Years ago, bunkers were only known as a military hide-out. Those bunkers were safe. The bunkers on our dairy farms can be anything but. Deaths can and do occur because of poor face management, accidental...
The December sire evaluations are ready for your review. We have created lists for all seven breeds. In the Holsteins, the Top 100 bulls for Net Merit are listed. All bulls must be in the top 40 percentile...
Chinese milk production will reach 67 billion pounds in 2011, up 5 percent from 2010. This is among the forecasts of a USDA Foreign Ag Service GAIN report (Global Agricultural Information Network). China's...
One way that we at Hoard's Dairyman stay up to date on the newest research and tools is to subscribe to extension, research, and producer group newsletters. We gladly pass these newsletters around our...
This Tuesday, USDA released its monthly Milk-Feed Price Ratio, which was 2.22 for November, down notably from October's 2.4o. The ratio was 2.26 last November. (The Milk-Feed Price Ratio reflects the pounds...
Where are land prices headed? They are up everywhere except where dairy cows are found. That's the short answer to a more complicated question. Farmland prices jumped 10 percent during the third quarter...
Milk production nationally was up 2.9 percent during October, marking eight straight months during which milk production was higher than the same month last year. Cow numbers were up just 0.2 percent during...
We recently received a note from Scott Crandell, a dairy nutritionist in Mifflintown, Pa. One of his clients, Centerview Farm also of Mifflintown, experienced a remarkable delivery this fall. Shown below...
For the first time in over two years, many western U.S. dairy herds began showing a small profit. While these positive numbers are a welcome sight for many dairy farmers, they fall way short of making...
While driving home yesterday, I heard the end of a radio show with some interesting content. It prompted me to look into the topic a bit more. We see leaders as very confident spokespersons. But, the radio...
Can you believe that Thanksgiving is just a week away? I almost did until of course, I spent a good hour of my evening going back and forth with family about what time the big "to-do" should be. One of...
Holstein breeders need to set higher goals when it comes to reproduction, said Neil Michael, D.V.M., with Vita Plus when speaking to those attending the fifth annual Dairy Cattle Reproduction Council meeting...
Margins are going to be squeezed for those of us in the dairy business. The cheese and butter prices that drive our milk prices are on the way down, and corn prices are on the way up. Butter prices dropped...
All the hype surrounding methane emissions, greenhouse gases, and odors have left most of our brains spinning. It isn't uncommon for us to think, "Ok, so what am I supposed to do?" In addition, regulations...
Even though it was the smallest cow class of the day, Judge Hank Van Exel and Associate Judge Tom McCauley spent more time deliberating the top end of the extremely competitive Jersey 5-year-old class...
Anchored by high individuals in both contests, the University of Minnesota and Minnesota 4-H won their respective contests by 23 and 32 points respectively at the North American International Livestock...
National Milk Producers Federation announced last week it will seek a reduction in the maximum allowable somatic cell count for raw milk under the Pasteurized Milk Ordinance at the next meeting of the...
Biggest change, of course, will be in the House, where the Republicans easily gained control. It looks as if the GOP could gain as many as 50 to 60 seats in the lower chamber when all the dust settles....
In mid-October a record setting sea of blue jackets descended upon Indianapolis, Ind., for the 83rd National FFA Convention. Over 54,000 members, teachers, and guests were in attendance. In this sea of...
As the San Francisco Giants clinched the World Series title, I was ecstatic as most long-time central California baseball fans were! 55 years is a long time to wait for a World Series title – years...
