By utilizing by-products, the dairy industry has the potential to reduce the environmental impact of human food production. A staple in many dairy rations, by-products are seeing increased use as producers...
Tools from even a few years ago can't hold a candle to new equipment. A dairy producer who hasn't bought a new tractor or piece of forage equipment in less than five years - which industry surveys say...
Extensive research conducted five decades ago still serves as the basis for milking practices today. Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) is a Gram-positive, facultatively anaerobic, nonmotile, nonsporulating,...
April set a new one-month record. May shattered it. "On a roll" is a good way to describe how U.S. dairy exports have been doing so far this year. "Thank goodness" is how dairy producers should feel about...
Shade, ventilation and water are critical for them. Record heat across the West in recent weeks has driven home a sad and expensive reminder for some dairies: heat stress can kill calves. For those that...
Owning a farm is a dream for many young farmers, but it might not be a reality due to financing that is hard to obtain. Farming may be considered a young man's job in regards to physical demands, long...
High feed costs force heavier culling. Frazer Certified Public Accountants and Consultants, LLP prepare accounting records for dairy operations in seven western states – Washington, Oregon, California...
In the June Guernsey Breeders' Journal, owners and mangers from the nation's top-producing herds shared insight on their feeding programs. Earlier this spring, the Hoard's Dairyman Farm was contacted by...
Our infighting and political shortsightedness make it easy to manipulate our markets. This blog post is a point-blank effort to draw attention to the half-page article that appears on page 426 in the June...
For the second straight year, California's cost to produce milk jumped over 10 percent. Nearly all the higher costs were due to higher feed prices. Rising feed costs were the root cause of the higher costs...
We aren't dealing with salmon or deer. It's much more difficult to get our cows pregnant. "If dairy cows were like salmon, it would be easy to get them bred. Salmon turn red before they ovulate. If dairy...
University of Kentucky student to spend three months in Fort Atkinson. While the Hoard's Dairyman editorial internship program is celebrating its 25th year in 2013, there is another internship we offer....
University of Kentucky student to spend three months in Fort Atkinson. While the Hoard's Dairyman editorial internship program is celebrating its 25th year in 2013, there is another internship we offer....
With record-low hay stocks, many farms will need to stretch their forage supplies. by Abby Huibregtse, Hoard's Dairyman Associate Editor The USDA recently released estimates for hay in storage, and it's...
Among the 504 dairy farms in the Northeast Dairy Farm Summary, the net cost of production was $18.23, up 12 cents from 2011. The cost to produce 100 pounds of milk rose for the third straight year for...
Some are already gone. More will follow. The big question is, how many can be saved? The greatest milk-producing machine the U.S. dairy industry has ever seen is breaking down. Doomsday feed prices and...
Having a heifer enterprise won't make sense for every operation. Most dairies have three enterprises on-farm: cows, cropping and heifers. Within this subset, the cost of raising replacements also accounts...
The drought has been hard on pastureland, so extra attention should be given to prepare paddocks for this growing season. The drought that affected much of the United States last summer will likely have...
In back-to-back days, dairy celebrated sustainability efforts already in action and renewed focus on future projects. In honoring herds milking 50 cows all the way to those with several thousand, the Innovation...
Whey, the liquid by-product of cheese making that is often disposed of as waste, is being made into vodka by a large-herd dairy farmer in England. No kidding. Naturally, the mere fact he is doing it has...
