Between a forecast for lower milk prices and the likelihood of higher feed costs, it's hard to not have a gloomy financial outlook for U.S. milk producers in 2011. Sorry. Amid the dreariness, however,...
Forecast milk production for 2010 and 2011 is little changed from last month, in last week's USDA World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimate. In November, the agency forecast 2011 milk production at...
Yesterday, the U.S. Senate approved (81 to 19) the big tax package that extends Bush-era tax rates and includes a number of other measures. One of those measures would extend the Volumetric Ethanol Excise...
Years ago, bunkers were only known as a military hide-out. Those bunkers were safe. The bunkers on our dairy farms can be anything but. Deaths can and do occur because of poor face management, accidental...
In order to get a better idea on how A.I. is used on farms, we developed a survey asking producers a variety of questions about it. The questionnaire was distributed by University of Wisconsin Extension...
Years of repeated tillage and equipment traffic have left many farm soils compacted. In some cases, this compaction can cause water to pond and also lead to shallow root depths which limit crop yields....
Proposed 3-step reduction by 2014 would make U.S. standards among world's best. Somatic cells were perhaps the biggest news coming out of the joint annual meeting of National Dairy Board, National Milk...
Why feeding strategy is so important There seem to be clear benefits to feeding for fewer refusals. The key is consistent intakes. by Bill Stone, D.V.M. The author is a dairy veterinarian and nutritionist...
When a cow's intake of energy does not meet her energy needs for maintenance and milk production, she begins to burn fat as an energy source. One common form of ketosis (Type I) occurs when a cow is in...
A major goal of corn silage making is to reduce oxygen and raise acidity rapidly so that lactic acid bacteria grow to stabilize and preserve or "pickle" the silage. Often, people believe that corn silage...
Bale silage a great option in wet climates. Mastering the fermentation cycle will lead to the best possible product for your herd. A group of farmers and livestock producers gathered at the historic Hereth...
Winter is here. . . and so is the cold and snow that can be harmful to those of us who work outdoors with livestock. "Bundle up, dress in layers, put on your hat" are familiar sounds to many children who...
What's a fair price for standing hay? Many factors must be considered including forage quality and yields, stand life, nutrient costs, and who is doing the work. A written contract can tie it all together....
Alfalfa has the greatest sensitivity to acid soils of any crop we grow, so managing soil pH is critical. The legume simply will not grow below a soil pH of 6.0, while other field crops are quite happy...
The Koster tester, microwave, and lab have all been good options to determine dry matters. The food dehydrator might top the list when you factor in ease and consistency of test results. We were able to...
Chinese milk production will reach 67 billion pounds in 2011, up 5 percent from 2010. This is among the forecasts of a USDA Foreign Ag Service GAIN report (Global Agricultural Information Network). China's...
As a group, the Hoard Guernsey herd had outstanding feet and leg scores, averaging 81.86 points on 342 cows at the most recent classification. There are a number of reasons for their solid feet and legs:...
As a group, the Hoard Guernsey herd had outstanding feet and leg scores, averaging 81.86 points on 342 cows at the most recent classification. There are a number of reasons for their solid feet and legs:...
An $860,000 donation from a husband and wife has created a new Dairy Center and dairy professorship in the Food Science and Technology Department at Oregon State University. The Paul G. and Sandra A. Arbuthnot...
This Tuesday, USDA released its monthly Milk-Feed Price Ratio, which was 2.22 for November, down notably from October's 2.4o. The ratio was 2.26 last November. (The Milk-Feed Price Ratio reflects the pounds...
