Saturday is World Veterinary Day and our opportunity to stop and say thanks to an integral part of the farm team - veterinarians. "Do you know what that is?" This was the prompt that started many a conversation...
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...
Having rejoined the family dairy business right out of college, I gained a new appreciation for working with coworkers. by Caitlin Rodgers The ratio of women to men working in the dairy industry has become...
Students who grow up on dairies stand out on scholarship applications. College, as we all know, can certainly cause financial stress on a family. Especially to those who grew up on a small dairy farm such...
Place yourself in a consumer mindset. In doing so, you'll develop a much clearer dairy conversation. by Mark Rodgers When dairy farmers speak to each other, we often toss around terms such as TMR, DA,...
Dairy Challenge competitions combine book learning with real-life situations. By Taylor Leach, Hoard's Dairyman Editorial Intern It's the same old routine. You're sitting in a classroom listening to lecture...
Young farmers need opportunities to develop leadership skills. We all know that dairy farmers wear many hats. I spent the last several days wearing my leader hat. First, while finishing Phase III of the...
National organization continues to develop skills of young people. National FFA Week concludes tomorrow. This weeklong celebration of FFA happens every February, and in honor of the occasion, I recently...
Calf jackets can provide much needed warmth for young animals on cold days. A few mild days in the Midwest made it feel like spring was on the way, but since it is only February, we can be fairly certain...
Type and production are partners in extreme production. Last month it was announced that Bur-Wall Buckeye Gigi produced 74,650 pounds of milk. That equates to 8,680 gallons of milk and set the single lactation...
Animal activists are becoming bolder in their actions; even events like dairy shows could attract guests with ulterior motives. You've lined up the judge, secured the award sponsors and ordered the ribbons....
Have a plan for what you want to see and do. Winter – the season when not a lot happens in the fields. And for this reason, trade shows are scheduled to entice busy farmers to attend. With World...
California's dairy industry highlighted during annual event. It was the first time in the 127 year-history of the Rose Parade, the California Milk Advisory Board (CMAB) had a float entry. The organization...
One Wisconsin city rings in the New Year by dropping a big piece of cheese. It's a bird, it's a plane, it's an . . . 80-pound Styrofoam cheese wedge . . . falling from the sky . . . at midnight? Yes, it...
Disappointing milk price situation likely to get worse before it gets better. Since they became a key part of the worldwide dairy export pipeline, American milk producers have seen these "dots" before...
When we throw away food, we are tossing more than just nutrients into the trash. No doubt, water is a valuable resource. We use it every single day in a multitude of ways. When water supplies get tight,...
Delaying a herd's age at first calving to 25 months has the potential to cost $45 to $90 per heifer. Age? Weight? Height? If you ask three dairy producers what criteria they use to breed heifers, each...
Now is the time to conduct a postmortem on your heat stress mitigation plan and evaluate potential modifications. With full bunkers and only a few remaining harvest tasks to check off the list, the warmth...
Recently hired employee also wounded five animals. Four cows were stabbed to death early this month and five others badly injured by an employee at an Arizona dairy who admitted to having used methamphetamine...
A milk marketing cooperative born out of farmers' concerns has grown to become a nationally ranked organization. Dairy farmers won't soon forget 2009. Abysmal milk prices and razor thin margins were enough...
