At World Ag Expo last week, a giant milk bottle caught my attention. It was filled with hundreds of white ping pong balls with names on them. Each ball, known as a milk drop, represents each dairy producer...
The weather changes every day, there's no way around it. But is it a trend? Factors outside meteorologists, hurricanes and snowstorms can be offered as proof. I'm giving up on "climate consistency." That's...
"You can't just go out there, feed them and squeeze them," was one of the many great financial one-liners Gary Sipiorski shared with a packed audience at the Great Lakes Regional Dairy Conference in Frankenmuth,...
Milk Income Loss Contracts (MILC) were automatically extended through September 30, 2013, under the American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012. There is no need for producers to re-enroll in MILC
Dairy management programs offered at no cost. No dairy herd is a cookie cutter of the next. Each have their own unique set of fixed costs, feed options and management criteria. Fortunately, there is software...
Agriculture's attention turns to Tulare, California, next week for the 46th annual World Ag Expo. The largest farm equipment and technology show in the world is expected to attract over 100,000 visitors...
In our February 10, 2013, issue, four producers from Vermont, New York, Wisconsin and California shared their thoughts on feeding high-forage diets to their herds. With the level of detail these producers...
Time and resources limit teaching efforts. Contests should facilitate learning, not just provide scores. by Patti Hurtgen, Hoard's Dairyman Online Media Manager The ability to learn from past experience...
"The current formal rule-making approach required to change dairy (product) standards is cumbersome, inefficient and resource intensive, so the FDA simply throws up its hands and does nothing,"
Youth compete in a variety of contests like dairy judging, dairy bowl and cattle exhibitions. They are known to put in hours of preparation during team practices or train their cattle in the yard for weeks....
Of the two dairy producers making the finals of a new contest, one was successful. This morning, Will Gilmer, a dairyman from Sulligent, Ala., was announced as one of the four "Faces of Farmers and Ranching."
Another milk price year is in the rear view mirror, so it's time to sort through the rubble and see what it says. First, Class III prices for the year averaged $17.44 per hundredweight
Can't we all just get along? People have their favorite peer groups and cows need them, too. On Monday, January 14, Mike Hutjens, University of Illinois, presented a webinar on cow grouping strategies...
Agriculture Secretary Vilsack confirmed that he had accepted the challenge of continuing as Secretary of Agriculture for another term. With one change, the five people that have their hands full of farm...
Our January 10, 2013 issue kicks off our annual cow judging contest which runs through the March 10 edition. This year's classes will include Brown Swiss, Holstein, Red and Whites, Ayrshire and Jersey...
Which are there more of in the U.S. today – dairy farms or people who are at least 100 years old? According to the Census Bureau, there were 53,364 people in the U.S. in 2010 who were at least 100...
Dairy bowl competitions across the nation are in full swing, at both state breed and 4-H competitions, as youth vie for a chance to show their skills at a national level. For the various breeds, national...
As we reported on Monday (Golden Guernsey plant closed unexpectedly), the Golden Guernsey plant in Waukesha, Wis., closed its doors unexpectedly over the weekend
Americans spend over 40 percent of their food dollars on meals prepared outside the home. Is that because they eat out nearly half the time? Not necessarily. The cost of eating out is expensive
