Big dairies are big business, so big that it only takes a few of them to have a huge financial impact on an area's economy. While California politicians and regulators appear to have grown deaf, dumb,...

There was a 0.9 percent rise in milk production during March in the top 23 dairy states, according to USDA's Milk Production report released earlier this week. That was the second month in a row that milk...

Advocacy for the dairy industry and agriculture isn't always easy. It takes courage to stand up to what might not be the popular majority. But, one program for dairy industry enthusiasts is teaching the...

If continued low milk prices weren't depressing enough, there is now an embryo and semen thief in our midst. Based on information that Hoard's Dairyman has learned from four of the five victims, the thief...

They're black and white (or brown) on the outside, but these days there's also a golden glow to cull dairy cows. Even as milk prices continue to slip, beef prices have been moving steadily higher most...

Interest in some type of policy to control milk production or manage milk supply growth continues to gather steam. Even some people and some organizations that have been categorically opposed to the concept...

Walmart, Wendy's, Burger King, and Subway have all jumped on the cage-free egg bandwagon. Each of these food retailers has made some sort of commitment to providing food products made with eggs from chickens...

America's top dairy county was host to 30 teams from Universities across North America last week at the annual North American Intercollegiate Dairy Challenge. In the end it was the home-field advantage...

The National Dairy Shrine is again looking for applications for its annual awarding of scholarships. Applications must be completed by May 1, 2010. Official scholarship application award forms are available...

Anyone who milks cows wants demand for their milk, and the more the better. But as producers saw all too painfully in 2008-09, expanding to meet that demand comes with risk. Recent news from the U.S. Dairy...

The 37th annual National Ag Day was held throughout the country on March 20 to celebrate the importance of agriculture in our country. As part of the celebration, seventh through twelfth grade students...

One of the most successful leaders of the purebred dairy cattle industry passed away April 6 just eight days shy of his 93rd birthday. James F. Cavanaugh joined the American Jersey Cattle Association in...

Farmers plan to plant a record 78.1 million acres of soybeans this year, according to the Prospective Plantings report released by USDA yesterday. That would be a 1 percent jump in bean acres. Corn acreage...

We recently sat down with Steve Maddox of Riverdale, Calif., to visit with him about some of the current initiatives of your checkoff dollars. Maddox currently serves on the national DMI (Dairy Management,...

Each year, World Dairy Expo recognizes four individuals for their contributions to the global dairy industry. General Manager Mark Clarke notes, "This year's honorees have each invested a lifetime in building...

All of us who make our living with livestock are strongly biased on the subject of animal welfare. Unfortunately, it's a bias that can be our own worst enemy when we debate the topic with someone we disagree...

Co-op business sort of took a backseat to current concerns when about 1,200 people gathered for Dairy Farmers of America annual meeting this week in Kansas City. In short, the co-op had net savings (earnings)...

Consumer demand for dairy products slid last year - commercial disappearance was down 1.2 percent. While this may be disappointing to hear, there is one product category that is making plans for serious...

On Monday, March 15, American Guernsey Association executive secretary, Seth Johnson, was at the Hoard's Dairyman Farm to appraise the Hoard Guernsey herd. Scoring began at 6 a.m. and continued during...

Maybe we shouldn't have been too surprised with the February Milk Production report released last Thursday. After all, milk production in January had been down just 0.5 percent compared to a year earlier....