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...
Science shows that "farm kids" are less likely to have allergies, but what about those of us who do? Science has proven over the years that children who grow up on dairy farms run a lower risk of developing...
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....
Behavioral changes and bacterial cultures both show early promise in identifying metritis cases. Characterized by discolored vaginal discharge and an offensive odor, metritis is a top health and reproductive...
While a new barn and robots may not be the answer for every dairy, this new era will improve our future lifestyle, overall business consistency and cow care. This week was very exciting on our farm as...
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...
Products marketed under a farm name resonate well with consumers . . . but does a name always tell the whole story? What's in a farm name? For some dairy producers, their farm's name has been carefully...
Long-term growth and short-term fluctuation are the new norm for commodity markets. In Kansas this past weekend, my relatives woke up to a blanket of snow. Almost 3 inches fell there overnight and greeted...
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...
Having rejoined the family dairy business right out of college, I gained a new appreciation for working with coworkers. by Caitlin Rodgers The ratio of women to men working in the dairy industry has become...
Students who grow up on dairies stand out on scholarship applications. College, as we all know, can certainly cause financial stress on a family. Especially to those who grew up on a small dairy farm such...
Turning adversity into opportunity. Like other dairy farmers who enjoy showing cows, we develop special relationships with our show cows. They're the ones who always want their heads scratched or come...
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,...
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...
Another tight year for dairy producers raises the question, how does one best manage break-even costs? Managing fluctuation is an important part of today's global economy. Farms that successfully direct...
My daughter, Caitlin, decided to return to the farm after graduating with a degree in diversified agriculture to manage our herd health and reproduction programs
Learning is a lifelong process and the Young Dairy Leaders Institute helped speed up that process. Today, I hop on a plane to finish Phase III of the Young Dairy Leaders Institute in sunny Phoenix, Arizona....
It's as important in human nutrition as it is in dairy cows. As dairy producers and industry people, we spend a lot of time worrying about the tiny bugs located in our cows' digestive tracts. We focus...
Type and production are partners in extreme production. Last month it was announced that Bur-Wall Buckeye Gigi produced 74,650 pounds of milk. That equates to 8,680 gallons of milk and set the single lactation...
Major renovations will be made to the Oklahoma State University Dairy thanks to a generous gift from a former student. Who would have thought that a love story from years past would lead to new state-of-the-art...
