Group housing is becoming a more popular and acceptable way to raise dairy calves. Besides feeding and health benefits, new research shows that raising calves in a group setting might also make them smarter
Hypocalcemia is more than a "low calcium" problem Milk fever cannot be overcome in a reactive fashion. Prevention programs must be in place to help cows successfully transition into lactation. To better...
Many of us know that the U.S. produced 200.3 billion pounds of milk throughout 2012. While that is an easy reference statistic since dairy producers are accustomed to looking at tank and rolling herd averages,...
California's three largest dairy cooperatives are very close to having a draft petition ready to submit to USDA asking that a Federal Milk Marketing Order (FMMO) be implemented there. If adopted it will...
But simple practices can help calves survive and thrive, even after a difficult birth. Do you know how many calves you lost as a result of dystocia last year?
Heightened calf care can keep calves healthy and growing during winter weather. "This is the time of the year where we face the most challenges with raising calves," said Noah Litherland from the University...
W.D. Hoard's Notice to the Help set the standard for all farm staff over a century ago. The recent video showing employees at a northeast Wisconsin dairy mistreating dairy calves and cows is very disheartening....
Current research is taking a look at serotonin's role in calcium uptake and its future potential in helping ward off milk fever. The start of lactation greatly raises the need for calcium in a dairy cow....
Sunny California has never seen anything like 2013. According to statistics from the National Weather Service, nothing short of a Noah-like deluge this month will keep the Golden State from having its...
Great effort is placed on preventing and managing common illnesses that strike calves, including respiratory disease and scours. When calculating calf loss, however, many farms forget about calves that...
Because it has been so widely quoted, we have become numb to what was once a sobering statistic: we will need to feed 9 billion people by 2050. For many, this is not a reality we can easily wrap our heads...
People from around the globe met to discuss dairy cattle reproduction this week. The 8th annual Dairy Cattle Reproductive Council (DCRC) meeting wrapped up yesterday in Indianapolis, Ind. More than 240...
Calves need more energy in cold weather just to stay alive. Welcome to November; it's officially "that time of year" again. Even if snow isn't a normal part of winters where you dairy, colder temperatures...
A pair of Hoard's West articles titled "California's pricing system is killing its dairies" were the center of a discussion initiated by a longtime California dairy industry leader. In this man's opinion,...
Latest price hike denial should be the final straw for producers.One of Albert Einstein's famous quotes is, "Insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results." It's a madness...
Intensive management nets an extra $35 per heifer, without considering the value of additional milk. Replacement heifers have long been viewed as a two-year economic sinkhole. "While heifer programs usually...
If a trade pact between Canada and the European Union gains approval, our neighbors to the north would be subject to double the current cheese imports from Europe. The deal would be one small component...
Buy land, build a plant and start processing milk, right? Ha! Every state, county and city likes to claim it is "business friendly" in hopes of attracting new companies and the economy-sustaining jobs...
The Old West code is long gone; $5,000 fines are the new law. The Old West of cowboy lore is a distant thing of the past, yet plenty of critters are still being rustled on dairies, farms and ranches across...
