It's shaping up to be an expensive summer for hay in the West. By mid-April, prices for supreme and premium quality alfalfa were already over $300 per ton in some of the region's largest dairy states,...
Outstanding profit margins that dairy producers have enjoyed so far this year have begun to fray around the edges. It's a pattern uncomfortably similar to what was seen in 2007, so keep your eyes on it....
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)
Bob Miller and Frank Regan are among the most respected people among dairy cattle breeders. Both purchased franchise cows early in their careers, transformed the Holstein breed and became household names...
Sooner or later, every dairy cow leaves her herd for some reason. But how long she stays seems to depend a lot on what breed she is. In the 2012 National Dairy Herd Information Association data compiled...
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...
Garrett Oetzel, University of Wisconsin, presented "Cows and their calcium", in our Monday, March 10 webinar. For 30 years our presenter has studied the topic. With development of a new calf and the onset...
This past year, the Northeast Federal Milk Marketing Order Administrator once again sent two calibration trucks out in the field to check whether or not on-farm bulk tanks were accurately measuring milk...
The non-GMO movement is knocking on Starbucks' doors. A staple on street corners and in airports, the high-value coffee chain is being pressured to serve only organic milk and cut ties with companies supplying...
After operating for three decades with quotas, Europe's self-imposed muffler on milk production will expire on March 31, 2015. How might the new dairy landscape affect exports? by Hoard's Dairyman staff...
Stray voltage is still lurking around the countryside, said Doug Reinemann, University of Wisconsin-Madison milking equipment specialist, when he spoke at the Midwest Rural Energy Conference last week....
Dairy once again proved it can be a divisive issue. Reportedly, the farm bill's dairy provisions were still being hammered out just hours before the final bill was filed with the House Rules Committee....
Take a stand for cows that can't Down cows deserve special care to bring them back to health or, if necessary, to a humane end. by Geof W. Smith, D.V.M. The author is at the College of Veterinary Medicine,...
There was a further drop in pick-up tanker milk samples testing positive for antibiotics in the United States last year . . . 445 out of 3.2 million samples, or 0.014 percent, were positive. This represents...
Fresh, available drinking water is essential for healthy, high-producing dairy cows. A 1,500-pound lactating dairy cow consumes approximately 25 to 35 gallons of water per day. Drinking water meets 80...
If your bulk tank took a hit during the frigid weather, you were not alone. University of Illinois' Mike Hutjens conducted an informal survey of dairy producers at meetings in Illinois and Minnesota during...
Farmers who plan ahead for tax management maximize their benefits. by Ali Enerson, Hoard's Dairyman Special Publications Editor Tax time can bring mixed feelings for farmers. Some are worried about pulling...
This year marks the 50-year anniversary of President Johnson's "War on Poverty". Although he first discussed it in a January 1964 speech, the first food assistance program didn't become law until August...
