We are publishing this well-written poem by Bonnie Ayars, an Ohio dairy farm wife and The Ohio State University. We hope the poem, written in the verse and rhythm of Twas the Night Before Christmas, gets...
Genetics and management will change the way we feed cows. Mike Hutjens, University of Illinois, presented "Feed efficiency – What's new?" on Monday, January 13. His 50-minute presentation was fast-paced...
Yearly family and farm goals help prioritize your daily to-do list. The new year stirs optimism and goal setting in many of us. Goals help focus your business and life. But before you charge forward with...
Fall 2011 PDCA showmanship scorecard changes are slow to be adopted. Old habits are hard to break. Forming new habits helps reinforce positive actions, but breaking old ones, can be challenging. In the...
Of the 110 factors studied, 13 ranked as the most important factors at locating a new dairy. For many years, the West ranked high on many of them. by Margaret Seiler It is no secret to those involved in...
Make sure your bedding is doing its job by evaluating cow cleanliness and comfort. Cost and ease of handling are often the first considerations when it comes to bedding for dairy cattle. Ideally, bedding...
The country's milk cow population has dropped 20 percent this year. China, with the world's biggest population, is gradually developing a taste for dairy products, particularly because parents want to...
Toby Gerhart, Minnesota Viking backup running back and former Heisman Trophy runner-up, took the time to reward a Minnesota farm family for winning a photo contest by feeding calves and asking questions....
The more a cow produces, the lower its environmental footprint will be. Climate change has always occurred. Yet, the heating trend over the last decade has been outside the normal range. Humans and livestock...
To avoid this, the nation must sustainably grow milk production at a price the consumer can afford. The European Union leads the ranks in world milk production. But, on an individual nation basis, India...
But, please don't send me the bill! This time of year, many reflect on what they are grateful for – family, friends and their health. Younger people often think of it as the Christmas warm-up event....
Getting your employees to work more cohesively could be as simple as three words: mission, vision and values. Every farm should have mission, vision and values statements. Did you just stop reading? Are...
No one else comes close to making as much milk per capita. Twenty-seven U.S. states border either the Pacific Ocean, Atlantic Ocean, or Gulf of Mexico. This makes them candidates to be international dairy...
McDonald's, Domino's, Quaker Foods and Taco Bell are among the win-win partnerships for dairy and the companies involved. by Corey Geiger, Hoard's Dairyman Managing Editor Almost a decade ago, the dairy-producer-funded...
In a tough competition, two of the contests were won by a point or less. Three dairy judging contests were held at the North American International Livestock Exposition in Louisville, Ky., on Sunday, November...
Avoid negative energy balance, which has been shown to lead to negative reproductive performance in dairy cows. High milk production is oftentimes linked to poor reproductive performance in dairy cattle....
People from around the globe met to discuss dairy cattle reproduction this week. The 8th annual Dairy Cattle Reproductive Council (DCRC) meeting wrapped up yesterday in Indianapolis, Ind. More than 240...
"got milk?" quickly became a part of American culture . . . and still is. Advertising campaigns tend to live briefly, see marginal success, and be forgotten quickly. But every once in a while something...
Investments in pasture and people are key to a successful grazing program. "Are we still heading the right direction with grazing?" That is the question Joel McNair, editor of Graze magazine, asked the...
Share your dairy-inspired meals with others. Dairy farmers believe in promotion. Fifteen cents from each 100 pounds of milk sold goes to the checkoff program to educate consumers and promote dairy products,...