Anyone shopping for corn or hay supplies may be in store for a challenge well into next year. Last week, USDA reaffirmed its bushels-per-acre estimate for the 2011 corn crop at 148.1, the lowest in six...
Although feed input costs have been declining recently, dairy producers need to effectively and efficiently manage their feeding programs. These actions maintain milk production and keeps costs in check....
Elevated levels of dairy product consumption during teen years has life-long benefits Dairy product consumption in adults has been associated with a lower risk of Type 2 diabetes (T2D). Tracing this trend...
The National Dairy Quality Awards strive to recognize the best in quality milk production. Do you know a dairy producer who deserves to be recognized for outstanding milk quality? Now in its 18th year,...
Whether you work with bulls every day or once a year, remember to be cautious. We all know someone affected by an encounter with a dairy bull. These encounters don't end well for anyone involved and could...
The National Red & White Dairy Cattle Association's annual convention was held in Sauk Rapids, Minn. from July 20-23 at the Benton County fairgrounds. It included a show, tours, annual meeting, awards...
"I became a believer in genomics when I saw how it consistently predicted how young, nonprogeny-tested bulls would rank to one another," Charlie Will, manager of Select Sires' Holstein sire selection group...
Research has been piling up for nearly 20 years that the old mantra of one pound of regular replacer powder per calf per day does little more than just keep them alive – and that's if the weather...
While partaking in 4th of July festivities, my friend's sister-in-law discovered that I had grown up in the dairy industry. She took advantage of this opportunity to pick my brain on a variety of topics,...
This past weekend, Fort Atkinson Wis., the home of Hoard's Dairyman, hosted the second annual Fort Atkinson Half-Marathon, with over 500 participants. Once again, the Barnyard Clovers, a local 4-H club...
The arrest of several undocumented workers at a Colorado dairy farm almost two weeks ago and similar events in recent years has brought the issue of labor to the forefront in the dairy industry. Politicians...
Summer starts next week, but milk prices are already sizzling… much to our continued pleasant surprise. Throughout January, February, and March we watched with some dismay as Class III price futures...
When summer arrives, we know how warm and uncomfortable we can become. We look forward to the shade of a big oak tree, a chance to have lunch in an air-conditioned home, or the feel of the breeze on our...
It may be an essential nutrient for growing crops, but phosphorus (P) can wreak havoc when it flows to noncropping areas like streams, rivers, and lakes. Once in waterways, it can lead to algal blooms....
California took over as the largest U.S. dairy state in 1994 and for the last nine years has made more milk than No. 2 and No. 3 combined. For over 40 years, it thrived by embracing a business philosophy...
USDA finally appears ready to make a decision on national ID. According to the May 24, 2011, Wall Street Journal, "USDA wants every cow to have a unique numerical ID, stamped on an inexpensive ear tag...
The value of dairy products exported during January and February totaled nearly $675 million, up 52 percent from the same two months a year ago. Mexico was the largest buyer, by far, importing $143 million...
Scott Nordstrom, D.V.M., has seen it happen over and over: He cuts the number of vaccinations calves receive and then watches them do better. "One of the first things people need to recognize is there...
At almost the 11th hour, a budget compromise last Friday averted a threatened shutdown of federal government functions. Even though the shutdown was averted, it had some impact. For example, the first...
