This is a time of year that we spend reflecting on the past and looking toward the new year. When we sit down with the accountant, the first, last, and in between figures we dissect are milk productio
I had the recent opportunity to team up with a milk cooperative adviser to provide assistance to a member farm. As I finished up and returned home, I sent a short text thanking her for the support. Sh
Many A.I. studs are now offering straws of semen that contain sperm from multiple bulls. To understand the potential advantage of a mixed, or “heterospermic,” A.I. dose, let’s review...
We all know that dairy farming is a challenging business under the best of circumstances. Hoyt Hill Farmstead has experienced additional stress over the past two years as Scott and Amber Hoyt have dea
In the cold weather, I wanted to plug in my pickup truck’s block heater, but I didn’t want a plug-in hanging out of the hood, so I made a bracket to screw the plug-in onto the front bumper....
If you had to pick one dominant factor that drove the U.S. dairy economy in 2022, the top candidate would be constrained milk production. It goes without saying that if you had to predict the dominant
Changing economics and shrinking margins on dairy’s home front have been a strong driver in herd demographics throughout the United States. When Hoard’s Dairyman partnered with the American...
About 10% of U.S. dairy cattle were infected with the bovine leukemia virus (BLV) in the 1960s and 1970s. Now, about a third of our nation’s beef cattle and almost half of our dairy cattle are infec
Dating back to my days on the family dairy farm, my favorite tool has been a multi-tool strapped to my belt. While I’ve converted and upgraded nearly all of the mechanics and woodworking tools in...
Consumers eat more dairy products at restaurants than when dining at home. So, it stands to reason that dairy product sales could strengthen given nearly 60% of restaurants surveyed by Restaurants365
Many tasks on a dairy farm need to happen the same way, every day. From milking cows to feeding calves to mixing rations, many farms have protocols in place to ensure these processes happen consistent
With $6.50 per bushel of corn, corn silage is worth considerably more per ton today relative to five years ago. Using a multiplier of 10 times the value per bushel for corn grain nets a $65 per ton pr
Of the more than 118,000 veterinarians in the U.S., the American Veterinary Medical Association estimated in 2020 that just 5.3% are in food animal practice. That’s compared to 69.7% in companion...
New rules will apply to milk haulers driving on roads in Chippewa County this spring. Part of that plan includes a $100 permit fee for each milk truck. Milk haulers also must attend a mandatory meetin
What might a college term paper, a letter to your mom, and a dairy ration formulation have in common? The answer, when it comes to term papers and the letter to your mom, has been in the news of
From owners and employees to veterinarians and lenders, many people contribute to the success of a dairy farm. Likewise, building demand for and selling dairy products requires a broad team of markete
After Bucky Henschel joined his parents, Jeff and Diana, on their dairy near Manawa, Wis., the family started looking at the opportunity to transition to robotic milking. They toured many farms before
If the futures markets are accurately forecasting the future, dairy could be in store for a rough patch. While the combination of a strong All-Milk price and four months of falling feed costs held Dai
