Who has the priority? Raising healthy, well-grown calves is more than putting milk in a pail and dropping grain in a bucket. A newborn's chance for success starts as soon as it hits the ground. Colostrum...
After completing major chopper repairs at one dairy, a bagger needed substantial repairs a few weeks later, and the mechanical dairyman worked calmly through that issue, too. "I'll be over by 2 p.m." That's...
Thanks to his mechanical talents, this dairyman kept two first-crop alfalfa harvests on track. Near dusk on Sunday, May 22, I set out with our Hesston hay mower to cut the last field of first-crop alfalfa...
Block, curd, or shredded, put it on your plate. "A can a week is all we ask." That was a very successful marketing campaign for Blue Diamond Almonds decades ago. I saw plenty of those commercials and almond...
Internships provide once-in-a-lifetime opportunities. Summer has officially begun for most college students. For many, it marks the beginning of a summer filled with opportunities, learning experiences,...
Humans are programmed to need 7.5 to 9 hours of sleep a night. No ifs, ands, or buts about it. Every now and then that warning slips across our radar again. "Get enough sleep; it's important." It's also...
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...
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,...
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...
Disappointing milk price situation likely to get worse before it gets better. Since they became a key part of the worldwide dairy export pipeline, American milk producers have seen these "dots" before...
Managing corral conditions year round in open-lot dairies is important for cow health, comfort and production in the rainy season. In the areas of the country where open-lot dairies are popular, the onset...
Winners hail from coast to coast By Corey A. Geiger, Managing Editor Carly-O Tequila Alley (shown to the far right), the winning senior 3 year old and Intermediate Champion was selected Grand Champion...
Recently hired employee also wounded five animals. Four cows were stabbed to death early this month and five others badly injured by an employee at an Arizona dairy who admitted to having used methamphetamine...
Few people have the honor of traveling to Buckingham Place. Even fewer have the opportunity to meet Queen Elizabeth. James Duke, the owner and innovator behind ADF Milking has done both. In 2013, Duke...
Featuring deep classes and fancy cows, the International Brown Swiss Show did not disappoint. by Amanda Smith, Hoard's Dairyman Associate Editor The cows paraded in with the traditional fanfare of the...
A pair of cows from the Badger State was named Grand and Reserve Grand Champion at the International Junior Holstein Show. Holstein cows owned and exhibited by junior members paraded across the royal blue...
Leachate and runoff can drain nutrients from your bunk while hampering water quality. When it comes to feed, shrink – or nutrients that are lost before they have a chance to be consumed – can...
Automated calf feeding systems offer huge benefits but can also challenge management systems. Offering quicker gains, healthier calves and greater labor efficiencies, automated calf feeders have revolutionized...
