Let mortality be a reminder to live and love fully. At the urging of a good friend, I started listening to podcasts while traveling. If you're looking for a way to make your next road trip thought-provoking...
Important nutrients and immune building molecules are all components of a calf's first meal, but that colostrum may also be a vehicle for some unwanted guests. Are bacteria derailing your carefully crafted...
Steps can be taken to measure the impact of soil compaction and, more importantly, avoid it in the first place. Bigger tractors and heavier machinery allow crop growers to cover more ground in a shorter...
The Guernseys on the Hoard's Dairyman Farm have proven once again that they can compete with the best Guernsey herds in the nation. Each year, the American Guernsey Association recognizes the top
The Hoard's Dairyman Farm earned national recognition from the American Guernsey Association. The Guernseys on the Hoard's Dairyman Farm have proven once again that they can compete with the best Guernsey...
Who has the priority? Raising healthy, well-grown calves is more than putting milk in a pail and dropping grain in a bucket. A newborn's chance for success starts as soon as it hits the ground. Colostrum...
Members of the Hoard's Dairyman staff spent a day on farms to stay in touch with the magazine's roots. By The Hoard's Dairyman editorial team has a long standing tradition of being actively involved in...
After completing major chopper repairs at one dairy, a bagger needed substantial repairs a few weeks later, and the mechanical dairyman worked calmly through that issue, too. "I'll be over by 2 p.m." That's...
Keep your cool this summer and keep those fans running. If June temperatures are anything to measure by, it looks like this summer is shaping up to be another steamy one
Harvest season can be one of the most challenging, yet most rewarding, times of the year on a dairy farm. Let me start out by saying that everyone who grows their own corn for silage knows how hectic harvest...
Silage bag slip-n-slide, backyard camping, cow bedding sand piles, and nature exploring all lead to summer farm fun. Dairy farm kids find lots of ways to make their own summer fun. Once their chores are...
For farms struggling to find enough employees or looking for more flexibility in their daily routine, robotic milking systems have become an intriguing option
When a person decides to become a dairy farmer, they aren't choosing just a career but a lifestyle. As many of you know, dairy farming is a 24 hours a day, 7 days a week job. Most dairymen and women live...
Custom hire is a smart business decision for our farm. While my husband and I milked our cows last night, a swather zipped through our fields, mowing down our first crop of alfalfa, along with the triticale...
Block, curd, or shredded, put it on your plate. "A can a week is all we ask." That was a very successful marketing campaign for Blue Diamond Almonds decades ago. I saw plenty of those commercials and almond...
A small study showed that selective dry cow therapy can maintain udder health while reducing antibiotic use in some cows. One topic of conversation at the Minnesota Herd Health Conference held in Bloomington,...
Humans are programmed to need 7.5 to 9 hours of sleep a night. No ifs, ands, or buts about it. Every now and then that warning slips across our radar again. "Get enough sleep; it's important." It's also...
Housing that satisfies a cow's most basic needs- fresh air, feed, water, and resting space- is worth the investment. "Dairy housing design must focus on cow needs." That was the message of John Tyson's...
It doesn't come naturally to most people, but delegation is essential to effective team leadership. Most of us, at some point in our lives, will find ourselves in a leadership position. While many dairy...
