Shrink is hard to define, but committing to best management practices during harvest, ensiling and feedout can reduce its impact. Over the past few years, sustainability has earned its status as a dairy...
Spring has barely begun, yet things already look grim. Bad turned to worse for California's drought situation in 2014, which is why, on the first day of spring this year, California's 2015 water situation...
A breeding ground for bacteria, bedding is a significant source of mastitis pathogens in a confinement system. The climatic conditions encountered in many regions of the country necessitate cattle housing....
"Fuel Greatness" campaign stresses breakfast for children. Breakfast sets the table for the day's activities. Starting the day with a meal is the fuel that helps us stay active. Studies have shown that...
Only 1,631 farms left, but it was still the 22nd yearly decline in a row. "Get out while the getting is good" saw 1,631 U.S. dairies leave the industry in 2014. According to data released earlier this...
Effluent planning can be done now to make harvest easier this year Growing up on a small dairy farm, silage effluent wasn't something I was overly aware of other than it smelled, and I tried not to get...
A PCR assay can enhance your milk quality diagnostics. The incorporation of a robust diagnostic strategy has been promoted heavily in recent years as a way to identify the predominant pathogens causing...
Research shows that healthy and unhealthy eaters alike select foods on taste over nutritional value. An apple is healthier, but why do we reach for the doughnut instead? Most likely because we know it...
You may have heard this saying previously and wondered what it means or how it would apply to your dairy or everyday life. It's one I try to live by daily in all things, big and small, I sum it up with...
Today's dairy producers use the lactation curve to schedule milk harvest from a cow. Her milk production level dictates ration changes, housing group and may push up or move back her dry-off date
Even well-educated parents with access to healthy foods struggle to meet the nutritional needs of their children. The groundwork for a healthy life is built during childhood. Unfortunately, financial limitations,...
Americans are drinking less fluid milk, but their taste for dairy is not waning. In fact, USDA data released last month shows that per capita consumption of dairy products has climbed from 539 pounds in...
Safe, top quality milk is the goal of World Dairy Expo. With over 3,000 head of cattle entered in the 2014 World Dairy Expo, the milking parlor will be a busy place this week for both cows and exhibitors....
There are no coincidences when animal activists are involved. A reminder of that came again this week when the undercover video circus moved to Albuquerque, N.M., looking more neatly scripted than ever
Aside from having top tier dairy programs, what do the University of Wisconsin- Madison, Iowa State, Cornell, Virginia Tech, Kansas State and the University of Minnesota have in common? Over the past 26...
Manure is a valuable commodity that provides needed nutrients for crop acres, but it takes multiple steps to get it from Point A to Point B. Most times, moving manure from storage to the field happens...
If robots are the next evolution of milking cows on a large scale, then the future is here already. Except it is happening slowly and not at all in the U.S. . . . yet
