To beat the heat, the nation's cows are concentrated in more temperate regions of the United States. know that cows tend to seek out the coolest places on the farm: beneath shade, under sprinklers and...
Hopes of drought relief are soaring in California these days, due to growing indications that wet El Niño conditions are coming to the West Coast this winter. Four years of low precipitation have...
Courtesy of their rumen microbes, cows produce and release methane. As a ruminant-based industry, it's a reality we cannot escape. It is estimated that a quarter of anthropogenic, or human-caused, methane...
As the weather heats up, keeping milk cool becomes critical. Food safety, product flavor and shelf life - and, ultimately, consumer satisfaction - depend upon quickly cooling milk and holding it at the...
It could last a month or more and will be unlike anything the state's dairy industry has ever seen. California's dairy industry asked for it, and on September 22 at 9 a.m., it may get to see an example...
Not all cases of mastitis need to be treated. Let the causative pathogen be your guide. "Do not administer antibiotics to cows that will not benefit," cautioned Daryl Nydam, Cornell University, at the...
With the global population expected to grow by 3 billion in the next century, AgriCorps volunteers are doing their part to help train the farmers of today and the future. By Abby Bauer, Hoard's Dairyman...
One of the most widely known animal rights groups is no stranger to using emotional appeal to win over people's minds. We've seen them all when we view websites, videos or photos posted by anti-agriculture...
Just how much has our industry consolidated? It took only 12 counties to produce 25 percent of our nation's milk last December. By casting a slightly wider net, 56 counties were responsible for producing...
German scientists recently discovered a haplotype that limits a Holstein calf's ability to digest cholesterol. In these instances, calves eventually deplete all fat reserves, including those found around...
Feeding a high forage diet alters feeding behaviors, health parameters and milk production in fresh cows. Transition cows are much like a puzzle that is missing a few pieces; we're still working to develop...
Handy Hint: August 10, 2015 Combine gates for a flexible cattle corral Andy Musgrave of Pittsfield, Ill., was looking for a way to create portable cattle corrals. He took 20-foot metal gates and welded...
Cattle can be efficient users of leftovers. By Patti Hurtgen, Hoard's Dairyman Online Media Manager Last week I blogged about different management types that produce beef. One of the interesting facts...
A recent trip to the Milwaukee Stockyards by Purdue University senior Jordan Marshall confirmed what we have known for some time . . . a little extra care not only helps young calves, but yields a higher...
Class 4b increase starts August 1 and will last 12 months. by Dennis Halladay, Hoard's Dairyman Western Editor It wasn't as much as dairy producers asked for, and the duration is only half as long, but...
Legendary dairy cattle judge and professor Fred Foreman passed away on July 22, leaving behind a grand legacy of teaching and passion for the dairy industry. He was born on a small farm in Kansas, but...
For a number of decades, we have seen firsthand multiple states develop initiatives to either recruit dairy farmers to their respective states or develop homegrown talent to grow dairy cow numbers. There's...
by Amanda Smith, Associate Editor Water. To thrive, agriculture needs water. And it's the ingredient that California, one of our nation's most agriculturally productive states, is most severely lacking....
Big new dairies are something of a rage in China these days. Some provide milk for domestic use, while others are specifically to make products for export
"Some cows need $2 less in feed daily to produce the same amount of product. Can we find these efficient cows?" Michigan State's Mike VandeHaar asked the audience at the joint annual meeting of the American...
