Thanks to his mechanical talents, this dairyman kept two first-crop alfalfa harvests on track. Near dusk on Sunday, May 22, I set out with our Hesston hay mower to cut the last field of first-crop alfalfa...
It's hot, it's humid, and it's only the beginning of summer. And there is still a long way to go before we start to see the anticipated cooler temperatures of fall. While some might be enjoying the warmer...
Some feed efficiency factors are easy to overlook. DaireXnet article dove into a few of the feed efficiency factors that have an impact on farm economics, but are not always top of the mind the others...
Friends, food, and funding are just a few perks. I've lived the majority of my adult life in Wisconsin, while all of my childhood was spent in California. Dairy breakfasts were not common in the Central...
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...
Determining which cows are open early speeds the reset process. While we all like to hear that a cow is confirmed pregnant, there also is value in knowing that she is not. At that point, she can be quickly...
Behavioral changes and bacterial cultures both show early promise in identifying metritis cases. Characterized by discolored vaginal discharge and an offensive odor, metritis is a top health and reproductive...
Hillcrest Dairy uses a two-pronged approach to reach out to the public. At Hillcrest, we believe it is important to share what we do on our family farm. However, like most farms, there are only so many...
Electrical fire serves as wake-up call. Fire. There might not be another word so capable of quickly igniting fear in the hearts of farmers. I'm sure you can imagine the level of panic we felt after smelling...
A twist on pretty will debut at a Canadian cattle show in April. While no beauty pageant exists just for young ladies with IQs above 120, there is a pageant of sorts debuting in Canada next month for heifers...
Having rejoined the family dairy business right out of college, I gained a new appreciation for working with coworkers. by Caitlin Rodgers The ratio of women to men working in the dairy industry has become...
What other ways can you find to serve the dairy industry? Last week, March 13 to 19, was National Agriculture Week. I had the chance to represent the Oregon dairy industry in a video commercial for a local...
Strategize for ways to minimize heat stress. Even though we are not ready for sunglasses and shorts, warm weather will be here soon. Mike Brouk, Kansas State University, presented "The latest on beating...
Our actions need to speak louder than words when working with livestock. Cows may not speak like we do, but that does not mean that we cannot communicate with them. We must simply interact in ways they...
My daughter, Caitlin, decided to return to the farm after graduating with a degree in diversified agriculture to manage our herd health and reproduction programs
California's dairy industry highlighted during annual event. It was the first time in the 127 year-history of the Rose Parade, the California Milk Advisory Board (CMAB) had a float entry. The organization...
Gadgets and devices aid – not replace dairy management. All that cool technology that people use to communicate, record exercise levels and monitor their sleep patterns, now are being applied to...
Whether you're in the barn or the showring, you have to stay calm. You never know who's watching. by Hannah Thompson Earlier this year, I was in the crowd at a county fair's dairy show for the supreme...
Action can be taken to reduce feed losses during the TMR mixing process. Now you see it . . . and now you don't. Just like that, feed that was once available for your herd can be lost due to mold, pests,...
Producers who are most ahead are those who didn't sign up at all. No matter what kind of insurance a dairy owner has, not needing to use it means nothing bad has happened, which is exactly what they hope...
