If there was one job I truly despised as a kid growing up on a dairy farm, it was helping bed the calf barn, which housed our calves from 3 months of age to around 500 pounds. I just never found a way...
Limited pen space on-farm often ties our hands when we attempt to develop a grouping strategy. The options, such as separating cows based on stage of lactation, reproductive status or body condition, are...
What a crazy, incredible turnaround. Huge 2014 crop outlooks in the U.S. and other major grain-producing countries have destroyed the high prices for feed grains that made life so painful for anyone with...
Comfortable cows or easily maintained manure systems. It seems like many dairy producers feel they must choose between one or the other. Sand has a strong reputation for enhancing cow comfort and lowering...
The National Dairy Shrine in Fort Atkinson unveiled a $90,000 technological upgrade to its main floor display last week. "We are very pleased to share the excitement of some of the changes that were made...
When it comes to finding sick cows, tie stall herds have the upper hand. As we have transitioned our dairies from this individual care system to managing groups, illness detection has become one of our...
While it's not time to make hay just yet, it is time to get the wheels in motion for this year's cropping season. The bane of growing crops lies in our inability to predict the weather
A Canadian consultant shares his four cornerstones to designing barns for robotic milkers. By Abby Bauer, Hoard's Dairyman Associate Editor Robotic milking systems can fit in a variety of barn layouts,...
Taking the time and effort to prevent hay fires has never made more sense. Dairy hay has never been more expensive than in recent years, making it vital to make sure that hay fires don't happen. University...
New HumaneWatch.org report reveals continued inaction by HSUS when it comes to aiding animals by funding shelters. Ads for dogs and cats in undesirable conditions make many of us uncomfortable. They are...
Plan ahead to maximize your crop's performance. Joe Lauer, University of Wisconsin, shared "Growing high yield and high quality corn silage in the northern Corn Belt" on the December 9 webinar, sponsored...
Facility design, space and frequent stirring are essential elements in successful compost bedded pack barns. "Compost barns are not your grandfather's bedded pack," explained Jeffrey Bewley, assistant...
The Penterman family of Holland's Family Cheese is embracing the Wisconsin cheese-making tradition and adding a Dutch flare. Marieke and Rolf Penterman have a passion for dairying that was larger than...
Rearing costs are high, but calving heifers too early may adversely impact lifetime milk production. by Abby (Huibregtse) Bauer, Hoard's Dairyman Associate Editor The earlier a heifer enters the milking...
Chinese consumption and U.S. production are growing at the same rate. Sourcing safe, local raw milk remains expensive in many nations. Countries that are currently in a milk deficit will continue to struggle...
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,...
Overstocking boosts a cow's risk for health problems, low milk yield and poor reproductive performance. The majority of work exploring the consequences of overstocking has focused on the behavioral changes...
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...
