Rather than low prices, a top cheese maker believes the reason is the system itself. by Dennis Halladay, Hoard's Dairyman Western Editor Not since the dairy farmer revolt in the mid-1960s that led to creation...
In the 1916 issues of Hoard's Dairyman, Dr. E.V. McCollum first reported the discovery of vitamins. In present day ration balancing, vitamin requirements have become an integral portion of any software...
Hoard's Dairyman webinar shares insight into feeding calves in group housing. Due to improved building design, ventilation and feeding systems, some producers are now feeding their calves milk in group...
Hoard's Dairyman Webinar Archives June 10, 2013: "Group handling and feeding of calves" presented by Mark Thomas, D.V.M., Countryside Vet Clinic Brought to you by Dairy Calf and Heifer Association (www.calfandheifer.org)...
Tight window: seasonal calving's lynch pin To take advantage of peak pasture growth, graziers must closely monitor reproductive performance. These same principles can benefit all dairy producers. Compact...
A 20 percent drop in supply is predicted in 2013. A record corn crop and lower prices – keep your fingers crossed – are still forecast for 2013, but the same can't be said for whole cottonseed....
For the second straight year, California's cost to produce milk jumped over 10 percent. Nearly all the higher costs were due to higher feed prices. Rising feed costs were the root cause of the higher costs...
We aren't dealing with salmon or deer. It's much more difficult to get our cows pregnant. "If dairy cows were like salmon, it would be easy to get them bred. Salmon turn red before they ovulate. If dairy...
In moving beyond the current government-sponsored dairy safety net, margin risk insurance would consider milk prices and feed costs. That combination would offer the greatest assistance when producers...
"C'mon Charlie Brown, I'll hold the football and you kick it." The latest installment of California's longest-running dairy soap opera, "We're Begging You For More Money," unfolded again this week. On...
With record-low hay stocks, many farms will need to stretch their forage supplies. by Abby Huibregtse, Hoard's Dairyman Associate Editor The USDA recently released estimates for hay in storage, and it's...
Among the 504 dairy farms in the Northeast Dairy Farm Summary, the net cost of production was $18.23, up 12 cents from 2011. The cost to produce 100 pounds of milk rose for the third straight year for...
Authorization is included in House Ag Committee's draft of 2013 Farm Bill. The emotional and growing revolt by California milk producers against what they say is their state's inadequate and unresponsive...
Heat stress during late gestation impacts not only cow health and production but calf performance and immunity, as well. As temperatures rise, so does the need for cow cooling. On some farms, milking...
Some are already gone. More will follow. The big question is, how many can be saved? The greatest milk-producing machine the U.S. dairy industry has ever seen is breaking down. Doomsday feed prices and...
Does it still benefit farmers or does it discourage product investment and innovation? I don't have the answer, but because exports now account for more than 13 percent of all milk solids made in the U.S....
Producers have options for identifying ketotic cows, but some methods are better than others. Cows that do not adapt to the negative energy balance experienced after calving are candidates for developing...
Having a heifer enterprise won't make sense for every operation. Most dairies have three enterprises on-farm: cows, cropping and heifers. Within this subset, the cost of raising replacements also accounts...
