Not since the end of the USDA's Whole Herd Buyout Program has dairy cow culling surpassed that of their beef cow cousins. However, that is exactly what happened in 2015 as beef producers retained cows...
When is the last time you updated your vaccination program? Vaccinations are a great weapon against common ailments faced by dairy animals from pneumonia to mastitis, and they can be effectively used on...
Farms with more cows prove that animal welfare is still a priority. The average herd size for dairy farms in the United States keeps growing while the number of farms continues to decline. This trend is...
Handy Hint: February 10, 2016 Get little helpers ready for barn chores For most farm moms, the worst part of taking little ones out to the barn is getting them ready. It can take half as long as chores...
Young calves demand much care and patience. My two siblings and I grew up showing Holsteins, and from the time I was pretty young, I seemed to be the one who always ended up showing the flighty animals....
It turns out two semitrailers of cheese stolen on January 15 and January 22 never left the Badger State at all. In the Marshfield, Wis., case, investigators received a tip that the cheese was in Grand...
"I am going to sound like a broken record, but, if it is a good idea to regroup or feed differently, why aren't you already doing it?" asked Donny Rollin when discussing potential changes to feeding and...
The Holstein breed would look different without the influence of Roy Ormiston. As dairy producers, we can all appreciate the power of a single generation or a single cow to alter the course of genetic...
"We are very fortunate to have a great team of employees at Prairie Dairy. We endeavor to hold milking classes multiple times per year to assure that we are correctly and consistently performing our milking...
In less than the course of a week, two semi loads of cheese were stolen from storage facilities in what authorities believe are unrelated events located about 190 miles apart. However, investigations are...
In routinely denouncing mainstream agriculture and its associated food systems, Chipotle Mexican Grill has become entangled in its own spider web of contradictions. It turns out that it is far easier for...
Minnesota's dairy sector at a crossroads. A reduction in overall milk production; nearly maxed out cheese plant capacity; and sluggish demand for soft products are among the factors that have conspired...
While in the store last week, perusing the cheese case, I watched my fellow shoppers make their yogurt selections from the adjacent cooler. One young lady in particular was really taking her time analyzing...
Front row (L to R): Jennifer May, Anna Rodas with Olivia and Easton, Macklen Fee and Bob DiCarlo. Back row: John Brown, Greg Guinan, Kevin Moore and John Knopf. "Milk price has no bearing on how we administer...
Anyone who has worked with livestock and has dug out of a blizzard knows the process takes days, weeks or even months. Such is the case with dairy farmers in the Texas Panhandle and New Mexico, who will...
Colostrum offers newborn calves benefits beyond immunity, including critical energy used early in life. Carrying around a few extra pounds of holiday weight gain, some of us in colder climates may joke...
Handy Hint: January 10, 2016 Hinged gate closes man pass From a safety standpoint, a man pass allows a person working with livestock to make a quick exit from the pen to avoid injury. There are over 56...
Proper timing of forage availability can ease the rocky transition of weaning. Weaning time is easily one of the more difficult management challenges for producers with calf and heifer feeding programs....
Carolyn Gibbs, DMI; Greg Wickham, Chairman of Newtrient; Steve Rowe, CEO of Newtrient; and Paul Rovey, Chairman DMI. "Are we going to be victims, or will we set the stage on nutrient management?" That...
On the road to preservation, silage goes through four phases: aerobic, fermentation, storage and, finally, feedout. During the anaerobic phase, the crop uses up sugars and protein while it respires. At...
