The author is the managing editor and covers animal health, dairy
housing and equipment, and nutrient management. She grew up on a dairy
farm near Plymouth, Wis., and previously served as a University of
Wisconsin agricultural extension agent. She received a master’s degree
from North Carolina State University and a bachelor’s from University of
Wisconsin-Madison.
This year has the potential to be a good one for organic dairy. First of all, organic sales are climbing, and organic dairy products seem to be flying off the shelves. Sales of organic whole milk grew...
Watch the cows to be sure your facility provides the resting space they need. Cows are busy creatures, and one of the most important activities they do is rest. "We want to see high-producing cows lying...
Everything about farming - equipment, machinery, herd size, technology - seems to have grown except for the number of people doing the work. In a short time span of just five years, from 2007 to 2012,...
Two new apps are now available to help producers evaluate calves' respiratory health. Respiratory disease can be a devastating issue for the calf caretakers on your farm. According to Terry Ollivett from...
For the first time since 2007, the U.S. dairy and beef cattle herd has expanded. After reaching the lowest number of cattle since 1951 at the start of last year, 2015 is heading in the opposite direction....
Research shows that healthy and unhealthy eaters alike select foods on taste over nutritional value. An apple is healthier, but why do we reach for the doughnut instead? Most likely because we know it...
It appears some current NBA players should have listened to their mothers when they were children and drank their milk. While injuries are almost to be expected in the life of a professional athlete,...
Keep fresh cows "fresher" by identifying high risk cows early on. The high-risk fresh cow: She's older (third lactation or greater), had a difficult calving and is battling lameness. She had a longer lactation...
Transferring the farm from one generation to the next is no small feat, and every family faces its own challenges. One farm that recently created a successful partnership between two generations is the...
Meat is a diet staple for many Americans, yet some parts of the country tend to be more meaty than others. In a nonscientific study, cable news channel CNN created a list of the top 12 meatiest cities...
The dairy industry could learn a thing or two from motorcycle powerhouse, the Harley Davidson Motor Company. Motorcycles and cows don't have much in common, but when it comes down to image and product...
Running a business has a lot to do with building and maintaining relationships, and for a farm, an extremely important relationship is the one with their lender. The foundation of that relationship is...
by Abby Bauer, Associate Editor Farms with high milk production do many things right, but a lot of it comes down to the four feet a cow walks on. "A sore foot impacts everything she does," said University...
"One of the most important events on a dairy is calving," said Mark Thomas, D.V.M., a New York veterinarian and consultant with Dairy Health and Management Services, LLC
Coffee-making guru Starbucks is kicking off the new year with newly updated animal-friendly welfare practices. The restaurant chain is most well known for its caffeinated beverages, but an array of pastries,...
A smaller than ever beef cattle herd has created higher prices in the grocery store, but another product in our every day lives is feeling the pinch, too: leather. Beef hide prices have more than quadrupled...
by Abby Bauer, Associate Editor A special report that recently appeared in Reuters magazine took a shot at the use of antibiotics and, more specifically, the product ceftiofur, in dairy and beef production....
Today's dairy producers use the lactation curve to schedule milk harvest from a cow. Her milk production level dictates ration changes, housing group and may push up or move back her dry-off date
Most farms pay close attention to reproduction in the milking herd; heifers are often another story. Location, facilities and time in the day often impact the reproductive performance of the heifer herd,...
Global warming or not, the world's climate is changing. In the United States, greater variability in precipitation patterns, more pronounced differences in weather between regions, and rising average temperatures...
