Expensive corn and ever-increasing demand from China and other foreign buyers are expected to keep alfalfa hay from becoming cheap in the West in 2013, according to longtime market expert Seth Hoyt (pictured)
Per case, mastitis and metritis rank as the most costly transition disorders. On every dairy, the transition period, the three weeks before to the three weeks after calving, is a critical time for our...
Technological advancements have streamlined many day-to-day tasks on farms. They enable us to keep better records, more accurately identify cattle and track production through a lactation
Compared with the most recent August genetic evaluations, and even last December for that matter, the dizzying pace of escalating breeding values has seemed to slow to a more traditional pace as the top...
What are children in schools being taught about agriculture? The number of teachers with agriculture backgrounds continues to decline. And, teaching about a topic that is not familiar to an instructor...
"You understand, farmers never retire," was one of the astute observations that farm family coach Elaine Froese offered to those attending the World Holstein Conference in Toronto, Canada
In both good times and bad, U.S. dairy producers keep cranking out more milk per herd. Here's what we mean: • In 1992, average total milk production per dairy in the U.S. was 1.15 million pounds....
There are three simple truths when it comes to the milk market, noted Mike North, a senior hedge consultant with First Capitol Ag, at the ABA National Agricultural Bankers Conference
The U.S. Farmers and Ranchers Alliance is looking for the new face of farming and ranching. Two dairy producers are amongst the finalists. Deciding who agriculture's spokespersons should be is not a debate....
Congressman-elect David Valadao is a partner in his family's 1,700-cow dairy operation. by Lucas Sjostrom, Hoard's Dairyman Associate Editor Agriculture has some friends in Washington, D.C. But it has...
Drought-stressed alfalfa fields need extra attention "Lack of water at optimal times cannot be made up later with additional rains or irrigation," said Dan Undersander, when discussing the state of alfalfa...
The higher your herd's production average is, the more additional money you stand to make by making even small improvements in reproduction - more cows caught in heat sooner, more and earlier pregnancies,...
Agriculture leaders remained mostly stagnant in the House of Representatives just like their Senate counterparts. Primary defeats were the biggest source of changes in Tuesday's election. by Lucas Sjostrom,...
The 7th annual Dairy Cattle Reproduction Council annual meeting is underway in Sacramento, Calif. Over 250 attendees have registered from as far away as Brazil, the most in the event's history
DCRC award winners highlighted in November issue of Hoard's Dairyman. by Corey Geiger, Hoard's Dairyman Assistant Managing Editor Carefully following protocols; keen heat detection; comfortable and well-fed...
As you'll read in our November 2012 issue's Dairygrams section, National Milk Producers Federation CEO Jerry Kozak predicted a farm bill passing during the November lame duck session
Written exam top scores: Trent Dado (2nd) and Cody Getschel (1st) The Invitational 4-H Dairy Quiz Bowl was the first major youth contest to be held at the 39th Annual North American International Livestock...
Most medium and large sized herds experience transition period disorders. Activity monitoring could help detect disease sooner. A smooth transition out of the dry period is essential for cows to achieve...
Wisconsin still leads in dairy farms and cheese, but gave the milk production title to California in 1993, nearly 20 years ago. What will the next few years bring? Change is inevitable. It's a fact of...
Everyone dies eventually. But when a milk producer passes away it can also mean the end of the dairy, its jobs and family traditions unless some fairly straightforward legal planning has been done to prevent...
