A few weeks ago, one of our parish's Lenten living bulletin inserts raised concerns with an important part of our parish family, mainly those involved in agriculture. After hearing from a number of our...
Corn, grass or alfalfa silage should have nothing in common with the spoiling food found in many shop refrigerators. Yet, personal experience and research have shown spoiled forage exists on more farms...
Handy Hint: April 25, 2016 A row of clean bottles I was looking for a way to rinse calf bottles thoroughly and efficiently. I took 1-inch PVC pipe, 4 feet long, and connected it to the hot water line....
From high school to college to continuing education opportunities, we must continue to grow and develop our talents. In order that I may inspire some other youth, I've decided to share how my education...
Our little boy's passion made me realize the weight we carry as advocates and educators of our industry. Our local preschool class did a fun project this year where all the kids picked a topic and did...
This is the season to start thinking heat abatement strategies as several southern states are already experiencing warmer temperatures and rising humidity. Meanwhile, it's warming up in northern states,...
The nation's biggest dairy state keeps getting smaller. USDA's official ledger says total milk production in California in February was up just a bit versus the year before (0.55 percent). But that's only...
For calves, the weaning period is almost always filled with change: a new home, new ration, new penmates, new health challenges. This transition can be overwhelming. If animals become too stressed during...
California isn't the only major dairy region dealing with water woes. Australia has its issues, too. And as the world's fourth-largest dairy product exporter, short supplies of water could further curtail...
Ration strategies for groups of dairy cows summarized. Maximize production, but don't waste resources. That sums up the art and science of formulating rations for milking groups. The challenge is that...
Science shows that "farm kids" are less likely to have allergies, but what about those of us who do? Science has proven over the years that children who grow up on dairy farms run a lower risk of developing...
Transparency is certainly a buzzword in agriculture right now. For today's consumer, transparency is the idea of knowing where food comes from and how it's made
As a zoonotic disease, tuberculosis can infect both people and cattle. That also means that tuberculosis can cross back and forth from humans to cows. Unfortunately, these days, if a cow contracts tuberculosis,...
The USDA Prospective Plantings report unveiled a major surprise in this year's corn acreage. With a whopping 93.6 million acres expected to be planted, new crop corn futures quickly moved lower
For years, a great number of us have relied on immigrant labor to milk cows and handle other farm tasks because most locals are unwilling to apply for farm jobs. With improving economic conditions in Mexico,...
Handy Hint: April 10, 2016 Keep winter's wrath away from calves Here in southern Pennsylvania we received nearly 3 feet of snow during one storm in January, and I needed a way to keep that snow out of...
While the breed-changing demand involves chickens, it does illustrate the changing tide among retailers and consumers alike. It also puts recent dairy controversies such as tail docking into clearer perspective....
There is mounting evidence that today's parents are quite simply . . . neat freaks. Our modern-day zeal to utilize products that kill microbes might be counterproductive, even detrimental, to developing...
Manure isn't cheap energy. The excitement surrounding the green power of poop appears to be waning as the number of anaerobic digesters on U.S. livestock operations plateaued in 2013. As of May 2015, 260...
Hand-scoring and double-checks is still the most efficient for us. The Cow Judging Contest has been part of the Hoard's Dairyman brand for 86 years. Images of the cows were originally printed in just black...
