Intel readers were fascinated by the item in our February 24 issue about a cow cooling method that uses very little electricity – cooling freestall beds from below – which had been exhibited...
Calves with maintained health and growth as young animals will deliver greater performance and value as cows. Industry research shows this, but often the most valuable insights come from dairy producers...
The U.S. and Canadian dairy industries face many of the same hurdles. A dwindling producer population and stagnant domestic fluid sales don't create a burgeoning dairy system. Yet, the U.S. has a competitive...
The latest Hoard's Dairyman bull list has many new names on it. That is in large part due to the accelerated progress being made in genetics these days. The threshold to even crack the Top 50 Net Merit...
As printed in our April 10, 2014 issue... AN ALL-MILK PRICE WITH A $21.70 midpoint was the latest projection for 2014 by USDA. That value grew by $1.60 since December's estimate. A RECORD UNIFORM PRICE...
I just read "Genomic bulls still have inflated grades" in the March 24 Hoard's Dairyman Intel. The industry's genetic improvement programs are delivering cows that produce higher percentages of components....
Reader Response: Genomics better, not perfect Good piece on genomics, "Genomic bulls still have inflated grades," in the March 24 Hoard's Dairyman Intel. It reminds me of the long-term study of Ben McDaniel,...
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...
What's your flood risk? by Amanda Smith, Associate Editor We've been stuck in a weather holding pattern. Some of us have been subjected to extreme cold and blizzard-like conditions for the last five months,...
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...
Nearly every pharmaceutical company that makes drugs for animal use has agreed to change wording on their product labels to remove growth promotion as an acceptable use. In December, the Food and Drug...
At $20.06 per hundredweight, the 2013 mailbox price series posted the second-highest mark since USDA first gathered prices in 1995. Mailbox prices matter to every dairy producer because those values reflect...
Recently, there have been a lot of comments, papers and seminars using the general phrase "Precision Farming." We have all marveled at the global positioning satellite (GPS) technology that was introduced...
Genetics, genomics and good cow sense all garnered attention at a recent national genetics workshop. The Genetic Workshop not only included discussions on breeding better cows, but attendees also brainstormed...
The family farm can beat the odds and survive with well-thought-out planning and sound execution. You may have never heard of the family business, Kongo Gumi, but it is in the Guinness Book of World Records
The author has a dairy nutrition consulting business, Paradox Nutrition, LLC, in West Chazy, N.Y. At one time, I was a big advocate of two dry cow groups: a far-off group (60 to 21 days before calving)...
Over the past 12 years, the milk produced by cows and sent to plants in the Pacific Northwest Federal Milk Marketing Order has become significantly higher in components. As a result, that milk with higher...
If it looked like a gamble when Dairy Farmers of America made the commitment to build an export-specific milk powder plant in Fallon, Nev., it now looks like a winning bet even before it officially opens...
About four years ago to the date, on March 23, 2010, President Obama signed the Affordable Care Act into law. Four years later, some confusion still looms. Kevin Moore, Deputy Secretary with the Wisconsin...
