77 percent of state's production is now made into nonperishable products Emerging from the rubble of the dairy industry's economic collapse in 2009, California milk production is not only bouncing back,...
College can be expensive and preparing for this large investment begins long before you pay your first semester tuition. Many agricultural businesses and organizations provide scholarships to deserving...
Farmers are given the task of protecting and perpetuating the productivity of land and its natural resources. Those who rely on the soil for their livelihood are taking care of the land today and for future...
Growing up in a populous dairy region, I often failed to recognize how expansive our local dairy infrastructure actually was. If we faced a milking equipment break down, someone was there, within the hour,...
Here's a quick dairy farming quiz: What three things do all dairies have a constant supply of? Some easy answers are cows, milk . . . and manure. All day and every day, manure never stops coming. The hard...
Sexed semen has only been on the market for a handful of years, but has already become a familiar, although not necessarily widespread, tool in the dairy industry. Higher cost and lower fertility are still...
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...
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...
I had a pretty expensive week. First I went to the co-op and picked up new tires for the truck. Then, I went to the dentist for my new crown. Finally, I filled up my truck with fuel! That joke, or lack...
Making milk in the nation's largest dairy state is expensive, and part of the reason why are workers' compensation insurance rates that are among the highest in the U.S. According to the 2010 survey of...
Tomorrow, USDA will release its Crop Production report which will shed some light on just how much corn might be harvested in this country this fall after all is said and done. It is an anxiously awaited...
Last week, I received a newsletter from my local bank giving parents financial tips for their college students. Some of the items were common sense, but, if their children have never had to handle a budget,...
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
A couple tablespoons of bleach and stainless steel water troughs could be your next arsenal in the fight against Johne's disease. That's the conclusion from Kim Cook, a USDA Agricultural Research Service...
Several hundred friends came out to pay their respects to the late Dr. David Dickson on July 14. Some great tributes and stories were told by those attending the event. At the conclusion of the memorial...
Interest in some type of policy to control milk production or manage milk supply growth continues to gather steam. Even some people and some organizations that have been categorically opposed to the concept...
Each year, World Dairy Expo recognizes four individuals for their contributions to the global dairy industry. General Manager Mark Clarke notes, "This year's honorees have each invested a lifetime in building...
