When it comes to finding sick cows, tie stall herds have the upper hand. As we have transitioned our dairies from this individual care system to managing groups, illness detection has become one of our...
A variety of people are choosing organic foods, leaving an upside of opportunity for organic dairy production. Organic sales are driven by people wanting to make better choices. Organic is one of those...
"How can I improve my dairy farm?" It was an unexpected question from a Ugandan dairy farmer to the group - an assembly of one Canadian, two American and 12 European farm writers touring farms in this...
February and March have brought new reminders that nondairy events almost anywhere in the world can affect milk production costs on U.S. farms. The latest examples continue to bring new price volatility...
Most of the time, a single type of bacteria will cause mastitis. When multiple strains are recovered the milk sample is almost useless. It becomes difficult to interpret which bacteria is the culprit,...
Garrett Oetzel, University of Wisconsin, presented "Cows and their calcium", in our Monday, March 10 webinar. For 30 years our presenter has studied the topic. With development of a new calf and the onset...
Even during a down year, the average U.S. dairy grew in 2013. Both average herd size and milk production per cow went up - herd size by a lot and production per cow by a little. The result was a big bump...
Like many of you, the Hoard's Dairyman Farm met its match this winter. Amidst frozen feed, frozen pipes and a few calves lost too soon, we've battled unpredicted and unforeseen cold. And, as every member...
The Hoard Farm team, headed up by Jason Yurs, continues to be pleased with the performance our Jersey herd. This group was evaluated by a pair of American Jersey Cattle Association appraisers on a very...
Animal rights group is doing massive spin doctoring and distortion to oppose it. A bill that would make it illegal to trespass or use fraudulent misrepresentation to gain entry onto a farm for the purpose...
The tie stall herds from our February 25, 2014, Round Table have more to share. Earlier this week, the February 25 issue of Hoard's Dairyman hit our readers' mailboxes. On pages 118 to 120, four herds...
Tighter heifer management could be a window of opportunity for many herds. A heifer needs to make about 33,000 pounds of milk to repay her rearing costs, said Cheryl Marti, a dairy production specialist...
The gap between milk demand and supply is widening in the world's largest country. This is a great time to be a milk producer in China. It's an even better time to be a high-quality producer. But it's...
While dairy cows aren't always an option, dairy steers can be just as valuable as a 4-H project. Every 4-H member has a unique story. Whether they've consistently bred show ring champions or have overcome...
"If you don't want to graze your cows, at least consider rotationally grazing your heifers." That was the advice given by Larry Tranel, Iowa State Extension Dairy Specialist, at an Iowa Dairy Days meeting...
Maybe it was the inch or so of rain that had fallen during the previous several days, or maybe the perpetual optimism that goes with being a farmer of any kind. Either way, there was no panic about the...
"Bacteria must be kept away from the teat ends. Fundamentally, 99 percent of the time mastitis occurs when the ability of the teat end sphincter to control bacteria is exceeded. To control mastitis, the...
Dairy portion outlined in Hoard's Dairyman webinar. By Patti Hurtgen, Online Media Manager One of the earliest discussions on the farm bill took place on Monday, February 10, when Hoard's Dairyman presented...
Fresh, available drinking water is essential for healthy, high-producing dairy cows. A 1,500-pound lactating dairy cow consumes approximately 25 to 35 gallons of water per day. Drinking water meets 80...
