Consumers will not hear what we have to say about the dairy industry unless we take the initiative and find ways to tell them. "To the consumer, our story doesn't exist unless we tell it." Dairy farmers...
Nothing enhances learning more than a field trip. When it's June is Dairy Month, we want to tell consumers how proud we are to be dairy producers. But, not all of us are articulate or feel comfortable...
Block, curd, or shredded, put it on your plate. "A can a week is all we ask." That was a very successful marketing campaign for Blue Diamond Almonds decades ago. I saw plenty of those commercials and almond...
Friends, food, and funding are just a few perks. I've lived the majority of my adult life in Wisconsin, while all of my childhood was spent in California. Dairy breakfasts were not common in the Central...
Make time to sit down with family and talk succession planning. Raise your hand if you have an up-to-date, written, signed, notarized personal will? Keep your hand raised if that also contains a succession...
Determining which cows are open early speeds the reset process. While we all like to hear that a cow is confirmed pregnant, there also is value in knowing that she is not. At that point, she can be quickly...
Mental health issues are more prevalent in nonmeat eaters. Vegetarians are crazy! That might be the sentiment of those who relish a succulent steak and cannot fathom eliminating beef, lamb, pork, or poultry...
Looking back, the intense fat-related studies of the 1960s and 1970s did not prove that removing saturated fats and replacing them with vegetable oils made people healthier. That was the hope of the research...
Tightly correlated, managing SCC is an important step in limiting antibiotic use. Mastitis remains the most prevalent health problem in dairy herds according to the USDA's Dairy 2014, and it's not one...
Ration strategies for groups of dairy cows summarized. Maximize production, but don't waste resources. That sums up the art and science of formulating rations for milking groups. The challenge is that...
We can change our attitudes by changing our thoughts. Without a doubt, I am an optimistic person. My glass isn't just half-full - it's overflowing. I think dairy farmers, in general, are optimistic people....
Who do consumers trust? Some days we think people are so naïve to believe everything they read. Other times, they are so skeptical of even the most logical and safe practices. I laughed when I read...
Hand-scoring and double-checks is still the most efficient for us. The Cow Judging Contest has been part of the Hoard's Dairyman brand for 86 years. Images of the cows were originally printed in just black...
A twist on pretty will debut at a Canadian cattle show in April. While no beauty pageant exists just for young ladies with IQs above 120, there is a pageant of sorts debuting in Canada next month for heifers...
Strategize for ways to minimize heat stress. Even though we are not ready for sunglasses and shorts, warm weather will be here soon. Mike Brouk, Kansas State University, presented "The latest on beating...
Event celebrates the value of food production in our world. Tuesday, March 15 is National Agriculture Day, which marks the 43rd year of celebrating the ways agriculture impacts everyone. This year's theme...
Place yourself in a consumer mindset. In doing so, you'll develop a much clearer dairy conversation. by Mark Rodgers When dairy farmers speak to each other, we often toss around terms such as TMR, DA,...
Adverse economic and environmental impacts would result if genetically modified organisms were eliminated from farming. Technology has given our agricultural industry legs to grow, opportunities to be...
Keep your focus so you don't get pinned or pushed out of the ring. By Patti Hurtgen, Hoard's Dairyman Online Media Manager Wrestling can be a bit like dairy farming. Farmers must be scrappy to stay mobile...
