What can you learn while pushing up the feed? "Go push up the feed." Those were some of my least favorite words to hear as child growing up on a small dairy. I hated having to go push up the feed by hand,...
After completing major chopper repairs at one dairy, a bagger needed substantial repairs a few weeks later, and the mechanical dairyman worked calmly through that issue, too. "I'll be over by 2 p.m." That's...
Comforting a child during hard life lessons. Losing a favorite cow at any age can be heartbreaking, but it seems to sting even more when you're young. Not only do you lose an animal, but you also lose...
Keep your cool this summer and keep those fans running. If June temperatures are anything to measure by, it looks like this summer is shaping up to be another steamy one
Good nutrition plays a key role in hoof health. Hoof issues are a concern for many dairy producers. They can limit feed intake, sacrifice milk production, and impair cow comfort. Along with a comprehensive...
Thanks to his mechanical talents, this dairyman kept two first-crop alfalfa harvests on track. Near dusk on Sunday, May 22, I set out with our Hesston hay mower to cut the last field of first-crop alfalfa...
Feeding the best possible ration to your herd takes true teamwork between the farmer and nutritionist. I have other dairy farmers ask me questions about the analysis of the rations we feed at our farm....
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...
Custom hire is a smart business decision for our farm. While my husband and I milked our cows last night, a swather zipped through our fields, mowing down our first crop of alfalfa, along with the triticale...
Farmers are a lot like baseball team managers, working hard to keep their top performers healthy and "on the field." I like to think of my milking herd groups like baseball teams and myself as the team...
A small study showed that selective dry cow therapy can maintain udder health while reducing antibiotic use in some cows. One topic of conversation at the Minnesota Herd Health Conference held in Bloomington,...
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...
Regular maintenance helps us maintain our freestall barn in top working condition. We moved from a pasture based operation to our conventional freestall barn in 2009. At that time, a dairyman friend of...
For years, California dairy and livestock farmers have grazed their cattle in Point Reyes National Seashore Park, but that partnership may soon come to an end. By Abby Bauer, Hoard's Dairyman Associate...
A recent interview in The Washington Post with the renowned animal welfare specialist leaves many in dairy circles with unanswered questions. With all due respect to Temple Grandin, and the research she...
The Peterson Farm Bros. put their agriculture advocacy efforts to music in a string of parody videos. With one YouTube video, the Peterson Farm Bros. became an overnight sensation. Before bursting into...
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...
Our actions need to speak louder than words when working with livestock. Cows may not speak like we do, but that does not mean that we cannot communicate with them. We must simply interact in ways they...
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...
