Investments in pasture and people are key to a successful grazing program. "Are we still heading the right direction with grazing?" That is the question Joel McNair, editor of Graze magazine, asked the...
Innovation and choice must be allowed on farm or all hope is lost. In a changing tact from the 50-70-100 message he has spread since 2009, Elanco's Jeff Simmons has three new numbers for us to consider....
Friday night sale averages over $26,000 on 48 head. The World Classic Sale has been touted as the International Marketplace with its worldwide consignments and purchases leaving an imprint in Holstein...
Study shows that children are detached from the agri-food production cycle. Fewer Americans understand where food originates, how it's produced or how purchasing decisions affect the entire agri-food system....
New business opportunities are helping small herds stay in business. Washington was the only state in the country to increase dairy farm numbers in both 2011 and 2012, adding 10 herds each year. Jay Gordon...
April set a new one-month record. May shattered it. "On a roll" is a good way to describe how U.S. dairy exports have been doing so far this year. "Thank goodness" is how dairy producers should feel about...
While soft sales late last year do toss up a red flag, demand for dairy products in leading U.S. markets should remain strong throughout 2013. "Predicting U.S. dairy exports is always challenging, but...
A 20 percent drop in supply is predicted in 2013. A record corn crop and lower prices – keep your fingers crossed – are still forecast for 2013, but the same can't be said for whole cottonseed....
Some are already gone. More will follow. The big question is, how many can be saved? The greatest milk-producing machine the U.S. dairy industry has ever seen is breaking down. Doomsday feed prices and...
While genomics is new to Ayrshire breeders this April, and it has gradually made inroads in Brown Swiss circles, the DNA-based science has completely transformed how we mate and market Holsteins and Jerseys
The farm bill came very close to passage last year. As part of that comprehensive national farm law, the Dairy Security Act (DSA) would have become the dairy portion of the farm bill
In the past few years, it seems as if agricultural majors have received a great deal of flack. In 2011, The Daily Beast (an online news information site) listed "agriculture" as their third most useless...
After reviewing the National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) announcement from Tuesday, March 12, it became crystal clear that dairy contributed the largest cost savings for NASS' mandated budget...
Sequestration went into effect on March 1 as a result of the Budget Control Act. And with it, the federal budget will be reduced by $85 billion this year or $1.2 trillion over the next decade if congressional...
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...
Dependent on worker availability, region and farm size, foreign labor has become vital to accomplishing daily operations on some dairy operations. Earlier this week, a bipartisan group of eight senators...
"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....
