Two new genomic tests just hit the market. Not only can Holstein breeders test females on the traditional 50K test, but they can also use the just released 3K SNP (single-nucleotide polymorphism) and
The August sire evaluations are ready for your review. We have created lists for all seven breeds. In the Holsteins, the Top 100 bulls for Net Merit are listed. All bulls must in the top 40 percentile...
2009 was an awful year for producer milk prices, but another good one for milk quality. According to the USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, average bulk tank somatic cell count (BTSCC) for...
Under the summer sun is a popular place to showcase the latest corn hybrids, new equipment, and the latest technologies at annual farm shows. One for example, Empire Farm Days, the largest outdoor farm...
How deep a financial hole did milk producers dig in 2009? It was "Lassie, go get help!" deep. It was a horribly serious situation whose magnitude was simply absurd. High feed costs and a collapse in milk...
Efforts to rid the U.S. cow population of tuberculosis have been underway since 1917, when scientists developed the first accurate early detection test. After nearly a century of increasingly more diligent...
Okay, so the title may sound like a bit of a second grade playground dare. But, we do want you to take this as a challenge. Dairy Management, Inc. (check-off organization) along with its social media guide...
Tom Lawlor, Holstein USA's geneticist, spoke before a near capacity crowd at the 125th gathering of the nation's Holstein breeders. Based on the crowd size, it was clear breeders still have many questions...
In addition to milk, dairies are also constant producers of beef. This is a huge reason why USDA's latest monthly Cold Storage report should factor into their summer management plans. The June report issued...
Testimony at the third of five USDA-Department of Justice workshops kicked off Friday morning, June 25, in Madison, Wis. These workshops are designed to investigate competition and regulatory issues within...
Eating-healthier-than-thou attitudes tend to float on clouds of perception rather than be rooted in fact. Thus, the bubble burst by a recent research study may do little to convince proponents about the...
Yesterday, the National Milk Producers federation board of directors approved a recently formulated proposal that will request a major overhaul of U.S. dairy policy. The group's goal is to better protect...
Are you ready for the kids to come running off the school bus on the last day of school and right into the farm yard? Summer vacation for children raised on farms is usually filled with memory-making activities...
Stray voltage by its very name and nature is a difficult entity to trace. And when it is suspected of causing harm on a dairy, it can be a testy condition to eliminate. Such was the case at Bollant Farms...
There was a 30 percent drop in the value of milk marketed by dairy farmers last year, according to the USDA-NASS publication, Milk Production, Disposition, and Income released last week. That was a drop...
The latest USDA genetic evaluations ushered in numerous changes just three months after January's major base change. Among them were imputed female evaluations and cow evaluation adjustments which put...
If continued low milk prices weren't depressing enough, there is now an embryo and semen thief in our midst. Based on information that Hoard's Dairyman has learned from four of the five victims, the thief...
The 37th annual National Ag Day was held throughout the country on March 20 to celebrate the importance of agriculture in our country. As part of the celebration, seventh through twelfth grade students...
A couple weeks ago we had the pleasure of visiting some impressive Ontario dairies during the First North American Conference on Precision Dairy Management. Our first stop of the day was to Summitholme...
Technological breakthroughs and new automation are what dairy producers have come to expect at World Ag Expo in Tulare, Calif., but an announcement by the world's largest dairy equipment company during...
