Editor's note: This item is a Reader Response to the Hoard's Dairyman Intel item "Farming hits the silver screen" in the April 21, 2014, edition. It's darn well about time that something like this happened....
by Corey Geiger, Managing Editor Even though the Council on Dairy Cattle Breeding now calculates all U.S. genetic evaluations, it is clear USDA's Agricultural Research Service (ARS) laboratory in Beltsville,...
I placed this class of Brown Swiss aged cows C A B D. C wins the class in a very close placing over A. It is C's overall dairyness, style, balance, and feet and legs that carry her to the top. C is a taller,...
Even though the body of scientific evidence backing GMOs is overwhelming, humans more easily relate to emotions, not facts. With the name "genetically modified organism" identifying the GMO moniker, all...
It's shaping up to be an expensive summer for hay in the West. By mid-April, prices for supreme and premium quality alfalfa were already over $300 per ton in some of the region's largest dairy states,...
With spring planting around the corner, it is a good idea to review the terms and conditions of any land rental agreements in addition to getting field equipment ready for the upcoming planting season....
It's not a thriller, an action movie or a romantic comedy. Farmland is not a made up story; it is a film about real life featuring the everyday joys and challenges of hard-working American farmers. Six...
Hoard's Dairyman Webinar Archives April 14, 2014: "Cow welfare and farm size – opportunities and challenges" presented by Dan Weary, University of British Columbia "Cow welfare and farm size –...
In the decades ahead, climate change is expected to make heat stress an increasingly bigger problem for dairy cows everywhere. Breeding animals with more natural resistance is one way farmers will cope,...
Accurate samples are the cornerstone of diet formulation. Yet, for some nutrients, sampling itself is a major source of the variation seen from one nutrient analysis to the next
"Farm size is a lightning rod for criticism in agriculture," said Dan Weary as he spoke to those attending the April 14 Hoard's Dairyman webinar, "Cow welfare and farm size – challenges and opportunities"
Landwise, rural American counties make up 72 percent of the nation's surface area. In terms of people, just 15 percent of the population lived in these counties last year. Population growth in nonmetro...
Life does truly go full circle. Last Wednesday, I had the opportunity to be on the speaking docket with Scott Armbrust, D.V.M., at the Livestock Genetics Export Seminar in Madison, Wis
Farm milk prices and margins were surprisingly strong this past winter. As we head into spring, prices may weaken, as they often do, as milk production marches toward its seasonal peak. Even so, prices...
Agronomists say that for all the plant growth you see above ground, there is an equivalent root mass found underneath the soil's surface supplying plants with life-giving nutrients. This living, breathable...
I recently read a report on "The Enough Movement" and thought I would share its findings. It addresses world hunger and looks at not only food quantity, but quality. Most often when we think of not having...
Bob Miller and Frank Regan are among the most respected people among dairy cattle breeders. Both purchased franchise cows early in their careers, transformed the Holstein breed and became household names...
Sooner or later, every dairy cow leaves her herd for some reason. But how long she stays seems to depend a lot on what breed she is. In the 2012 National Dairy Herd Information Association data compiled...
