Good nutrition plays a key role in hoof health. Hoof issues are a concern for many dairy producers. They can limit feed intake, sacrifice milk production, and impair cow comfort. Along with a comprehensive...
How youth activities helped me step outside of my comfort zone. Small, quiet, and shy. Those were some of the words that best described me as a young child. I preferred working with my animals and keeping...
Learning more about different breeds of dairy cattle can be beneficial. I'm not colorblind, but I only see black, white, and brown on my family's dairy operation. Our 40-cow herd is made up of mostly Holsteins...
Custom hire is a smart business decision for our farm. While my husband and I milked our cows last night, a swather zipped through our fields, mowing down our first crop of alfalfa, along with the triticale...
What other ways can you find to serve the dairy industry? Last week, March 13 to 19, was National Agriculture Week. I had the chance to represent the Oregon dairy industry in a video commercial for a local...
When used regularly, body condition scoring can help you recognize potential issues and act proactively instead of reactively. After a two-month vacation, our cows can calve in one of two ways: slow and...
Make a ride in the cattle trailer safer for your young bovine passengers by following these AABP guidelines.There are times we need to get our livestock from Point A to Point B, and that process often...
Disappointing milk price situation likely to get worse before it gets better. Since they became a key part of the worldwide dairy export pipeline, American milk producers have seen these "dots" before...
A clean environment, adequate cow comfort and footbath use all bolster your ability to prevent digital dermatitis. Lameness affects everything a cow does. Feed intake, fertility, milk production and, in...
When cows' light exposure is limited during the dry period, a milk production boost in the next lactation is likely. When light hits the eye, a cascade of hormonal events is triggered in the brain's pineal...
Delaying a herd's age at first calving to 25 months has the potential to cost $45 to $90 per heifer. Age? Weight? Height? If you ask three dairy producers what criteria they use to breed heifers, each...
A deep dip in rumination during the week prior to calving could hint that a cow is on track to develop a health disorder. While it's strongly driven by a cow's diet, rumination time is influenced by much...
Now is the time to conduct a postmortem on your heat stress mitigation plan and evaluate potential modifications. With full bunkers and only a few remaining harvest tasks to check off the list, the warmth...
Adequate protein consumption is crucial. Beef can play a central role in meeting that need. Most people readily recognize the "Beef, It's What's for Dinner" slogan. Yet, higher than average beef prices...
The recently signed bill, which goes into effect on January 1, 2018, will restrict the routine use of antibiotics for disease prevention and bans antibiotic use for growth promotion. California has long...
Understanding these conditions, we can manage feed quality and costs. During "A crop and feed outlook for the months ahead" webinar, Mike Hutjens and Mike Rankin gave an overview of dairy ration ingredients...
For the second year in a row, the Holstein, followed by the Jersey were named Supreme Champion of the junior shows at World Dairy Expo. And, it was also a repeat for their owners, Trevor Tuman and Chandler...
Few people have the honor of traveling to Buckingham Place. Even fewer have the opportunity to meet Queen Elizabeth. James Duke, the owner and innovator behind ADF Milking has done both. In 2013, Duke...
After seven years of Braedale Goldwyn taking Premier Sire honors, there is a new king of the ring at the International Holstein Show in 2015 with Pine-Tree Sid taking the title
