USDA's forecast milk production for 2010 and 2011 was raised from last month in the World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates released late last week. Producers continue to add cows to their herds,...
In my elementary school years, one of my favorite days each year was our small parochial school's track meet held every spring. Besides the fun I had spending the day outside with classmates, I always...
Over 600 people came to Knigge Farms of Omro, Wis., to celebrate the 10th anniversary of robotic milking in the United States. It was in August 2000 that Pete and Theo Knigge, and their son, Charlie, installed...
This is one of my favorite quotes. Past National Holstein Association president and dairy producer Doug Maddox of California encourages adults to see the value in giving a young person the chance to work...
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...
The deep financial cuts suffered by Western dairy producers last year still have a long way to go before they heal, but attitudes out there really do seem to be getting better. In recent weeks, we've visited...
The most current USDA forecast continues the trend of lower cow numbers that has been more than offset by higher output per cow in 2010. Output per cow is expected to rise by 2.5 percent compared with...
All too often we hear of tragic accidents in our industry that not only claim the life of a loved one, but the head of a dairy farm business. On August 26, Brian Krull of Lake Mills, Wis., was killed in...
In the rush of the end of summer, most of us find ourselves at some sort of fair or another. For Minnesotans, it usually means the State Fair - twelve days of fun that always end on labor day. During the...
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
There is a lot of concern about dry-down rates of the forage and grain in this year's corn silage crop, according to Joe Lauer, corn agronomist at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Some people are concerned...
Two new genomic tests just hit the market. Not only can Holstein breeders test females on the traditional 50K test, but they can also use the just released 3K SNP (single-nucleotide polymorphism) and
The August sire evaluations are ready for your review. We have created lists for all seven breeds. In the Holsteins, the Top 100 bulls for Net Merit are listed. All bulls must in the top 40 percentile...
2009 was an awful year for producer milk prices, but another good one for milk quality. According to the USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, average bulk tank somatic cell count (BTSCC) for...
Released this afternoon, July milk from the 23 major dairy states was up 3 percent from July 2009 totaling 15.2 billion pounds from 8.37 million head. That gain is 2.9 percent higher than June totals....
As the Hoard's Dairyman editorial intern, you have the opportunity to dabble in many aspects of the dairy and publishing worlds. From being a regular contributor to the magazine, to visiting dairies around...
