Just how much has our industry consolidated? It took only 12 counties to produce 25 percent of our nation's milk last December. By casting a slightly wider net, 56 counties were responsible for producing...
German scientists recently discovered a haplotype that limits a Holstein calf's ability to digest cholesterol. In these instances, calves eventually deplete all fat reserves, including those found around...
Feeding a high forage diet alters feeding behaviors, health parameters and milk production in fresh cows. Transition cows are much like a puzzle that is missing a few pieces; we're still working to develop...
Handy Hint: August 10, 2015 Combine gates for a flexible cattle corral Andy Musgrave of Pittsfield, Ill., was looking for a way to create portable cattle corrals. He took 20-foot metal gates and welded...
Cattle can be efficient users of leftovers. By Patti Hurtgen, Hoard's Dairyman Online Media Manager Last week I blogged about different management types that produce beef. One of the interesting facts...
A recent trip to the Milwaukee Stockyards by Purdue University senior Jordan Marshall confirmed what we have known for some time . . . a little extra care not only helps young calves, but yields a higher...
Class 4b increase starts August 1 and will last 12 months. by Dennis Halladay, Hoard's Dairyman Western Editor It wasn't as much as dairy producers asked for, and the duration is only half as long, but...
Legendary dairy cattle judge and professor Fred Foreman passed away on July 22, leaving behind a grand legacy of teaching and passion for the dairy industry. He was born on a small farm in Kansas, but...
For a number of decades, we have seen firsthand multiple states develop initiatives to either recruit dairy farmers to their respective states or develop homegrown talent to grow dairy cow numbers. There's...
by Amanda Smith, Associate Editor Water. To thrive, agriculture needs water. And it's the ingredient that California, one of our nation's most agriculturally productive states, is most severely lacking....
Big new dairies are something of a rage in China these days. Some provide milk for domestic use, while others are specifically to make products for export
"Some cows need $2 less in feed daily to produce the same amount of product. Can we find these efficient cows?" Michigan State's Mike VandeHaar asked the audience at the joint annual meeting of the American...
Determining the breed composition of the U.S. dairy herd is somewhat of an inexact science because not all herds are enrolled in an official testing plan. Even among cows enrolled in a testing plan, the...
We have to be mindful that dietary "advice" can erode public faith in science and agriculture. I bring this to the forefront after reading the Hoard's Dairyman Intel, "We've been all wrong on fat." The...
Dry cows aren't second-class citizens by Amanda Smith, Associate Editor On many farms, the environment is the root of fresh cow somatic cell count (SCC) problems. Dry cows and springing heifers may not...
Hoard's Dairyman Webinar Archives July 13, 2015: What the cows are telling us about their transition needs presented by Ken Nordlund, D.V.M., University of Wisconsin Brought to you by Bovikalc (www.Bovikalc.com)...
