Corn, soybeans and hay aren't the only dairy feed staples expected to have more limited supplies this fall. A slightly smaller U.S. cotton crop is also forecast, which means the amount of cottonseed available...
On Friday June 15, the Council on Dairy Cattle Breeding released its road map for operational and financial aspects of how U.S. genetic evaluations might be carried out once USDA takes a step back from...
In the brief period that the number of licensed U.S. dairies has been tracked (19 years), the trend is as frightening as it is obvious: the total gets smaller every year. That trend is a warning for every...
South Dakota State University student becomes the 24th Hoard's Dairyman Editorial Intern. For the past 24 years, the Hoard's Dairyman editorial team has looked forward to welcoming our editorial intern...
"Many retailers understand the science behind food production practices, but their customers do not," noted Charlie Arnot with the Center for Food Integrity (CFI), at the 2012 North American Strategy Conference...
After over two years of discussion, industry leaders have begun to publicly share draft documents which could one day guide U.S. genetic evaluations. The first document, known as the Cooperative Agreement,...
Did your herd's average somatic cell count drop a little in 2011? Chances are it did, according to USDA and the National Dairy Herd Improvement Association. The annual report by the Animal Improvement...
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...
It was 1948 when Cornelis and Arij van der Lely invented the finger-wheel rake. Since then, Lely has aimed to improve manual tasks in many areas of agriculture and other industries. We sat down with Chad...
Most are easily preventable . . . and can be very expensive if they aren't. The specific list of most common dairy violations varies from state to state, but not by much, says Blane Adams, a loss control...
The twin combo of more milk per cow and a larger dairy herd pushed up milk production last year. When looking at the year-end statistics released by USDA, cow numbers went up 75,000-head or 0.8 percent...
Nationally, the breed set new production averages. Based on a record of 91,028 lactations, the Jersey breed set new category records for pounds of milk, fat, and protein. In 2011, the breed averaged 18,633...
Based on a record of 91,028 lactations, the Jersey breed set new category records for pounds of milk, fat, and protein. In 2011, the breed averaged 18,633 pounds of milk, 889 pounds of fat, and 676 pounds...
In recent weeks, the silence following the October 2011 gathering of the Council on Dairy Cattle Breeding (CDCB) was broken when Dave Thorbahn shared a Frequently Asked Questions article with the dairy...
The next time you purchase beef or pork from the grocery store or butcher shop look at the label. Prior to March 1, 2012, the nutrition facts label on these cuts of meat will be updated to more accurately...
A 16° drop slows bacterial regrowth. A temperature reduction of 16° F may not seem like a big deal. But, such a reduction, as researchers with Cornell University's Milk Quality Improvement Program...
Feed costs range from $8 to $10 per hundredweight. Net farm incomes are rising in the West, according to reports assembled by Frazer, LLP. However, profits must continue for the foreseeable future in order...
Ears per acre jumps concurrently. An average row width of 30 inches most common. With an average of 30,750 plants per acre as of November, Iowa corn producers planted the highest density per acre, besting...
