The medallions placed around their necks were not first-place blue, or even runner-up red. You’d never know it, though, because third-place white had never looked as good to the members of the Purdue...

Many A.I. studs are now offering straws of semen that contain sperm from multiple bulls. To understand the potential advantage of a mixed, or “heterospermic,” A.I. dose, let’s review...

Changing economics and shrinking margins on dairy’s home front have been a strong driver in herd demographics throughout the United States. When Hoard’s Dairyman partnered with the American...

About 10% of U.S. dairy cattle were infected with the bovine leukemia virus (BLV) in the 1960s and 1970s. Now, about a third of our nation’s beef cattle and almost half of our dairy cattle are infec

Cold air has settled into the area. I am not referring to a little chill in the air; I am talking about the extreme cold that blows through every article of clothing and settles in our bones. It is th

I had the recent opportunity to team up with a milk cooperative adviser to provide assistance to a member farm. As I finished up and returned home, I sent a short text thanking her for the support. Sh

We all know that dairy farming is a challenging business under the best of circumstances. Hoyt Hill Farmstead has experienced additional stress over the past two years as Scott and Amber Hoyt have dea

As I open the sliding patio door, I’m reminded very quickly that grilling season has come to an end. The wind is blowing, and the snow is flying around. I can hardly see my neighbor’s house...

Dating back to my days on the family dairy farm, my favorite tool has been a multi-tool strapped to my belt. While I’ve converted and upgraded nearly all of the mechanics and woodworking tools in...

This is a time of year that we spend reflecting on the past and looking toward the new year. When we sit down with the accountant, the first, last, and in between figures we dissect are milk productio

We are approaching three years since the COVID-19 pandemic started. As the disease becomes endemic, we start to see the unintended consequences of control measures. While these measures saved lives, m

Antibiotics play a critical role in fighting bacterial infections in animals on our farms. Of course, many of these same medications also restore human health, and that is one of the reasons why certa

In each of the last two years, we have had an early winter “outbreak” of what looks like pinkeye in our bred heifers. They are housed indoors, and there are no flies around at that time of...

let’s talk agronomy in the Feeding Fundamentals column to start this new year. While an agronomy discussion may seem out of place in a nutrition-focused column, it shouldn’t be. In last June’s...

The Fair Labor Standards Act (FSLA) of 1938 is a federal law that created the right to a minimum wage as well as overtime pay when people work more than 40 hours a week. The federal minimum wage was 2

Staphylococci are the most prevalent bacteria isolated from bovine mammary secretions. In the past, we would call them CNS, as in coagulase-negative Staphylococci. However, another classification sche

Butterfat composition in the national bulk tank has been on a meteoric rise over the past decade. Before that, according to USDA data, butterfat levels held in a tight window of 3.65% to 3.69% from 19

Central Lakes College in Minnesota has a law enforcement training course that teaches young recruits to respond to emergency and nonemergency calls for service. This includes traffic enforcement dutie

One of the greatest blessings Duane and I received this year was during one of the most difficult times. My mother had been ill for a few years, so her passing was not a total surprise. Her 91-year-ol

Bovine leukemia virus (BLV) infects approximately half of all dairy and beef cattle in North America. Herd owners and managers may wonder whether it is a disease they should fight, and if so, is it a