Can you hear a quiet question floating in the spring breezes: "Is it time to lock in feed?" With grain markets down, milk futures up, and crop outlooks rosy - not to mention bad memories that are still...
While genomics is new to Ayrshire breeders this April, and it has gradually made inroads in Brown Swiss circles, the DNA-based science has completely transformed how we mate and market Holsteins and Jerseys
Few things can irritate a person like finding out they overpaid for a product or did not sell their own for its true value. In the April 8 Hoard's Dairyman "Reviewing forage and feed costs – What's...
The farm bill came very close to passage last year. As part of that comprehensive national farm law, the Dairy Security Act (DSA) would have become the dairy portion of the farm bill
When is chocolate milk not "milk"? I must admit when I first read blog posts that indicated aspartame could be added to milk and hidden from consumers, it both irritated and confused me at the same time....
The Council on Dairy Cattle Breeding (CDCB) took its first official action relating to the transition of U.S. genetic evaluations by releasing the fee schedule for genomic evaluations
Milk Income Loss Contracts (MILC) were automatically extended through September 30, 2013, under the American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012. There is no need for producers to re-enroll in MILC
Our January 10, 2013 issue kicks off our annual cow judging contest which runs through the March 10 edition. This year's classes will include Brown Swiss, Holstein, Red and Whites, Ayrshire and Jersey...
While it had been predicted for much of the summer, high feed costs have now taken its toll on national milk production. Overall, September milk production fell 0.5 percent when compared to the same time...
Four Guernseys in the Hoard's Dairyman Herd are Class Production Leaders The Hoard's Dairyman Farm in Fort Atkinson, Wisconsin, is home to a number of new class leaders in 2012. Dairyman Neon Zest, D-77,...
Launched in 2002, the idea behind the North American Intercollegiate Dairy Challenge was to allow students to incorporate the knowledge they had gained in all aspects of dairy management into one competition
Holstein Association USA classifier Willis Gunst recently attended a twilight meeting in Wisconsin to share the new classification changes with Holstein breeders and to answer questions they have on the...
J and Allan Schanbacher have never planted oats any time but early spring. But this year they planted 63 acres in mid-August as they scramble to make up for drought-ravaged hay and corn crops
Time is fading quickly if you want to land a contract for Livestock Gross Margin (LGM) insurance for dairy cattle. This Friday, August 31, approximately $2.5 million will be released as part of the final...
Sire summaries are calculated by the United States Department of Agriculture three times each year in April, August and December. Hoard's Dairyman compiled the August data on the seven dairy breeds and...
Youth at the Wisconsin State Fair share messages with fairgoers. Showing livestock at the fair can be a hectic time filled with preparing for shows and interviews, as well as keeping up with chores at...
Last fall the Purebred Dairy Cattle Association (PDCA) updated their showmanship scorecard. The committee felt the scorecard should more accurately reflect how showmanship is evaluated. They removed the...
Put on your Star Wars T-shirt; this is a subject where one's imagination can run wild. Relatively speaking, genetic engineering is still in its infancy
Do you enjoy money, knowledge or friends? This is not a multiple-choice question, as you can have all three through a prominent dairy charity. National Dairy Shrine is a 17,000-member nonprofit charity...
If the milk prices didn't already tell you, you should know that there's a lot of milk being produced in the U.S. today. Year-over-year, January through April have averaged 767,000 pounds more per month...
