We've all heard the benefits of separating our first-calf heifers from their older herdmates. It provides our new cows with a chance to adapt to their surroundings, learn a new routine and, literally,...
Oftentimes when feed prices rise, your gut reaction is to start pulling high-priced ingredients from the ration. While cows need nutrients and not particular ingredients, rapid dietary changes negatively...
Polls indicate that consumers want foods labeled if they contain genetically modified organisms (GMOs). But with no health issues, is it germane? Nutrition labels have been mandatory in their current...
We posted a photo yesterday on our Hoard's Dairyman Facebook page of a well-dressed young man standing at the end of his dairy barn with rose petals sprinkled down the alley. We thought it was a unique...
Do you enjoy money, knowledge or friends? This is not a multiple-choice question, as you can have all three through a prominent dairy charity. National Dairy Shrine is a 17,000-member nonprofit charity...
It seems people choose to focus on the negative. When sharing milk's story, highlight the positive. The phases you speak or type become memorable and often quotable. MyDairy shares some reminders as we...
A recent article from The Wall Street Journal, paired with our analysis, shows agriculture majors still have some worth. It seems like agriculture majors just can't catch a break. Last year, The Daily...
Top 50 genomic Holstein bulls are all over 792 Net Merit. by Hoard's Dairyman staff Genomics is accelerating the pace of genetic change. In the Holstein breed, it took a Net Merit (NM$) score of 792 to...
Demand was so strong for the cover crop that seed inventory sold-out last year. "I conducted my initial research on cover crops and literally had to beg to get on agenda's at crop meetings," recalled University...
"Agriculture has been insulated from the forces battering the general economy. I expect that to continue in the coming year," says the University of Wisconsin Madison's economist Bruce Jones at the University's...
In its 51st year, the National Mastitis Council (NMC) annual meeting continues to look to the future. With the nation's somatic cell count effectively at 400,000 (at least for those with product that has...
A 16° drop slows bacterial regrowth. A temperature reduction of 16° F may not seem like a big deal. But, such a reduction, as researchers with Cornell University's Milk Quality Improvement Program...
Much of the U.S. dairy industry wanted it, but milk quality officials didn't have the guts to do it earlier this year. Now here it comes anyway: a stricter but entirely doable 400,000 SCC limit on at least...
Top 50 genomic Holstein bulls are all over 788 Net Merit. Genomics is accelerating the pace of genetic change. In the Holstein breed, it took a Net Merit (NM$) score of 788 to make the top 50 list among...
New websites are striving to be national online farmers’ markets. In an age where knowing your farmer is a wanted quality, they might be on to something
As a dairy-judging contestant, if someone would tell you that you would only lose 5 points out of 500 on 10 contest classes, you would have to like your chances of winning the contest. Such was the case...
The deadline, November 1, 2011, is quickly approaching for anyone who grows alfalfa to share their experiences with and opinions on the Roundup Ready product
At first glance, the U.S. Department of Labor's (USDOL) proposed updates to child labor laws appear harmless. But, as is the case with most government regulations, the devil is in the details
If you're like me, you grew up watching the Miss USA pageant on TV just because it seemed like an important thing to do. In recent years, it seems to have become less and less important to Americans, and...
A recent special occasion created an opportunity to educate consumers about dairying.Last month my sister got married to a nonagricultural young man. He loves being on the dairy, helping feed calves, tossing...
