Handy Hint: April 10, 2011 Plywood, nails, and tags track calves We found it difficult to tell employees which calves to feed, what type of milk, and how many times a day to feed each calf. Our solution...
Want to know what the administrator of the EPA is up to today? In the past few months, it has become evident that many farmers, agricultural organizations, and agribusinesses have become suspect of the...
Any doubt that the U.S. is once and for all a major player in global dairy exports can be put to rest by its record achievements in 2010. According to the U.S. Dairy Export Council: • Total milk solids...
Handy Hint: March 25, 2011 Dishwater rack screens water We always had problems with twine getting into sump pumps. We then started thinking of a way to make a sturdy filter that wouldn't easily clog but...
America's dairy industry shrank again in 2010 in terms of both cow and farm numbers, yet produced more milk, according to data released last month by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Closer scrutiny...
Most of the focus on 2011 U.S. planted acreage centers on corn acreage. There are a number of reasons for that focus, according to Darrel Good, an agricultural economist at the University of Illinois....
Handy Hint: February 25, 2011 They use silo to store wheat straw The Krahn Family of Brillion, Wis., uses wheat straw for bedding. "As our herd grew, getting enough straw blown into the old tie stall barn...
In a ceremonial fly-over, the blasting engine of an F/A-18F Super Hornet took to the skies to help celebrate the opening of the world's largest annual agricultural expo. Pleasant, sunny, moderate temperatures...
Handy Hint: February 10, 2011 Screen Protects Truck Since the farm truck at the Steve and Carl Ayers Family farm in Perryville, Ohio, goes through many crossing guard gates, they added a frame around the...
Handy Hint: January 25, 2011 Bracket keeps ball hitch handy Never look for the ball again. I took a piece of angle iron and bolted it to the cage of my skid loader. That way whenever I need the ball to...
Relentless attention to details sets these National Dairy Quality Award winners apart. They're on top of everything from fastidious stall care to meticulous milking and from frequent use of CMT paddles...
61st Annual Hoard's Dairyman Round Table: How the top herds produce high-quality milk Top-quality milk: what it takes Here's a detailed look at the practices of the five Platinum winners in the National...
They produce the highest quality milk These farms pair preventative practices with effective mastitis treatment. The six Platinum winners in this year's National Dairy Quality Awards competition work closely...
Handy Hint: January 10, 2011 Wire stops for calf hutches We found that filling discarded 15-gallon soap containers with a little sand makes for great stops for calf hutches. They can easily be cleaned,...
What goes into a "next year's outlook" prediction? Paying attention all year long this year, talking regularly to producers, studying the economic horizon outside the industry, tracking trends, and decades...
Handy Hint: Jan 10, 2010 Colored Tape Marks Distance During the winter months, my employees are so bundled up that they have a hard time turning around inside the skid loader to see behind them. This led...
Do you remember what it was like in 2008 . . . when corn and other feed costs were really high, but the milk price also was quite high? Well, I think that 2011 is going to feel a lot like that except without...
Handy Hint: December 2010 Skid moves calves to heifer operation To help move calves across the road to their heifer operation, the Steve and Carl Ayers Family of Perryville, Ohio, designed this small calf...
For the first time in over two years, many western U.S. dairy herds began showing a small profit. While these positive numbers are a welcome sight for many dairy farmers, they fall way short of making...
Handy Hint: October 25, 2010 Neck rails that give A local builder created a neck rail that has some extra give to it. As shown in the photo, the rail is mounted above the feed aisle and equipped with a...
