Rollover protection systems (ROPS) save lives. When ROPS are used with seat belts, 99 percent of tractor drivers survive rollover accidents. And, even if the seat belt isn't worn, 70 percent of drivers...
Yesterday, the U.S. Senate approved (81 to 19) the big tax package that extends Bush-era tax rates and includes a number of other measures. One of those measures would extend the Volumetric Ethanol Excise...
It is December 7 and sire summary information has been released. It used to be a really exciting time when there were only two sire summaries per year, as the momentum would build in January and July....
Milk production nationally was up 2.9 percent during October, marking eight straight months during which milk production was higher than the same month last year. Cow numbers were up just 0.2 percent during...
For the first time in over two years, many western U.S. dairy herds began showing a small profit. While these positive numbers are a welcome sight for many dairy farmers, they fall way short of making...
There is always something going on at the Hoard's Dairyman Farm. This week, one of the irons in the fire has been looking at the impact of buying 35 Jersey cows. Here's how we approached the issue: First,...
There is always something going on at the Hoard's Dairyman Farm. This week, one of the irons in the fire has been looking at the impact of buying 35 Jersey cows. Here's how we approached the issue: First,...
National Milk Producers Federation announced last week it will seek a reduction in the maximum allowable somatic cell count for raw milk under the Pasteurized Milk Ordinance at the next meeting of the...
Milk producers hoping for an optimistic feed outlook in 2011 got just the opposite at the Arizona Dairy Production Conference October 21. Instead of lower prices, speakers said there is a great risk of...
Last week, I received a newsletter from my local bank giving parents financial tips for their college students. Some of the items were common sense, but, if their children have never had to handle a budget,...
Slowly, but surely, modest profitability is returning for U.S. dairy producers. Even so, few are relaxing just yet. Both of the major financial barometers they watch – Class III milk and 40-pound...
Recently released dairy product consumption figures for 2009 are encouraging. Looking at consumption on a per-person or per-capita basis always is informative, because that accounts for changes in the...
For some, that day cannot come quickly enough. For others, there is simply not enough time. World Dairy Expo is the event that so many producers, cattle owners, allied industry representatives, and young...
Now when temperatures heat up in California, so will the responsibility of dairy and other farm owners to provide heat safety protection for their employees. On August 20, the State Occupational Safety...
Nearly 2,000 people associated in some way with bovine veterinary medicine headed to Albuquerque, N.M., last week despite the promise of midday temps approaching 100 degrees or more. The occasion was the...
Fortifying milk with zinc and iron has been linked to improved childhood development. A study done by scientists from Johns Hopkins University and Annamalai University in India suggests that m
How deep a financial hole did milk producers dig in 2009? It was "Lassie, go get help!" deep. It was a horribly serious situation whose magnitude was simply absurd. High feed costs and a collapse in milk...
When there's producer and grower money at stake –quite a bit of it– there always are strong feelings about who should spend it and how it should be spent. That's why both the beef check-off...
Taking the nation as a whole, milk production was up 2.4 in June compared to a year earlier. In the top 23 states, milk output was up 2.7 percent. Milk production has been on the rise since February, but...
One of the foremost authorities on dairy cattle judging passed away Friday, July 9, in Madison, Wis., after a courageous battle against cancer. During his distinguished career, David Dickson judged more...
