After the first day of World Dairy Expo, the Ayrshire champions for 2012 have been named. Lynn Harbaugh, Marion, Wis., lead judge in the International Ayrshire show, assisted by Chad Ryan, Fond du lac,...
Judging teams will face off at Expo, but their coaches say experiences along the way are just as rewarding as the competition. While many of us grow up competing as dairy cattle judges, a few get the chance...
A highlight of many students' college career is competing at the National Collegiate Dairy Judging contest, now held at World Dairy Expo. The coveted Otto Schnering Trophy has been awarded to the National...
On the farm, the need for a smartphone depends on the user. But I could make the case that each farm could have one if they wanted. Your extra costs are about $100 initially (over two years) for the phone,...
Saturday night, our industry endured yet another tragic loss with the passing of a Northern Ireland dairy farmer and his two sons. The three died from effects of exposure to poisonous manure gases as sons...
If you're not F.A.R.M.ing, you may want to look into it. The National F.A.R.M. program (Farmers Assuring Responsible Management) is operating as a partnership of the National Milk Producers Federation
Smartphones have quickly risen in popularity. In the 2012 Hoard's Dairyman Continuing Marketing Study, 28.5 percent of dairy farmers surveyed owned a device similar to a smartphone, BlackBerry or iPad....
The Complete Guide to Making and Selling Artisan Cheeses, by Paul Kindstedt with the Vermont Cheese Council. Join the modern renaissance in artisan and farmstead cheesemaking! This book is the essential...
In a state often fraught with regulatory burdens, New York's political entity has finally seen the need to work with and not against agriculture in upstate. The current boom in the state's yogurt industry...
We have all read stories, seen comments, and observed television interviews that contain less-than-accurate information on our industry and our practices. We get irritated, but wonder if it is worth the...
With advancing technologies, how many (other than producers) have seen a working modern farm? The red barn, white fence and silo are not commonplace anymore. Thousands of guests, both rural and urban,...
The 2011 Guernsey Component Queens were compiled from all 305-day DHI and DHIR lactation records received and made official by the American Guernsey Association. To be considered official for production...
I spent the past week at my family's dairy farm in southwest Minnesota. One evening, while helping my dad with a few chores after milking, we felt a few drops of rain. We hoped the sprinkles would turn...
You may be facing challenges with the availability and expense of common bedding sources such as sawdust or the management of sand bedding. In recent years recycled manure solids have become a more prevalent...
The cost of raising children increased again last year. That is no surprise with the cost of food and gasoline rising for everyone. According to Expenditures on Children by Families, a child born in 2011...
Crude prices have dropped 24 percent this year, but dairy producers shouldn't hold their breath. by Dennis Halladay, Hoard's Dairyman Western Editor The financial highway for dairies always seems to be...
We posted a photo yesterday on our Hoard's Dairyman Facebook page of a well-dressed young man standing at the end of his dairy barn with rose petals sprinkled down the alley. We thought it was a unique...
Recent size and landscape changes of New Zealand's dairy industry are worth noting. Even though New Zealand currently produces less than 5 percent of the global milk supply, recent changes in size and...
It took a ground swell of support in rural America to finally convince the Obama Administration's Department of Labor to withdraw its proposed rule further regulating children under the age of 16 who work...
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...
