I saw a story a several years ago about the America Needs Farmers campaign launched by the University of Iowa in 1985. At the time, Iowa was ranked number one in college football, beat number two Michigan...
In 2011 the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) announced it was working on a local emphasis program (LEP) for inspecting Wisconsin dairy farms
Twenty years ago, a room full of farmers talking about land prices wouldn't have surprised anyone. But what about a room full of investors? On November 15, we attended the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago's...
For the first eight months of 2011, the average somatic cell count (SCC), for all months, has remained under 260,000. Traditionally, the highest SCC month is August. This year, August came in at 260,000
Dairy prices for October forecasted lower than September but stay above 2010 levels. Beef production remains strong. The milk production forecast for the remainder of 2011 has been raised. September production...
Around the world of dairy in 5 days. Whether if its by plane, racecar, or super-sized Monster truck, Madison, Wisconsin is the place to be this week. Vi-COR promoted their Exhibit Hall booth with "Bigfoot"...
The Secretary of Labor, under the Fair Labor Standards Act, is charged with prohibiting employment of youth in occupations that she deems particularly hazardous. The current target, as they propose to...
Hoard's Dairyman has been offering its summer editorial internship program for 23 years. Three of our current editors were editorial interns at Hoard's. Eager, ambitious dairy students interested in writing...
Growing up in a populous dairy region, I often failed to recognize how expansive our local dairy infrastructure actually was. If we faced a milking equipment break down, someone was there, within the hour,...
Although it may not seem like it, application season is right around the corner. Preparing well can land you your dream internship. The start of the school year isn't far away (if it hasn't begun already),...
Volunteers are a special gift to many organizations and clubs – especially youth organizations. Not all parents have the time to be a soccer coach, club scout leaders or Sunday school teacher. Parents...
What is a food desert? (desert, not dessert) It is a relatively new term that originated in the early 1990s but has become more mainstream in recent years. According to the USDA, a food desert is a Census...
One week ago Where do I find more information about the Farm Bill?we told you where to find historical information on the Farm Bill. This week we'll delve into which parties get a hand at haggling over...
The Farm Bill needs help. It needs help from both political parties and all regions of our country. But don't panic, this happens quite often – every 5 years or so, in fact. The Farm Bill is said...
Last week, I attended the National Holstein Convention in Virginia, and so did over 1,000 Holstein enthusiasts from across the United States. The four-day event was full of meetings, tours, junior competitions,...
It may be an essential nutrient for growing crops, but phosphorus (P) can wreak havoc when it flows to noncropping areas like streams, rivers, and lakes. Once in waterways, it can lead to algal blooms....
It's just a tiny trickle so far, but solar power projects are slowly beginning to pop up on Western dairies. The latest one to begin generating electricity for the power grid is a big one, more than 200...
"A few special interest groups have managed to hi-jack the term ‘animal welfare' and managed to create the illusion that they are the animal welfare experts", said Jennifer Walker, D.V.M., at the...
Opposition to the federal government's seemingly single-minded support of ethanol production as a solution to help the U.S. become more energy self-sufficient reached a new boiling point last week, with...