My bout with an intestinal infection hardened my stance on raw milk. I spent most of my Christmas break helping my boyfriend on his 40-cow dairy in northwestern Wisconsin. The first couple of weeks of...
Crisis management is intimidating to address but essential for long-term success. When I was 12, my family had an experience that significantly altered our operation. At 11 p.m. in the middle of wheat...
Raising dairy steers can be a profitable venture, but consider how it will impact the rest of your operation before jumping in headfirst. Beef prices are exceptionally high. Beef cattle numbers are near...
Watch the cows to be sure your facility provides the resting space they need. Cows are busy creatures, and one of the most important activities they do is rest. "We want to see high-producing cows lying...
Format that attaches at every stall attracted many lookers at World Ag Expo this week. Goodbye milkers. One of the busiest dairy exhibits at World Ag Expo this week in Tulare, Calif., gave an up-close...
While forage procurement and feeding play a huge role in the success of high-producing herds, they aren't the only factors. Reproduction and milk quality are critical elements, too. Each winter, 24 of...
Judges not only evaluate cattle, they are communicators. You had success in judging contests as a youth. Now, you'd like to move onto the next level and judge dairy shows. What should you know? I spoke...
If there was one job I truly despised as a kid growing up on a dairy farm, it was helping bed the calf barn, which housed our calves from 3 months of age to around 500 pounds. I just never found a way...
You may have heard this saying previously and wondered what it means or how it would apply to your dairy or everyday life. It's one I try to live by daily in all things, big and small, I sum it up with...
Your lighting decisions affect animals at all ages, not just lactating dairy cows. A recent Kentucky Cooperative Extension paper reminds us of the importance of both long-day and short-day photoperiods...
Keeping teats soft and healthy is the goal of every producer, but becomes more challenging during winter's cold temperatures. Leo Timms, Iowa State University, discussed this topic during the Hoard's...
Global warming or not, the world's climate is changing. In the United States, greater variability in precipitation patterns, more pronounced differences in weather between regions, and rising average temperatures...
For students in Louisville, Ky., the North American International Livestock Exposition provides a unique opportunity for a lesson in agriculture. The North American International Livestock Exposition (NAILE)...
An early winter snowstorm dumped up to 7 feet of snow in parts of western New York, shutting down highways and stranding thousands. For farmers, feed delivery was halted and milk that could not be picked...
This couple thought the magazine was a fitting prop for their wedding announcement. This love story may not have started in the Hoard's Dairyman, but the happy couple is no stranger to the magazine
Empire State has won nearly one-third of all national contests. After a second place finish in last year's contest, New York 4-H came back in full force in 2014. Not only did they win the team portion...
I'm not typically an early Christmas shopper, but in the more recent years I've learned to pay closer attention to what my dad needs when we are fixing something, milking the cows or working around the...
Spencer County FFA wins 5th National FFA Dairy Judging title in 10 years. When you say you've won the National FFA Dairy Judging Contest, you have done more than just judged cows. The two-day contest encompasses...
