Who do consumers trust? Some days we think people are so naïve to believe everything they read. Other times, they are so skeptical of even the most logical and safe practices. I laughed when I read...
Living in a rural community is no guarantee that your neighbors understand farming and where food comes from.When you're engaged to a large animal veterinarian and your job is tracking and responding to...
We're spending more on eating out. The restaurant business is no small peanuts. With $783 billion in annual sales and 14.4 million employees at more than 1 million locations, eating out frequently has...
Cameras installed in maternity barns can help determine if expecting cows are in need of assistance. By Taylor Leach, Hoard's Dairyman Editorial Intern You kick off your shoes after a long day on the farm,...
Reader Response: Swimming in milk Anyone who thought the September 2014 $25.92 mailbox price was the new normal was delusional . . . 2014 was a career year for the American dairy farmer as noted in the...
A twist on pretty will debut at a Canadian cattle show in April. While no beauty pageant exists just for young ladies with IQs above 120, there is a pageant of sorts debuting in Canada next month for heifers...
What other ways can you find to serve the dairy industry? Last week, March 13 to 19, was National Agriculture Week. I had the chance to represent the Oregon dairy industry in a video commercial for a local...
Attentiveness and observation are still important to success in automated calf feeding systems. Just like many management areas on the farm, calf feeding requires careful attentiveness in order to be successful
"Do you have an article, chart or documentation that shows the relationship between somatic cell count (SCC) to dairy product shelf life?" That was a thoughtful question poised by a Hoard's Dairyman...
by Scott Brown The author is an assistant extension professor in the department of agricultural and applied economics at the University of Missouri Federal dairy policy is under more scrutiny these days...
"The New Rotisserie-Style Chicken: Raised Without Antibiotics." That headline is proudly displayed at Subway restaurants across the country and is front and center of the restaurant chain's website. The...
Strategize for ways to minimize heat stress. Even though we are not ready for sunglasses and shorts, warm weather will be here soon. Mike Brouk, Kansas State University, presented "The latest on beating...
Students who grow up on dairies stand out on scholarship applications. College, as we all know, can certainly cause financial stress on a family. Especially to those who grew up on a small dairy farm such...
Our actions need to speak louder than words when working with livestock. Cows may not speak like we do, but that does not mean that we cannot communicate with them. We must simply interact in ways they...
The stress of calving, for both the cow and the calf, can be lessened with a proper maternity pen. There's no one cookie cutter design that all farms must follow, but general recommendations include an...
I walked around a 2,300-cow dairy in Florida earlier this month. No guide, no restrictions, and no objective other than taking a few pictures. A simple thing happened that was a first for me and it's already...
USDA's release of the World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates (WASDE) report in mid-February provided neutral to slightly negative news for U.S. dairy producers. On the input side, feed costs could...
Place yourself in a consumer mindset. In doing so, you'll develop a much clearer dairy conversation. by Mark Rodgers When dairy farmers speak to each other, we often toss around terms such as TMR, DA,...
The once steady growth in milk quality has become stagnant. After dropping by nearly 100,000 cells per milliliter from 2005 to 2012, somatic cell counts (SCC) have leveled off near 200,000 over the past...
Don't look now, but Michigan's dairy industry is on a roll. Surprise, California's is not. California is still the largest U.S. dairy state for both cows and milk, and by a wide margin, but not much is...
