Raising healthy calves is critical to the future and profitability of a dairy, so evaluating calf health should not be taken lightly. Sheila McGuirk, D.V.M., who is a regular veterinary columnist for Hoard's...
We have all read stories, seen comments, and observed television interviews that contain less-than-accurate information on our industry and our practices. We get irritated, but wonder if it is worth the...
Nichelle Stewert, a Georgia farmer who volunteers with her local Farm Bureau, gave one of our favorite sessions at this year's National Agriculture in the Classroom Conference
Clayton Yeutter, former U.S. Secretary of Agriculture and Trade Representative (USTR), opened Monday's "Is this farm boom different?" at the Kansas City Federal Reserve by answering the event's main question
A broken piece of equipment, a visit from a neighbor, or simply losing track of time while completing a single task can wreak havoc on your to-do list. Some days we leave the barn with what seems like...
I spent the past week at my family's dairy farm in southwest Minnesota. One evening, while helping my dad with a few chores after milking, we felt a few drops of rain. We hoped the sprinkles would turn...
The U.S. isn't the only place where dairy producer opinion is divided about the actions and motives of their cooperatives. Not by a long shot. My just-finished visit to New Zealand, the world's largest...
On a decent number of dairy operations, migrant workers comprise a portion or the majority of the labor force. These are people we have come to depend on day to day to successfully run our dairies
Gratitude seems to be lost these days. A sincere thank you is replaced with a "Yea, thanks man." While some gestures only need a quick thank you, others might necessitate more. Writing thank you notes...
You may be facing challenges with the availability and expense of common bedding sources such as sawdust or the management of sand bedding. In recent years recycled manure solids have become a more prevalent...
Put on your Star Wars T-shirt; this is a subject where one's imagination can run wild. Relatively speaking, genetic engineering is still in its infancy
The cost of raising children increased again last year. That is no surprise with the cost of food and gasoline rising for everyone. According to Expenditures on Children by Families, a child born in 2011...
On Friday June 15, the Council on Dairy Cattle Breeding released its road map for operational and financial aspects of how U.S. genetic evaluations might be carried out once USDA takes a step back from...
Oftentimes when feed prices rise, your gut reaction is to start pulling high-priced ingredients from the ration. While cows need nutrients and not particular ingredients, rapid dietary changes negatively...
Polls indicate that consumers want foods labeled if they contain genetically modified organisms (GMOs). But with no health issues, is it germane? Nutrition labels have been mandatory in their current...
Recent size and landscape changes of New Zealand's dairy industry are worth noting. Even though New Zealand currently produces less than 5 percent of the global milk supply, recent changes in size and...
Hundreds of votes are in from all over the world; in a landslide election, our Guernsey calf beat our Jersey with a final tally of 55.6 percent to 44.4 percent at 8 a.m
