My daughter, Caitlin, decided to return to the farm after graduating with a degree in diversified agriculture to manage our herd health and reproduction programs
Type and production are partners in extreme production. Last month it was announced that Bur-Wall Buckeye Gigi produced 74,650 pounds of milk. That equates to 8,680 gallons of milk and set the single lactation...
Farmers need to share their stories with each other, too. As dairy farmers, we hear a lot about sharing our stories with consumers. Stories about why we farm and how we care for our cattle help us connect...
A good herdsperson not only observes but takes action. In college, I fielded many questions about my agricultural communications degree that went something like this, "So you're studying to be a cow whisperer?"...
Jim Baird, gifted Hoard's Dairyman Art Director, passes on We would consider ourselves lucky to be really good at one thing – something that truly symbolized the essence of our being. But to be...
An array of factors help this Illinois dairy farm maintain a below average somatic cell count month after month. When it comes to milk quality, Sycamore, Ill., dairyman Bill Deutsch focuses both inside...
The Holstein breed would look different without the influence of Roy Ormiston. As dairy producers, we can all appreciate the power of a single generation or a single cow to alter the course of genetic...
There are real benefits for herds that can achieve a 25 percent pregnancy rate. One common goal all dairy producers share is getting cows bred in a timely fashion. What is a realistic target for which...
Twice per day feedings may expand the time cows spend at the bunk, boost milk production and improve fat and protein content of milk. A cow's time budget allows for three to five hours of eating per day...
Select those that target your needs By Patti Hurtgen, Hoard's Dairyman Online Media Manager If every feed additive delivered on its hype, feeding them all would keep pushing milk production up and up....
Colostrum offers newborn calves benefits beyond immunity, including critical energy used early in life. Carrying around a few extra pounds of holiday weight gain, some of us in colder climates may joke...
The crops are in, and it's time to decide how to use what's available. Winter is in full swing now, and it is time to start thinking about how to most effectively use the forages in the bunker. Bob James,...
Proper timing of forage availability can ease the rocky transition of weaning. Weaning time is easily one of the more difficult management challenges for producers with calf and heifer feeding programs....
Independent report says the agency illegally tried to shape public opinion about its water rule proposal. The firestorm that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ignited last May with a proposal...
When used regularly, body condition scoring can help you recognize potential issues and act proactively instead of reactively. After a two-month vacation, our cows can calve in one of two ways: slow and...
Gadgets and devices aid – not replace dairy management. All that cool technology that people use to communicate, record exercise levels and monitor their sleep patterns, now are being applied to...
Make a ride in the cattle trailer safer for your young bovine passengers by following these AABP guidelines.There are times we need to get our livestock from Point A to Point B, and that process often...
The employment rate in rural America is slowly recovering after the recession. Many of us working in agriculture, myself included, grew up in the country. I think most "country kids" would agree that small...
A clean environment, adequate cow comfort and footbath use all bolster your ability to prevent digital dermatitis. Lameness affects everything a cow does. Feed intake, fertility, milk production and, in...
It was a full 85 years for World Wide Sires' Willard "Bill" Clark. A cowman, businessman and art collector, World Wide Sires Founder, Bill Clark was unafraid to pursue his passions. Born in the Central...
