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...
In the June Guernsey Breeders' Journal, owners and mangers from the nation's top-producing herds shared insight on their feeding programs. Earlier this spring, the Hoard's Dairyman Farm was contacted by...
Despite many promotional efforts, fluid milk consumption has been on the decline since the 1940s. Promotion efforts like the "Got Milk?" campaign and the "Fuel Up to Play 60" program are supported by dairy...
Despite strong support by House leaders, the farm bill is defeated with a 234 to 195 vote. The path to a new farm bill hit another huge roadblock yesterday, as House members defeated their version of the...
Resources available on the National Dairy FARM Program YouTube channel have been viewed 300,000 times since 2010. The National Dairy FARM (Farmers Assuring Responsible Management) Program's YouTube channel...
In the 1916 issues of Hoard's Dairyman, Dr. E.V. McCollum first reported the discovery of vitamins. In present day ration balancing, vitamin requirements have become an integral portion of any software...
With approval by the Senate, more pressure is now placed on the House to reach an agreement on the farm bill yet this summer. On Monday evening, the farm bill passed through the Senate by a bipartisan...
Transition cows need more than just a separate pen during this time of weakened immune response. On dairy farms, we tend to group our animals in an attempt to offer more specialized care. For example,...
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...
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...
Foot health impacts reproduction, production and early culling. Nigel Cook presented theHoard's Dairyman monthly webinar on Monday, May 13, 2013, entitled "No more lame excuses." Lameness prevalence has...
Heat stress during late gestation impacts not only cow health and production but calf performance and immunity, as well. As temperatures rise, so does the need for cow cooling. On some farms, milking...
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...
Having a heifer enterprise won't make sense for every operation. Most dairies have three enterprises on-farm: cows, cropping and heifers. Within this subset, the cost of raising replacements also accounts...
It took an NFL stadium to contain the excitement Minnesota youth had for the Fuel Up to Play 60 Program. It's not every day you get to meet an NFL athlete, especially as a 6th grader. But if you're in...
Students write essays to connect farming with their food. This spring, Wisconsin's Ag in the Classroom program held an essay contest. Fourth and fifth grade students from across the state wrote one-page...
In back-to-back days, dairy celebrated sustainability efforts already in action and renewed focus on future projects. In honoring herds milking 50 cows all the way to those with several thousand, the Innovation...
My travels in Australia last month included a visit to a dairy farm and milk processing facility. One-hundred-twenty Guernsey cows grazed the pastured hills in Maleny, in the state of Queensland, Australia,...
