Hoard's Dairyman webinar shares insight into feeding calves in group housing. Due to improved building design, ventilation and feeding systems, some producers are now feeding their calves milk in group...
With approval by the Senate, more pressure is now placed on the House to reach an agreement on the farm bill yet this summer. On Monday evening, the farm bill passed through the Senate by a bipartisan...
Transition cows need more than just a separate pen during this time of weakened immune response. On dairy farms, we tend to group our animals in an attempt to offer more specialized care. For example,...
A field study done by Penn State Extension suggests water quality may be linked to dairy herd milk production. Penn State Extension recently completed a field study of water quality on Pennsylvania dairy...
With record-low hay stocks, many farms will need to stretch their forage supplies. by Abby Huibregtse, Hoard's Dairyman Associate Editor The USDA recently released estimates for hay in storage, and it's...
Foot health impacts reproduction, production and early culling. Nigel Cook presented theHoard's Dairyman monthly webinar on Monday, May 13, 2013, entitled "No more lame excuses." Lameness prevalence has...
Heat stress during late gestation impacts not only cow health and production but calf performance and immunity, as well. As temperatures rise, so does the need for cow cooling. On some farms, milking...
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...
Producers have options for identifying ketotic cows, but some methods are better than others. Cows that do not adapt to the negative energy balance experienced after calving are candidates for developing...
Spreaders and other implements are beginning to hit fields across the country as we begin the 2013 cropping season. But have you taken the time to evaluate your nutrient recording keeping system lately?
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...
Change is one of the great constants in U.S. dairy farming. The industry has been evolving for most of a century, but especially in the last 20 years. Like an ice skater who draws in their arms while spinning,...
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...
"On the 8th day," Paul Harvey begins, "God looked down on his planned paradise and said, ‘I need a caretaker.'" With that, my Super Bowl party fell silent. Did yours?
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...
Every event in life is a learning experience, even if what you learn is "I don't want to do that again." The same can be said of 2012. It was a year that flew by but still left many lessons for dairy producers....
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
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...
"Land values are currently like a well-stoked, blazing Friday night camp fire," explained Brent Gloy, director for Purdue's Center for Commercial Agriculture
A keen understanding of cows' behavior – knowing what, how and why they do what they do - is one of the most important skills a dairy manager can have. It's also a huge tool in improving the health,...
