Update: Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack to extend the sign-up deadline for the dairy Margin Protection Program (MPP) until Friday, November 20th. A September 30 deadline looms for those dairy producers...
Article in Washington Post is a huge and high profile challenge to common perceptions. We in agriculture are often angered by articles about food or farming in publications with huge readerships that...
Autumn is the perfect time to promote farm health and safety. National Farm Safety & Health Week, September 20 to 26, is the perfect time to reiterate why safety matters. Whether it's your first or 51st...
Computers and the internet are becoming an integral part of every day farm life. The internet can provide a wealth of information for dairy producers . . . if they have access to it. A frustration across...
The uterus plays an instrumental role in pregnancy; it is, of course, where the fetus lives. When it comes to dairy cattle, there are many reasons why some cows can't get pregnant, from hormonal and cyclicity...
"There continues to be considerable public debate on the possible benefits regarding the growing popularity of the consumption of raw milk," wrote John Lucey in the Journal Nutrition and Food Science....
Handy Hint: August 25, 2015 A Flexible Sprayer I created a single nozzle sprayer and attached it to a hydraulic cylinder. I mounted it on the front end loader of my tractor. I have a valve to feed this...
For genomics to pay, you must use the information to keep or produce a larger supply of genetically superior heifers and remove the genetically inferior. That goal cannot get lost in the shuffle. by Patrick...
In general, the U.S. and world economies are pretty stagnant. Part of the issue is after the 2008 financial crisis consumers and businesses were just happy to still be around
Regarding "Trees and green space ‘improve' our health," I agree completely that trees and green space enrich our souls. Although this was beyond the scope of the research you reported, it occurs...
While some smaller dairy farms do use them, anaerobic digesters typically have the reputation of being a manure handling method strictly for larger operations. And of the 202 anaerobic digesters operating...
Divisive attitudes toward others in the dairy industry will get us nowhere, especially as more farmers are choosing to leave the business. As a member of several dairy industry groups on social media,...
Europe currently maintains a tight leash on farmers in terms of what genetically modified (GM) crops they can use. Just one GM crop is cultivated in Europe right now: maize. Almost 60 GM crops are permitted...
If you're like me, I have always believed living and working in the country does my soul good. And that is precisely why many of us work and live on dairy farms dotted throughout the rural countryside
"Too wet, too dry and just right," Goldilocks would say when evaluating corn silage, with just right being our goal! Growing high-yielding, high-quality corn is only half the battle when it comes to silage...
Contest will give two California juniors very special seats for the 2016 Rose Parade. New Year's morning 2016 will be one that two young Californians will remember forever, because the dairy message videos...
America's ability to develop and sell its food to international customers needs a little nurturing . . . or, in this case, a bridge. That bridge is the Foreign Agricultural Service or FAS. The FAS staff...
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...
Some chronic diseases are known to lower milk production, but others that are often widespread within herds may silently lower milk production while going unnoticed for years. by Geof W. Smith, D.V.M....
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...
