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All farm animals, especially horses, pigs and cattle, perform grooming as part of their natural behavior. The primary function of grooming is body care, including cleaning and sanitation. Grooming behavior is thought to help animals remove mud, feces, uri...
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The farm stress test is designed to provide insight into sources of farm financial stress and the extent of stress. It highlights a few key financial measures and provides a visual interpretation of the numbers. Ideally, the numbers used in the stress tes...
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Milking labor is a large cost on any dairy farm. Milking routine and parlor design affect the efficiency of milking and the number of cows milked per day for years after construction is completed. This [article] discusses ways to improve milking efficienc...
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With today’s milk prices and premiums, more nutritionists and producers are balancing rations for amino acids. Doing so can provide an attractive return on investment as balancing for amino acids supports high milk production and protein levels.
Tom Do...
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Dairy cattle housed in freestall barns are normally separated from the feed delivery area by some sort of barrier. Barriers are important as they prevent cattle from walking and defecating on the feed. They have been designed to allow cows unrestricted ac...
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At times, management expectations and actual cow performance don’t add up. Dr. Neil Michael, Director of ABS Technical Services, is often asked, “Why am I not seeing similar results to other dairies making the same change?” He shares with producers ...
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It is not uncommon to see real cowboys in the communities where cattle are part of the economy. I don’t mean posing in the street like gunfighters in Tombstone or passing out casino flyers on a corner in Las Vegas during rodeo week, but real cowboys in ...
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One year ago I sat at Bagram Airfield, in what is known as the Clamshell, and with a thousand other warriors I listened to Christmas music. Here is a story of that memorable day.
In a war zone, there are no days off. Yes, we have down days, and yes, ther...
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The merits of proper body condition relative to stage of lactation have long been known. But body condition scoring remains an underutilized measurement on many of today’s dairy operations. Body condition is the amount of body reserves (fat) that an ani...
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Alfalfa growers make a variety of management decisions that affect profitability, including site selection and preparation, seed variety selection, fertility program, insect and weed control, harvest method and timing, and target market and timing.
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When frigid temperatures occur, the appearance of alfalfa stands may cause growers concerns.
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The high value of wheat grain has renewed interest in its use as a companion crop for establishment of alfalfa and other forage crops.
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If you expect to plant new pasture, hay or even ornamental forages next year, order your seeds early because many types are in short supply.
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Hay and forage producers have a wide variety of equipment options for raking and merging swaths or windrows.
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Alfalfa harbors a tremendous number of insects, some of which are pests, but most are not.
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Are you going to plant a new hay field next spring? Instead of automatically planting pure alfalfa, think about mixing some grass into your planting.
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Many factors are involved in producing a top-quality alfalfa crop.
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Re: Three open minutes with Gary Conklin
Posted on Friday, 10 August 2012 by David Salih.Interesting that there is no sense of responsibility expressed by Mr...
Re: New Hire Jack DeVries
Posted on Thursday, 09 August 2012 by Liz.So proud! This is my big brother! Definitely a great role model and...
Re: Indiana’s only grass-fed dairy markets locally
Posted on Tuesday, 07 August 2012 by kevin ray shultz.hello my name is kevin my wife and i are interested in starting a dairy...