"The day your cows calve, they need to have on the best running shoes that you can give them," noted Karl Burgi, Sure Step Consulting, at the Leading Dairy Producers Conference. "If a cow is lame at transition...
Drought, less acreage, and rising global demand are reasons why. Droughts in the West and rising demand around the world are increasing the price of hay and other forages for U.S. milk producers. And...
One of the keys for a breed to remain economically viable is the ability to make genetic progress, and small populations are at a large disadvantage in this respect. Genomic selection may create an even...
Prevent problems before they cause early culling. Mike Hutjens presented "Feeding cows for transition success" during the January Hoard's Dairyman webinar. He shared 10 Key Performance Indicators (KPI)....
Hoard's Dairyman Webinar Archives January 12, 2015: "Feeding cows for transition success" presented by Mike Hutjens, University of Illinois "Feeding cows for transition success" was presented by Mike Hutjens,...
Simply guessing as to the cause is part of the problem. Death loss is a challenge to every producer. Minimizing early removals from the herd should be the goal, but it starts with an understanding of the...
Hoard's Dairyman Webinar Archives November 10, 2014: "Moving toward longer-lasting cows" presented by Frank Garry, Colorado State University "Towards longer lasting cows" was presented by Frank Garry,...
When mastitis was detected in the week after insemination, the likelihood of the cow carrying a calf was greatly diminished. A dairy's success or failure hinges on a number of variables, one of which is...
Completeness, balance and strong udders described the cows that Judge Molly Sloan found to the top of the classes throughout the day at the Junior Holstein Show on Tuesday
Decades ago, cows gave far less milk and reproduction came easy. Today's cows produce high volumes of milk, but are still expected to calve back consistently. There was a downward trend for fertility until...
With strong milk prices, farms may wish to bring more cows in to help fill the bulk tank. Outlets for purchasing dairy cattle are plentiful, but so are the disease risks new animals can bring to your herd
This volatile business of milking cows has rewarded many of its caretakers with handsome returns. We always must remember this is a business demands a great deal of capital, planning, time and good old-fashioned...
What ration do your cows eat? The ration created on paper often differs from the one that is delivered, consumed and digested. Only when we deliver a consistent ration and cows consume it according to...
The top 25 counties are now home to one-third of the nation's entire dairy herd. That compares to one-fifth of the cows just 20 years ago. With 489,436 cows in the most recent U.S. Census of Agriculture,...
It takes preventative strategies and early detection to keep cows walking comfortably on all four feet. Do lame cows get better on their own? According to Gerard Cramer, D.V.M, associate professor from...
Recombinant bovine somatotropin (rBST) has a long history of both use and disuse in the U.S. "Since commercial sales began in 1994, rBST has been given to approximately 35 million cows," noted Dale Bauman,...
Handy Hint: August 10, 2014 Makes great footing for cows I made this grooving bull float to create good traction on the concrete in our dry cow yard. I bought a 4-foot magnesium bull float for $90 and...
it may not be the leading cause of improved milk production, but behavioral research in Europe has shown that cows that listen to music produce more milk. While it remains a relatively unstudied field,...
