the course of genetic...

One million children have already learned safer living An ounce of prevention . . . When the idea to host events to teach children about farm safety began in 1995, I doubt the Progressive Agriculture Foundation...

There are real benefits for herds that can achieve a 25 percent pregnancy rate. One common goal all dairy producers share is getting cows bred in a timely fashion. What is a realistic target for which...

Twice per day feedings may expand the time cows spend at the bunk, boost milk production and improve fat and protein content of milk. A cow's time budget allows for three to five hours of eating per day...

Select those that target your needs By Patti Hurtgen, Hoard's Dairyman Online Media Manager If every feed additive delivered on its hype, feeding them all would keep pushing milk production up and up....

Colostrum offers newborn calves benefits beyond immunity, including critical energy used early in life. Carrying around a few extra pounds of holiday weight gain, some of us in colder climates may joke...

The crops are in, and it's time to decide how to use what's available. Winter is in full swing now, and it is time to start thinking about how to most effectively use the forages in the bunker. Bob James,...

California's dairy industry highlighted during annual event. It was the first time in the 127 year-history of the Rose Parade, the California Milk Advisory Board (CMAB) had a float entry. The organization...

Proper timing of forage availability can ease the rocky transition of weaning. Weaning time is easily one of the more difficult management challenges for producers with calf and heifer feeding programs....

One Wisconsin city rings in the New Year by dropping a big piece of cheese. It's a bird, it's a plane, it's an . . . 80-pound Styrofoam cheese wedge . . . falling from the sky . . . at midnight? Yes, it...

Independent report says the agency illegally tried to shape public opinion about its water rule proposal. The firestorm that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ignited last May with a proposal...