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Sitting in my living room recently during a heat wave, I realized I think my tolerance for heat is somewhere close to that of a cow’s. After the temperature rises into the upper 70s, I’m feeling hot. If I don’t rest enough, drink enough water, eat t...
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Fluid milk sales increaseDuring April 2007, about 4.5 billion pounds of packaged fluid milk products are estimated to have been sold in the U.S. This was 2.8 percent higher than April 2006.
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Editor’s note: The following are available market reports and futures data as of June 15, 2007.
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Consultants can help you define or implement a plan for solving problems. They provide counsel and objectivity when dealing with situations in which you need an outside perspective. Most frequently they are used for difficult-to-fill positions that call f...
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“How come nobody does what I tell them to?” That’s a question I hear from business owners, managers and supervisors everywhere. Getting others to do what needs to be done can be deceptively simple.
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Every quarter of every year, I spend my days reviewing financial statements for America’s milk producers. All that time spent looking at producers’ revenue and expenses has caused me to lose sight of a very interesting part of the bigger picture – t...
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At a recent college graduation, I heard the speaker say one of the key skills businesses look for in new workers is the ability to function well in a collaborative environment of alliances, partnerships and cross-functional teams. He went on to say, “Th...
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Agricultural employers are always interested in employee motivation. Human beings are complex, and motivation is a social and psychological state that does not lend itself to simple answers. Just as a biologist uses a framework to study microorganisms, an...
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In today’s world, we often feel like we have more to do than we can ever get done. This is definitely true when it comes to managing a dairy farm business as you try to manage all the different aspects of the operation. To prevent one from becoming over...
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After breeding heifers one by one through a working chute in Iowa’s frequent windstorms for several months, David Porterfield often thought there had to be a better, more efficient way to manage Koenen Dairy’s breeding-age heifers.
Porterfield, then ...
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Feeding calves takes time. In fact, estimates of the labor required to care for calves and heifers from birth to calving show milk-fed calves are the most time-consuming age group. This is no surprise to those who spend hours every day mixing milk replace...
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As you look out over your heifer crop with great anticipation, do you ever stop to wonder: “How many of these future herd replacements are harboring an intramammary infection? How will these heifers affect my somatic cell count and the udder health of m...
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Research on dairy calves is paving the way for methods of managing and housing these animals that will facilitate calf care and improve living conditions for these young animals. In this [article], I will review research from three areas I think are impor...
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Efficient heifer growth that leads to bigger heifers at an earlier age can maximize profitability on your dairy operation. The key is making sure your heifers don’t just gain weight, but achieve their genetic potential for ideal height, weight and girth...
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Healthy calves grown properly produce what is expected of them, whether as milk cows or for beef production. In order to grow healthy calves, there are important aspects to consider – beginning at birth. A pre-calving vaccination program (including vacc...
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During last year’s heat wave in California, dairyman Greg Anema of Ontario, California discovered the two coolest places on his dairy – the breezeway in his parlor and a kiddie pool under a shade tree close to the milk barn. He also found out how his ...
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Editor’s note: The following benchmarks have been compiled using data reported by dairies enrolled in Alta Genetic’s AltaAdvantage program, a progeny testing program. More than 182,500 cows in 175 herds participate in the program nationwide.
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Are you providing an environment in your dairy barn so the cows can be productive? While it is not economical to air condition your freestall barn, there are some things you can do to reduce heat stress. Here are some points to help you evaluate your faci...
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Now is the time to think where changes can be made on the dairy to lessen the impacts of hot weather on dairy cows. Besides changing the cow’s environment to lessen the effects of heat stress, dairymen may also modify their feeding program in order to g...
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Each year it’s not unusual to see production drop 10 to 15 pounds per cow. Waiting until hot weather subsides is not an effective management strategy – as milk production lost is never regained once things get cooler. Here are five tips to alleviate s...
Re: Second annual Latinos in Agriculture forum deemed a success
Posted on Wednesday, 22 May 2013 by Agriculture in the Black Sea Region.This project is for and about agriculture in countries aroung Black Sea...
Re: Mastitis prevention and control: A prevention methodology
Posted on Wednesday, 22 May 2013 by Justo Calderon.Great article, nice explanation, easy and interesting to reading And...
Re: Documentary shows struggles of Maine co-op
Posted on Tuesday, 21 May 2013 by David Bright.One correction. MOOMilk is not a co-op. It's an L3C corporation, a...