We Need a Show is now available for purchase from the Hoard's Dairyman bookstore. Booths are deconstructed, cows are headed home, and the 49th edition of World Dairy Expo is wrapped up. If you had the...
What's the best way for trade show exhibitors to relax after the first day in the booth? Food, drinks and visiting with fellow show exhibitors at the Hoard's Dairyman and World Dairy Expo-sponsored Exhibitor...
Researchers are delving into animal personalities and the effects they have on production. They have personalities. For anyone who has managed cattle or spent much time around them at all, it is pretty...
Over Labor Day weekend, I checked milking in a tie stall barn off my bucket list. Hoard's Dairyman editors stay close to the business of dairying through involvement on their home farms and the Hoard's...
Automated calf feeding systems offer huge benefits but can also challenge management systems. Offering quicker gains, healthier calves and greater labor efficiencies, automated calf feeders have revolutionized...
Crisis management is intimidating to address but essential for long-term success. When I was 12, my family had an experience that significantly altered our operation. At 11 p.m. in the middle of wheat...
Dairy challenge competition allows students to connect the dots between classes, experiences and instinct. I was the buzzer beater in junior dairy bowl. I studied and studied the questions, and on many...
Digital dermatitis in heifers can change hoof shape without causing lameness. By Maggie, Seiler, Hoard's Dairyman Editorial Intern A good set of feet and legs is imperative for a cow to live a long and...
If there was one job I truly despised as a kid growing up on a dairy farm, it was helping bed the calf barn, which housed our calves from 3 months of age to around 500 pounds. I just never found a way...
It was drilled into my head from a very young age to watch out for calves with droopy ears, sunken eyes and clear signs of illness. Many producers use physical and behavioral signs such as these to detect...
Research sheds additional light on the specific effects of mastitis on reproductive efficiencies. The dairy cow's internal balance can often be a fragile thing, and it is never more apparent than when...
Discussing policy and practices with consumers is all about talking with them, not at them. by Maggie Seiler, Hoard's Dairyman Editorial Intern As a nation, consumers are no longer interested in just the...
Over the past year, I have repeatedly been asked how I became interested in dairy cattle considering I grew up in a state more well-known for beef and wheat. Many times, that conversation prompt leaves...
Evaluating body condition throughout lactation and the dry period can be an important health indicator. This semester I decided to take a beef science course with the intention of comparing that industry's...
As I boarded the plane to leave World Dairy Expo last week, the imminent threat of snow had me dreading the predictions of an equally miserable winter to come. Maybe I am jumping the gun, but the Old Farmer's...
Style, silkiness and correctness featured in Guernsey show. Ohio proved to be a good state to be from during the Guernsey heifer show on Thursday night. Heifers from that state swept Junior Champion, Reserve...
