USDA's forecast milk production for 2010 and 2011 was raised from last month in the World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates released late last week. Producers continue to add cows to their herds,...
Over 600 people came to Knigge Farms of Omro, Wis., to celebrate the 10th anniversary of robotic milking in the United States. It was in August 2000 that Pete and Theo Knigge, and their son, Charlie, installed...
This is one of my favorite quotes. Past National Holstein Association president and dairy producer Doug Maddox of California encourages adults to see the value in giving a young person the chance to work...
Slowly, but surely, modest profitability is returning for U.S. dairy producers. Even so, few are relaxing just yet. Both of the major financial barometers they watch – Class III milk and 40-pound...
Recently released dairy product consumption figures for 2009 are encouraging. Looking at consumption on a per-person or per-capita basis always is informative, because that accounts for changes in the...
The deep financial cuts suffered by Western dairy producers last year still have a long way to go before they heal, but attitudes out there really do seem to be getting better. In recent weeks, we've visited...
The most current USDA forecast continues the trend of lower cow numbers that has been more than offset by higher output per cow in 2010. Output per cow is expected to rise by 2.5 percent compared with...
In the rush of the end of summer, most of us find ourselves at some sort of fair or another. For Minnesotans, it usually means the State Fair - twelve days of fun that always end on labor day. During the...
Now when temperatures heat up in California, so will the responsibility of dairy and other farm owners to provide heat safety protection for their employees. On August 20, the State Occupational Safety...
Two new genomic tests just hit the market. Not only can Holstein breeders test females on the traditional 50K test, but they can also use the just released 3K SNP (single-nucleotide polymorphism) and
2009 was an awful year for producer milk prices, but another good one for milk quality. According to the USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, average bulk tank somatic cell count (BTSCC) for...
Released this afternoon, July milk from the 23 major dairy states was up 3 percent from July 2009 totaling 15.2 billion pounds from 8.37 million head. That gain is 2.9 percent higher than June totals....
Corn production is forecast at a record high 13.4 billion bushels, up 2 percent from the previous record set in 2009, according to USDA's Crop Production report issued yesterday. Based on conditions as...
The dairy industry has a lot of catching up to do in the snack world. Dairy products accounted for less than 3 percent of the $93.5 billion dollars spent on snack foods in 2009. Snacking: Identifying a...
How deep a financial hole did milk producers dig in 2009? It was "Lassie, go get help!" deep. It was a horribly serious situation whose magnitude was simply absurd. High feed costs and a collapse in milk...
When there's producer and grower money at stake –quite a bit of it– there always are strong feelings about who should spend it and how it should be spent. That's why both the beef check-off...
If you have a newly-found love or fascination with yogurt and yogurt drinks, you are not alone. It seems as if your neighbor has picked up on it too, as did European yogurt giant Danone. Earlier this year,...
Every October, Shamrock Farms, located in Stanfield, Ariz., opens up its modern 10,000-cow dairy to the public, taking advantage of the growing agricultural disconnect as a way to market its brand and...
Dairy markets are beginning to improve according to the Dairy Market News for the week of July 26-30, 2010. Both class and component prices for July 2010 under the Federal Milk Order pricing system are...
Away at college, working on a master's degree, many of my daughter's calls and e-mails now include personal insights into the financial "joy" of being a grown-up. "One day you'll appreciate the starving...
