One of the buzzwords was "body size" at the recent national genetics conference in Tempe, Ariz. There are two components to the body size equation - stature and strength (width)
Landwise, rural American counties make up 72 percent of the nation's surface area. In terms of people, just 15 percent of the population lived in these counties last year. Population growth in nonmetro...
Do you group cows by production? If so, then you're a big step ahead in understanding why heat stress is worse than you may realize. THI (temperature humidity index; the "feels like" combination of temperature...
Fertility isn't just for cows by Amanda Smith, Associate Editor is vital, noted Eric Young, in a recent Miner Institute Farm Report. As in the cow, achieving maximum soil fertility requires a balanced...
Farm milk prices and margins were surprisingly strong this past winter. As we head into spring, prices may weaken, as they often do, as milk production marches toward its seasonal peak. Even so, prices...
Agronomists say that for all the plant growth you see above ground, there is an equivalent root mass found underneath the soil's surface supplying plants with life-giving nutrients. This living, breathable...
China and India's practices leapfrog a generation Farmers in the world's two most populous countries are updating production practices at a rapid pace. Even so, this modernization effort isn't without...
We've been indoctrinated with the five C's to give calves their best possible start. Colostrum tops this list, followed by calories, cleanliness, comfort and consistency. Despite the order we've all been...
April is National Grilled Cheese Month. Just the thought of warm melting cheese on hot buttered toast stimulates the taste buds. Delighted customers foster the continued consumption of dairy products....
Intel readers were fascinated by the item in our February 24 issue about a cow cooling method that uses very little electricity – cooling freestall beds from below – which had been exhibited...
Calves with maintained health and growth as young animals will deliver greater performance and value as cows. Industry research shows this, but often the most valuable insights come from dairy producers...
The U.S. and Canadian dairy industries face many of the same hurdles. A dwindling producer population and stagnant domestic fluid sales don't create a burgeoning dairy system. Yet, the U.S. has a competitive...
Renae Konkler Scheiderer always read the personal classifieds in her dad's Hoard's Dairyman for giggles. However, in the April 25, 2000, issue, one ad caught her eye. Al Scheiderer had given his email...
If you were raised on a tie stall dairy, you quickly learned that a cow's appetite dropped well before her milk yield showed signs of slowing. As our industry has transitioned from this one-on-one setup,...
I just read "Genomic bulls still have inflated grades" in the March 24 Hoard's Dairyman Intel. The industry's genetic improvement programs are delivering cows that produce higher percentages of components....
Nearly every pharmaceutical company that makes drugs for animal use has agreed to change wording on their product labels to remove growth promotion as an acceptable use. In December, the Food and Drug...
At $20.06 per hundredweight, the 2013 mailbox price series posted the second-highest mark since USDA first gathered prices in 1995. Mailbox prices matter to every dairy producer because those values reflect...
Genetics, genomics and good cow sense all garnered attention at a recent national genetics workshop. The Genetic Workshop not only included discussions on breeding better cows, but attendees also brainstormed...
