Overstocking boosts a cow's risk for health problems, low milk yield and poor reproductive performance. The majority of work exploring the consequences of overstocking has focused on the behavioral changes...
Authorization is included in House Ag Committee's draft of 2013 Farm Bill. The emotional and growing revolt by California milk producers against what they say is their state's inadequate and unresponsive...
Little things can be overlooked when preparing for showmanship. I attend several youth dairy shows throughout the year as a spectator, but participated in dozens during my junior years. Showmanship is...
Cows will sacrifice feeding time in order to lie down when both resources are limited. There are a variety of reasons that can lead to overstocking in our freestalls. While it may be a short-term solution,...
Producers have options for identifying ketotic cows, but some methods are better than others. Cows that do not adapt to the negative energy balance experienced after calving are candidates for developing...
Can you hear a quiet question floating in the spring breezes: "Is it time to lock in feed?" With grain markets down, milk futures up, and crop outlooks rosy - not to mention bad memories that are still...
Fewer social upsets during the transition period lead to healthier, more productive cows after calving. Even without completely new facilities, social stress can be managed during the transition
For decades, high concentrate, low forage diets were a staple on dairy farms. As economics have shifted though, there has been a push to produce higher quality forage and maximize its inclusion in the...
Ev Thomas of the William H. Miner Agricultural Research Institute shared his experience with growing forages, especially alfalfa, on the March 11 Hoard's Dairyman webinar, "ABCs of alfalfa harvest."
Change is one of the great constants in U.S. dairy farming. The industry has been evolving for most of a century, but especially in the last 20 years. Like an ice skater who draws in their arms while spinning,...
Hoard's Dairyman Webinar Archives February 11, 2013: "New dairy software tools and they're free" presented by Victor Cabrera, University of Wisconsin-Madison Brought to you by Lallemand Animal Nutrition...
Milk Income Loss Contracts (MILC) were automatically extended through September 30, 2013, under the American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012. There is no need for producers to re-enroll in MILC
Dairy management programs offered at no cost. No dairy herd is a cookie cutter of the next. Each have their own unique set of fixed costs, feed options and management criteria. Fortunately, there is software...
Hoard's Dairyman Editorial: it's time to overhaul immigration Our citizenry and its elected representatives must come to grips with the fact that our country has a broken immigration structure. Continuing...
They set out to reinvigorate a brand. In the process, Domino's revitalized the entire pizza category. Through teawork, Domino's and DMI partnered to improve pizza taste and quality. The relationship started...
Hoard's Dairyman Webinar Archives January 14, 2013: "Today's perspective on grouping strategies" presented by Mike Hutjens, University of Illinois Brought to you by Digi-Star, LLC (www.digi-star.com) "Today's...
Tackling Johne's around the world While the human risk of contracting Johne's is unclear, many researchers and countries continue to search for new eradication methods. Reducing Johne's risk on your farm...
Every event in life is a learning experience, even if what you learn is "I don't want to do that again." The same can be said of 2012. It was a year that flew by but still left many lessons for dairy producers....
Three years ago, one of my Christmas gifts was a ColdGear shirt. The giver thought this was the perfect undergear for someone who works outside through the winter. It is thin but keeps you warm by a technology...
Now that the election is over, we urge Congress and the President to get down to the business of compromise. In farm circles, estate taxes should be top of mind in addition to the farm bill. It has been...
