Leg bands track weaning progress To keep track of our weaning calves' weaning process, we use red leg bands on the hutch gates. A red band on the top row indicates that the calf is weaning. After one week...
Tick… tick… tick. Time is running out fast on what USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack (pictured here) thinks would be a Medusa-headed disaster for U.S. milk producers if a new farm bill is not passed...
No more spilled milk We took a 12- by 15-inch piece of plywood and cut four holes in to fit a 3-quart milk replacer bottle. Then we screwed a 12-inch 2 by 6 on both ends. Now the bottles don't tip
As printed in our January 25, 2012 issue... TWO ETHANOL SUBSIDIES EXPIRED at year's end. The 45-cent-per-gallon ethanol blenders' tax credit led to a $6 billion annual incentive to blend ethanol into gasoline,...
Quick-attach feed pusher At Boucher Family Farm, Highgate Center, Vt., Denis Boucher was looking for a way to push up feed using an existing skid-steer loader attachment. Using the bale fork, he made a...
As printed in our January 10, 2012 issue... TWO NEW CAFO RULES are proposed by the EPA. Proposal would step up reporting requirements for all CAFOs and ask for more information in watersheds with water...
As printed in our January 10, 2011 issue... A GOVERNMENT-MANDATED "growth-management" program, higher fluid-milk standards, and a new, revenue-insurance program are among measures proposed by Dairy Industry...
Washington Dairygrams - January 25, 2011 CASH BUTTER PRICE soared 43 cents a pound in one week to the $2.10 range. Global butter stocks tight. U.S. butter stocks down over 50 percent, although U.S. butter...
Handy Hint: January 25, 2011 Bracket keeps ball hitch handy Never look for the ball again. I took a piece of angle iron and bolted it to the cage of my skid loader. That way whenever I need the ball to...
Handy Hint: January 10, 2011 Wire stops for calf hutches We found that filling discarded 15-gallon soap containers with a little sand makes for great stops for calf hutches. They can easily be cleaned,...
The firestorm of public opinion that has erupted since Arizona Governor Jan Brewer signed her state's controversial new immigration law a week ago appears to be occurring everywhere but in Arizona. Hollywood...
January 25, 2010 Handy Hint Text cows and heifers in heat We issued cell phones to all our employees. As part of the agreement with our employees for using the farm-issued cell phones, we want employees...
On January 23, 1885, Wisconsin's 16th Governor, William Dempster Hoard, launched the very first edition of Hoard's Dairyman. In Hoard's own words, the masthead read, "Hoard's Dairyman is especially devoted...
Making compost on a dairy may be a useful way to dispose of manure solids or mortalities while recycling them into a fertilizer. There are a few key principles that must be considered to make compost
Farmers make many critical decisions prior to, during, and after harvesting forages. These decisions directly impact how well forage will ferment and be preserved for future feedout
Understanding immunity promotes calf health. Vaccinations are designed to stimulate the immune system. They aren't cures, but tools to help the calf defend its body from viruses, bacteria and parasites....
It's unfortunate that the picture of an irrigation system shown with the August 4 article "Could city voters dictate farm water use?" illustrates one of the most wasteful ways of irrigating that exists....
