Within farm nutrient variation, estimates are needed to determine feed sampling and ration re-formulation schedules. by Hoard's Dairyman staff "Good ration formulation is a form of risk management. Diets...
Confirmation reached the Hoard's Dairyman offices that a BSE case had been found in a California dairy cow shortly after 2 p.m. Central time yesterday. Thoughts of "the Christmas surprise" of 2003 (the...
Pennsylvania was the lone state among the top 23 that did not boost milk flow when this March was compared to the same time last year. The Keystone state's reduction was quite small, 0.6 percent. All other...
How does $3 milk sound? Ridiculous of course, yet the effective buying power that U.S. dairy producers have had for over 20 years has been even less when Class III prices are adjusted for inflation back...
Many of us in agriculture stay involved in local pro-agriculture organizations. While each has its political tilt or bias, I hope we can all agree that Farm Bureau does a great job promoting the national...
"Despite years of research, we still have sick cows," noted Nina von Keyserlingk, University of British Columbia, at the 2012 Herd Health and Nutrition Conference in Syracuse N.Y. Even with the herd health...
If you are planning an event, whether a farm tour or school visit, now is the time to start gathering material. There are several resources available to help producers promote the dairy industry and dairy...
This year's conference "Got Manure?" featured a preconference tour of three New York digester systems. Methane digester interest continues to grow, as a near capacity crowd filled the conference room at...
It was 1948 when Cornelis and Arij van der Lely invented the finger-wheel rake. Since then, Lely has aimed to improve manual tasks in many areas of agriculture and other industries. We sat down with Chad...
Youth and adults use their dairy judging skills in the popular annual contest It's cow judging season. Last year over 21,000 entries were submitted in the annual Cow Judging Contest. The top individuals...
At the onset of lactation, metabolic adaption mechanisms for calcium are not rapid enough; cows need a day or two to maximize calcium flows from the intestinal tract and bone to the mammary gland
Optimism was in the air as three robotic milking dairy producers took the stage at a panel concluding today’s Tri-State Robotic Milking Seminar in Belmont, Wis. The meeting gave a background
Humanizing animals (or anthropomorphizing, in a word) may seem like the right thing to do. But unless we keep humans exceptional, what could happen? Sure, calves are cute. Cows can be nice. And bulls might...
Pete Heffering, one of the most visionary animal breeders the world has ever known, passed away on March 3, at the age of 80. Not only did Heffering win the coveted Klussendorf and Curtis Clark Awards...
After losing over 80,028 dairy farms since 1992, it appears the reductions in licensed dairy operations are moderating. In the last four years, losses have ranged from 1,651 to 2,195 with the watermark...
Travel the I-29 corridor in eastern South Dakota and you will have found the heart of the state's population. Intermingled along this same stretch of land are the vast majority of the state's dairy cattle...
The twin combo of more milk per cow and a larger dairy herd pushed up milk production last year. When looking at the year-end statistics released by USDA, cow numbers went up 75,000-head or 0.8 percent...
Nationally, the breed set new production averages. Based on a record of 91,028 lactations, the Jersey breed set new category records for pounds of milk, fat, and protein. In 2011, the breed averaged 18,633...
Based on a record of 91,028 lactations, the Jersey breed set new category records for pounds of milk, fat, and protein. In 2011, the breed averaged 18,633 pounds of milk, 889 pounds of fat, and 676 pounds...
Hoard's Dairyman columnist, Gary Sipiorski, reminds us why milking cows is still a worthwhile endeavor. And yes, we're talking economics. With record corn prices (resulting in record bean, alfalfa, other...
