Inflation. Interest rates. Recession.Those are among the many elements that business and government leaders are trying to balance to keep the economy moving forward. Earlier this week, the U.S. Labor
For businesses such as farms to remain healthy, they must be resilient. This means having the ability to adapt to changing circumstances in a way that keeps the operation running smoothly and profitab
One major difference between a stack of manure and a compost pile is that the composting process takes place under controlled conditions. “That is the key distinction,” said field ag engineer...
In the winter months, people often take extra precautions against illnesses like the flu or the common cold because they understand the benefits of staying healthy. Every farmer knows that simple on-f
In a cow’s perfect world, over 80% of rumination should occur when the cow is lying down. The technical terms would be sternal recumbency and recumbent rumination. Resting with the sternum, or breas
In 2021, cheese and butter absorbed 60.5% of all dairy fat in 2021. Cheese topped the list, according to USDA data, at 42.1%. Meanwhile, butter accounted for 18.3% of all dairy fat coming from U.S. da
Back to the basics: Semen handling and tank management Presented by Joe Dalton, University of Idaho sponsored by Select Sires After semen purchase, sire fertility is in the hands of the produ
Staphylococci are the most prevalent bacteria isolated from bovine mammary secretions. In the past, we would call them CNS, as in coagulase-negative Staphylococci. However, another classification sche
One of the greatest blessings Duane and I received this year was during one of the most difficult times. My mother had been ill for a few years, so her passing was not a total surprise. Her 91-year-ol
Butterfat composition in the national bulk tank has been on a meteoric rise over the past decade. Before that, according to USDA data, butterfat levels held in a tight window of 3.65% to 3.69% from 19
The author is a professor emeritus at Virginia Tech and an independent dairy consultant with Down Home Heifer Solutions.Each farm must weigh the pros and cons of feeding milk or milk replacer in their...
Central Lakes College in Minnesota has a law enforcement training course that teaches young recruits to respond to emergency and nonemergency calls for service. This includes traffic enforcement dutie
I took a used container that originally held ice melting salt and now use it in our shop to put down Floor-Dry. The slotted top works very well for spreading this product. Shaun Coyne, New York
Four years ago, U.S. dairy’s safety net was completely revamped. Dairy Margin Coverage (DMC) replaced the largely ineffective Margin Protection Program (MPP-Dairy), and Dairy Revenue Protection (DRP
The official December genetic proofs are now available. In the Holstein breed, STgen Cowen Thorson-ET again retained the top spot in the genomic Net Merit (NM$), Cheese Merit (CM$), and TPI
The practice of treating all dairy cows with intramammary antibiotics at the time of dry-off has been a successful management strategy for decades. Dry cow therapy has been proven to cure existing mas
For both crops and animals, timing often means everything on a farm. Following the appropriate timeline can be the difference between a healthy outcome and one that fails. On the cow side, that means
Feeding prepartum diets with a negative dietary cation-anion difference (DCAD) to close-up dry cows is a practice used frequently to reduce the risk of hypocalcemia postpartum. The DCAD is determined
There have been a lot of discussions this year about possible changes to the milk pricing system with dairy cooperatives within the National Milk Producers Federation (NMPF) aligning on a set of propo
