Members uphold the Holstein Association USA motto of working to be the best. There was cause for celebration as many made it to the winners' circle at the 2013 National Junior Holstein Convention in Indianapolis,...
Holstein youth are testing their knowledge and being recognized for their achievements at the 2013 National Holstein Convention. For Holstein youth, this week truly is "the race to the finish line" at...
New dairy farm technologies were center stage at the Precision Dairy Conference last week. Just as cellphones are slowly phasing out landlines, some current mechanics and methods of operation on dairy...
Regancrest Farm strives to balance quality genetics and management. In the dairy community, Regancrest is associated with elite Holstein bulls like Regancrest Elton Durham-ET and deep cow families, like...
Hoard's Dairyman webinar shares insight into feeding calves in group housing. Due to improved building design, ventilation and feeding systems, some producers are now feeding their calves milk in group...
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...
A field study done by Penn State Extension suggests water quality may be linked to dairy herd milk production. Penn State Extension recently completed a field study of water quality on Pennsylvania dairy...
Overstocking boosts a cow's risk for health problems, low milk yield and poor reproductive performance. The majority of work exploring the consequences of overstocking has focused on the behavioral changes...
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...
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...
Producers have options for identifying ketotic cows, but some methods are better than others. Cows that do not adapt to the negative energy balance experienced after calving are candidates for developing...
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...
Delegates to the National Conference on Interstate Milk Shipments (NCIMS) veto a reduction to a 400,000 SCC. Once again, a National Milk Producers Federation proposal to bring the U.S. somatic cell count...
The old saying "Don't judge a book by its cover" could be used to describe fluid milk packaging. Milk packs nine essential nutrients and is part of a healthy diet for children and adults
Earlier this month, I attended the Royal Easter Show held in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. The dairy show is part of a larger event, similar to a very large state fair, with cattle, agriculture and...
While genomics is new to Ayrshire breeders this April, and it has gradually made inroads in Brown Swiss circles, the DNA-based science has completely transformed how we mate and market Holsteins and Jerseys
Earlier this week, we addressed Ryan Gosling's letter to NMPF (National Milk Producers Federation) in regards to the practice of dehorning (www.hoards.com/blog_dehorning-calves)
The Council on Dairy Cattle Breeding (CDCB) took its first official action relating to the transition of U.S. genetic evaluations by releasing the fee schedule for genomic evaluations
After presenting various terms to describe those that work with dairy cattle everyday, we have the results of our survey, mentioned in our blog a few weeks ago. In total, there were 97 respondents. Men...
On conventional dairy farms, antibiotics have a place in treating sick animals but never in the milk or meat sold by the farm. Consumers can drink milk happily and safely thanks to the efforts put forth...
