Hoard's Dairyman webinar discusses considerations when going to robots. Larry Tranel, Iowa State University, spoke on robotic milking during the August 12 Hoard's Dairyman webinar, titled "Is robotic milking...
Shade, ventilation and water are critical for them. Record heat across the West in recent weeks has driven home a sad and expensive reminder for some dairies: heat stress can kill calves. For those that...
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...
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...
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...
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...
Mastitis has severe economic consequences costing, on average, $200 or more per case. The disease also impairs cattle well being. While prevention is preferred, there are a number of technologies that...
Ev Thomas of the William H. Miner Agricultural Research Institute shared his experience with growing forages, especially alfalfa, on the March 11 Hoard's Dairyman webinar, "ABCs of alfalfa harvest."
This week, March 10 to 16, is recognized as National Groundwater Awareness week. Groundwater is one of our most valuable resources, needed by people, animals and crops every day
"I am not prepared to accept the fact that feet and leg heritabilities are as low as they currently appear. We need to evaluate the trait better," Gordon Atkins, D.V.M., told those attending the 122nd...
A firsthand look at what dairies are already doing to make, save and reduce energy use will be on display March 19 at Ballard Family Dairy and Cheese in Gooding, Idaho
As we wrap-up our 62nd Round Table series, "Robots milk our herds," the four herds featured in our February 25 issue share advise for others considering robots
Sometimes we are so close to a topic that we often forget the values and assume everyone else is just as familiar with it as those who are so deeply entrenched. My responsibilities include the online content...
While most of us hope an OSHA inspector never has cause to pull up to our farm, dairy is slowly, but surely, coming under additional scrutiny. An inspection has a limited scope; it is a snapshot - one...
A keen understanding of cows' behavior – knowing what, how and why they do what they do - is one of the most important skills a dairy manager can have. It's also a huge tool in improving the health,...
The higher your herd's production average is, the more additional money you stand to make by making even small improvements in reproduction - more cows caught in heat sooner, more and earlier pregnancies,...
Throughout the Dairy Cattle Welfare Symposium held in Guelph, Ontario, Canada, there was an overarching theme that wrapped through the majority of presentations
