The National Dairy Quality Awards strive to recognize the best in quality milk production. Do you know a dairy producer who deserves to be recognized for outstanding milk quality? Now in its 18th year,...
Recent international installations are approaching 1,000 cows Robotic milking hasn't taken off in the U.S. yet, but just wait. And don't think it is just for small herds. Two recently announced very different...
Homebred Iowa Holstein herd ranks near top for type Vernice and Dan Moon, Monona, Iowa, have been named the third Robert "Whitey" McKown Master Breeder Award winner which will be presented at the 45th...
Agri-Mark cooperative is taking heat for claims in its Cabot brand.The Methuen, Mass., cooperative, owner of the popular Cabot and McCadam brands in the Northeast, has resolved a complaint with the Vermont...
Record high cull cow prices could be enhanced further with more attention to quality. Dairy producers have paid a great deal of attention to milk quality for a number of years. However, we have been a...
With hay to make, machinery to repair, and cows to keep cool, this summer's farm work may seem never ending. What better way to take a break than to head out to the fair. Many fairs may have already occurred,...
We visited several dairy producers in the last few days and, of course, feed prices didn't take long to come up. That's entirely fitting, since all that feed prices seem to do lately is go up. What was...
Imagine a world where spreading manure on a field doesn't also spread odor. Think about retaining 90 percent of the nutrient value of the manure once it is on the field. Is it possible? The staff at USDA's...
The National Red & White Dairy Cattle Association's annual convention was held in Sauk Rapids, Minn. from July 20-23 at the Benton County fairgrounds. It included a show, tours, annual meeting, awards...
"I became a believer in genomics when I saw how it consistently predicted how young, nonprogeny-tested bulls would rank to one another," Charlie Will, manager of Select Sires' Holstein sire selection group...
Yesterday, the popular search engine Google celebrated the 189th birthday of Gregor Mendel with this creative "doodle." (Google often celebrates milestones and holidays by working their name into a piece...
Volunteers are a special gift to many organizations and clubs – especially youth organizations. Not all parents have the time to be a soccer coach, club scout leaders or Sunday school teacher. Parents...
What is a food desert? (desert, not dessert) It is a relatively new term that originated in the early 1990s but has become more mainstream in recent years. According to the USDA, a food desert is a Census...
Nine thousand miles, 11 states, 6 weeks and 1 very big idea is going to add up to an extra-busy summer for National Milk Producers Federation President and CEO Jerry Kozak, who is heading up a cross-country...
In the dairy industry, we have our own version of the "Big 10" schools. These are the four-year universities charged with the task of generating some of the latest research and producing future industry...
We planned to provide more information on groups that help form the farm bill today, but instead will save that for future Wednesdays. Two of our editors had the opportunity to spend the week at the American...
Summer always meant fairs and shows as a youngster. As an exhibitor, I looked forward to the shows, especially showmanship – where my ability to work with my heifer or cow as one team could be put...
Ever been curious about grazing dairy systems? Have you tried grazing in the past and found that it didn't work? Wondering about what grasses to potentially grow, how to manage pasture quality, how to...
About 25 years after the exodus began, Hoard's WEST joined the dairy migration from southern California to southern Idaho. Since it began publication in 1999, our Western edition was based near the Chino...
While partaking in 4th of July festivities, my friend's sister-in-law discovered that I had grown up in the dairy industry. She took advantage of this opportunity to pick my brain on a variety of topics,...