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Article
April 4 2016
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....
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Article
April 4 2016
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...
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Article
April 4 2016
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...
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Blog
April 1 2016
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...
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Article
March 28 2016
Proximity to plants and competition have a number of benefits. For dairy farmers in Wisconsin, Minnesota and bordering states, those positive attributes include low hauling costs that even continued through...
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Article
March 28 2016
Given the weaker dairy and crop prices in 2015, the average price of agricultural land sold in Wisconsin fell by 3 percent from 2014
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Article
March 28 2016
Overall, 94 percent of dairy cows come from two breeds - Holstein or Jersey. That's according to data collected by USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service in its recent Dairy 2014. The comprehensive,...
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Blog
March 21 2016
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
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Blog
March 18 2016
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...
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Blog
March 17 2016
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...
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Blog
March 16 2016
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...
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Blog
March 14 2016
There is no one-size-fits-all in feed centers, but all farms can benefit from reduced feed costs realized by measuring and managing inefficiencies. It's no secret that feed costs make up a significant...
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Article
March 14 2016
by Maggie Seiler, Associate Editor The USDA's Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) orchestrated the sale of more than 300 U.S. heifers to Pakistani commercial and research farms, reopening that export market...
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Article
March 14 2016
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...
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Article
March 14 2016
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...
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Article
March 10 2016
In following these three fundamentals, the Rodgers family has pushed past a 32,000-pound herd average despite Georgia's hot and humid climate. With herd health closely monitored, Hillcrest Dairy only needs...
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Article
March 7 2016
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...
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Blog
March 3 2016
Dairy Challenge competitions combine book learning with real-life situations. By Taylor Leach, Hoard's Dairyman Editorial Intern It's the same old routine. You're sitting in a classroom listening to lecture...
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Blog
March 2 2016
A few factors play a big role in the quality of colostrum. While breakfast may be our most important meal of the day, for calves, that first feeding of colostrum is the most critical meal of their lives....
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Article
Feb. 29 2016
When stepping to the milk case, we all have preferences that weigh heavily on our selections. The same is true across the globe. The Chinese market is one that saw tremendous growth through the early part...