During the heat and humidity of summer, extra measures are taken to care for cows before and after calving. Ninety-eight degrees in Georgia feels a good bit different than 98° in California. In Georgia,...
Friends, food, and funding are just a few perks. I've lived the majority of my adult life in Wisconsin, while all of my childhood was spent in California. Dairy breakfasts were not common in the Central...
Make time to sit down with family and talk succession planning. Raise your hand if you have an up-to-date, written, signed, notarized personal will? Keep your hand raised if that also contains a succession...
The newest book from the Hoard's Dairyman bookstore sheds light on prevention, management, and treatment options for limiting antibiotic use. Antibiotics have been an important part of dairy animal welfare...
Regular maintenance helps us maintain our freestall barn in top working condition. We moved from a pasture based operation to our conventional freestall barn in 2009. At that time, a dairyman friend of...
Research indicates multiple rations save money and resources, but it depends on the farm. No doubt efficiencies and economics are top of mind for dairy producers. This is not a new situation. Dairy producers...
A recent interview in The Washington Post with the renowned animal welfare specialist leaves many in dairy circles with unanswered questions. With all due respect to Temple Grandin, and the research she...
When it comes to controlling lameness, the most effective footbath immerses each hoof more than once. Is lameness an issue in your herd? If so, you are not alone. According to Nigel Cook, D.V.M., from...
From high school to college to continuing education opportunities, we must continue to grow and develop our talents. In order that I may inspire some other youth, I've decided to share how my education...
Ration strategies for groups of dairy cows summarized. Maximize production, but don't waste resources. That sums up the art and science of formulating rations for milking groups. The challenge is that...
Who do consumers trust? Some days we think people are so naïve to believe everything they read. Other times, they are so skeptical of even the most logical and safe practices. I laughed when I read...
Hillcrest Dairy uses a two-pronged approach to reach out to the public. At Hillcrest, we believe it is important to share what we do on our family farm. However, like most farms, there are only so many...
Living in a rural community is no guarantee that your neighbors understand farming and where food comes from.When you're engaged to a large animal veterinarian and your job is tracking and responding to...
While a new barn and robots may not be the answer for every dairy, this new era will improve our future lifestyle, overall business consistency and cow care. This week was very exciting on our farm as...
Electrical fire serves as wake-up call. Fire. There might not be another word so capable of quickly igniting fear in the hearts of farmers. I'm sure you can imagine the level of panic we felt after smelling...
Long-term growth and short-term fluctuation are the new norm for commodity markets. In Kansas this past weekend, my relatives woke up to a blanket of snow. Almost 3 inches fell there overnight and greeted...
A twist on pretty will debut at a Canadian cattle show in April. While no beauty pageant exists just for young ladies with IQs above 120, there is a pageant of sorts debuting in Canada next month for heifers...
Having rejoined the family dairy business right out of college, I gained a new appreciation for working with coworkers. by Caitlin Rodgers The ratio of women to men working in the dairy industry has become...
Students who grow up on dairies stand out on scholarship applications. College, as we all know, can certainly cause financial stress on a family. Especially to those who grew up on a small dairy farm such...
Place yourself in a consumer mindset. In doing so, you'll develop a much clearer dairy conversation. by Mark Rodgers When dairy farmers speak to each other, we often toss around terms such as TMR, DA,...
