Researchers are delving into animal personalities and the effects they have on production. They have personalities. For anyone who has managed cattle or spent much time around them at all, it is pretty...
USDA slightly cuts its average bushels per acre forecast. Across the U.S., cornfields are clearing out and silage bunkers are filling fast. And as they do, USDA has slightly changed its mind about just...
Average cost is approximately one-third higher than it was in 2006. The cost of making milk never seems to go down, a hard reality that data from the nation's largest dairy accounting firm drives home...
Article in Washington Post is a huge and high profile challenge to common perceptions. We in agriculture are often angered by articles about food or farming in publications with huge readerships that...
Computers and the internet are becoming an integral part of every day farm life. The internet can provide a wealth of information for dairy producers . . . if they have access to it. A frustration across...
Futures prices this far out already point to belt-tightening in the first half of 2016. Plenty of change could still happen in the next few months – both good and bad – but right now the milk...
Illumination improvements yield energy and cost savings if you avoid common upgrade stumbling blocks. Incandescent. Compact fluorescent. Light emitting diode. Metal halide. From antiquated to efficient,...
Are we teaching youth a variety of dairy skills? As a 4-H member I remember attending monthly local 4-H dairy meetings. Held at a leader's farm, all members, from first year to the very experienced, were...
Blending my passions for words and cows led to one of the greatest formative experiences of my college career. In eighth grade, I developed a sudden interest in becoming a dairy farmer. I hadn't been around...
Third biggest harvest in history is predicted for 2015. For the second year in a row and even with disappointing milk prices, dairy producers will probably be smiling as they shop for corn this fall. If...
A falling birthrate and growing Mexican economy are keeping potential employees south of the border. To thrive, dairies are dependent upon a reliable labor source. While some of our farms survive with...
Divisive attitudes toward others in the dairy industry will get us nowhere, especially as more farmers are choosing to leave the business. As a member of several dairy industry groups on social media,...
Contest will give two California juniors very special seats for the 2016 Rose Parade. New Year's morning 2016 will be one that two young Californians will remember forever, because the dairy message videos...
A dairy in southwest Indiana has reaped major benefits from installing precision dairy technologies on their farm. When one visits the Koester family farm in far southwestern Indiana, they'll notice a...
It could last a month or more and will be unlike anything the state's dairy industry has ever seen. California's dairy industry asked for it, and on September 22 at 9 a.m., it may get to see an example...
There are options for those who deal with the issue. "It's like the worst stomachache of my life. Someone is punching me in the gut. That is followed by nausea and diarrhea," shared the 23-year-old when...
We are a bigger part of that industry than ever before, and it is not likely to change anytime soon. by Dennis Halladay, Hoard's Dairyman Western Editor Earlier this month I took off my dairy hat and went...
Feeding a high forage diet alters feeding behaviors, health parameters and milk production in fresh cows. Transition cows are much like a puzzle that is missing a few pieces; we're still working to develop...
Cattle can be efficient users of leftovers. By Patti Hurtgen, Hoard's Dairyman Online Media Manager Last week I blogged about different management types that produce beef. One of the interesting facts...
There are some benefits to be gained when manure is injected directly into the soil rather than applied on top. By Abby Bauer, Hoard's Dairyman Associate Editor Manure smells like money to farmers because...
