As printed in our July 2016 issue... WE MAY HAVE HIT THE BOTTOM of the milk-price trough, suggested the University of Wisconsin's Mark Stephenson and Bob Cropp. There has been a strong rebound in projected...
Farm wages climb with no end in sight. Labor cost is an important factor in determining dairy farm profitability. In general, it accounts for about 15 percent of total expenses for a typical dairy enterprise
It takes careful attention to all details, large and small, to reach the highest levels of milk production. When our milking herd finally broke the 100 pounds of milk per day average, a lot of changes...
No surprise pipeline washes For an added layer of protection, I installed a limit switch on my swing pipe in the milk house. I wired the switch into my pipeline washer. The pipeline washer will now only...
As printed in our June 2016 issue... VITAMIN D AND POTASSIUM will be added to FDA's updated Nutrition Facts Panel. In replacing vitamins A and C, vitamin D and potassium joined calcium and iron as under-consumed...
As printed in our May 25, 2016 issue... MILK PRICE RECOVERY could take longer than originally projected by some analysts. Prospects have dimmed due to growing product inventories and continued low oil...
Humans are programmed to need 7.5 to 9 hours of sleep a night. No ifs, ands, or buts about it. Every now and then that warning slips across our radar again. "Get enough sleep; it's important." It's also...
Yakima. The Chesapeake Bay. Lake Champlain. The Texas Panhandle and eastern New Mexico. Kewaunee County. Whether perceived or real, the aforementioned regions have been epicenters for concerns regarding...
As printed in our May 10, 2016 issue... THE $15.25 ALL-MILK PRICE FORECAST by USDA economists for 2016 has held steady for the past two months. If milk production continues to show strong gains and exports...
"Meatless Mondays" are no fix for global warming by Maggie Seiler, Associate Editor Kicked off in the early 2000s, "Meatless Monday" was meant to be an opportunity for Americans to join in a cause, one...
As printed in our April 25, 2016 issue... MILK MARGINS COULD SHRINK further, reported NMPF analysts. After spending the final third of 2015 well above the Margin Protection Program's (MPP-Dairy) payout...
As printed in our April 10, 2016 issue... STRONG DOMESTIC SALES have kept U.S. milk prices ahead of other dairy export countries. Domestic consumption, measured by USDA's commercial disappearance figure,...
California isn't the only major dairy region dealing with water woes. Australia has its issues, too. And as the world's fourth-largest dairy product exporter, short supplies of water could further curtail...
As printed in our March 25, 2016 issue... A $15.25 ALL-MILK PRICE represented USDA's latest 2016 price forecast. Since last May, economists have lowered the projection by $2.70 per cwt. JANUARY MILK FELL...
Walmart is ready to try its hand at processing milk. The convenience store chain recently announced plans to build its own milk processing plant in Fort Wayne, Ind. Once completed, the 250,000-square-foot...
As printed in our March 10, 2016 issue... USDA BECAME MORE CAUTIOUS lowering its 2016 All-Milk price estimate to $15.65 per hundredweight. The agency's projections have fallen steadily from last May's...
Calf jackets can provide much needed warmth for young animals on cold days. A few mild days in the Midwest made it feel like spring was on the way, but since it is only February, we can be fairly certain...
As printed in our February 25, 2016 issue... MILK PRICE RECOVERY could come in 2016, but still may be some way off, projected Rabobank's Kevin Bellamy. "Some on our team are concerned that we will not...
As printed in our February 10, 2016 issue... MILK PRICES CONTINUE TO ERODE as Class III futures for February to July dropped $1.25 on average since early December trading. The March contract of $13.66...
"While scarcity may be the most pressing water issue, water quality is a close second," said Mike McCloskey, owner of Fair Oaks Dairy and chairman of the Sustainability Initiative for the Innovation Center...
