As printed in our July 2014 issue... MILK TRUMPED MEAT as dairy producers reduced culling by 11.5 percent from January through May (155,000 head) to capitalize on historically high milk prices and pass...
As printed in our June 2014 issue... AS A SIGN PRICES MAY HAVE PLATEAUED, U.S. cheese was among the most expensive in the world while butter was selling higher than European and New Zealand counterparts....
As printed in our May 25, 2014 issue... REPLACEMENT PRICES SHOT UP $370 per head since January to a $1,810 average, according to USDA. Arizona and Colorado topped the list at $2,000 per head; Idaho, $1,950...
America wasted 31 percent of its available food supply in 2010. That's right . . .of the 430 billion pounds of food produced by American farms that eventually reached the supply chain, 133 billion pounds...
When water stops flowing, disaster ensues. Seven states, all with major agricultural sectors, are running out of water. Three of these, California, Texas and New Mexico, are top 10 milk production states....
As printed in our May 10, 2014 issue... NATIONALLY, MARCH MILK WAS UP 0.9 PERCENT with Colorado and Texas leading the pack by growing output over 6 percent. California and its 1.78 million cows made 3.7...
Reader Response: Corn waste biofuel study unfair It appears you were pretty narrow in your reporting of corn waste biofuel's impact on the environment. The research you shared isn't all that credible,...
It turns out biofuel made from the stalks, leaves and cobs left over after corn harvest may not be the cleaner-than-oil alternative it was thought to be. A study released last week in the Nature Climate...
Results have been announced for an auction held recently in Bakersfield, Calif., for surplus water supplies held by a small water district. The average price per acre-foot was eye-opening, and could affect...
Facing mounting resource pressure, can California dairymen rise to the challenge, or will they continue to disappear? Kansas already requires dairies that pump more than 15 acre-feet of water to put meters...
Walmart staff were amazed to learn that, at 300 cows, the Anglins' herd size is twice the national average. They had a perception that most dairy farms were much
As printed in our April 25, 2014 issue... SPOT CHEESE LOST GROUND in early April. Blocks fell by 25-1/4 cents to settle at $2.17 per pound by mid-month. Barrels dropped 17 cents to $2.08. Even so, USDA...
As printed in our April 10, 2014 issue... AN ALL-MILK PRICE WITH A $21.70 midpoint was the latest projection for 2014 by USDA. That value grew by $1.60 since December's estimate. A RECORD UNIFORM PRICE...
When it comes to finding sick cows, tie stall herds have the upper hand. As we have transitioned our dairies from this individual care system to managing groups, illness detection has become one of our...
As printed in our March 25, 2014 issue... NEW MILK PRICE RECORDS were set for all four classes. The March Class I Mover was $23.64, up $1.62 from last month's watermark. The February Class II posted $23.73,...
As printed in our March 10, 2014 issue... THE ICONIC "GOT MILK?" CAMPAIGN was shuttered by the national Milk Processor Education Program, or MilkPEP, as it launched a new tagline, "Milk Life." First utilized...
Maybe it was the inch or so of rain that had fallen during the previous several days, or maybe the perpetual optimism that goes with being a farmer of any kind. Either way, there was no panic about the...
As printed in our February 25, 2014 issue... THE FARM BILL BECAME LAW in just 10 days. On January 29, it passed the House on a 251 to 166 vote. Then, the Senate approved it, 68 to 32. The President signed...
As printed in our February 10, 2014 issue... U.S. MILK OUTPUT ROSE 0.4 PERCENT to reach 201.2 billion pounds in 2013 compared to the previous year, according to initial USDA estimates. COW NUMBERS WERE...
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...
