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Current Progressive Dairy digital edition

1. A list no responsible livestock producer wants to be on: (Industry News); The FSIS Residue Violation Information System List identifies all producers that have marketed food animals which have tested positive for antibiotic residues at slaughter. The list is updated weekly, ...; Created on 07 February 2011
2. Issue 3 2011: Export assistance watch: (Industry News); Click here to download a pdf of an update from Cooperatives Working Together. This Issue 3 (February 8, 2011) update provides information about continued export assistance in 2011.; Created on 07 February 2011
3. Issue 3 2011: Checkoff watch: (Industry News); Click here to download a pdf of an update from Dairy Management, Inc. This update provides information about how the dairy checkoff unified to drive 2010 sales.; Created on 07 February 2011
4. 2011: The year of government involvement in dairying?: (From the Editor); By now you’ve probably heard of or read the New York Times article revealing the FDA’s plan to allegedly test milk on farms that have previously had antibiotic residues in slaughter cows. In this issue, ...; Created on 03 February 2011
5. Will dairy’s dream of immigration reform happen?: (Guest Blog); As the 111th Congress came to an end, the Senate held a vote on the DREAM Act, an immigration reform proposal focused on children of illegal immigrants. Commentators and some Republicans described the ...; Created on 03 February 2011
6. Who’s your biggest competitor?: (Management); Do you tend to view the word “competition” as something negative? Maybe you truly dislike someone you see as your competition because of something that was said or done in the past. But in most cases, ...; Created on 03 February 2011
7. First-ever dairy industry sustainability report released: (Industry News); Early this year the Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy released its first-ever Sustainability Progress Report. Progressive Dairyman interviewed Erin Fitzgerald (pictured below left), the center’s vice president ...; Created on 03 February 2011
8. Dairy reform on the docket again in 2011: (Industry News); As a new Congress is assembled, dairy coalitions are busy outlining their reform plans for 2011. Here is what some of the key players are working on: Foundation for the Future NMPF is working to put ...; Created on 03 February 2011
9. Farmers should think hard about incurring debt: (Management); In these tough economic times when consumers and businesses are spending less, farmers should think carefully about how much money they want to borrow and how they would use it in their businesses, a ...; Created on 03 February 2011
10. Interactions with your most important employees: The cows: (Management); When talking about employer/employee relations, the topic of interaction frequently comes up. These discussions are usually centered on people; they don’t normally consider the most valuable employees ...; Created on 03 February 2011
11. Risk management for milk residues: (Management); Improved antibiotic testing methodology, which utilizes liquid chromatography, now allows milk to be screened for more than 26 different antibiotics and other residues. Although use of this new technology ...; Created on 03 February 2011
12. How to overcome risk management hurdles: (Management); Beginning hurdlers are often afraid of the hurdle. When they approach it, they slow down, then jump over it awkwardly. Sometimes they hit the hurdle, fall and do not wish to attempt another one. The ...; Created on 03 February 2011
13. Here we go again, one more tax bill from 2010: (Industry News); Tax law changes have been numerous in 2010, so it seems appropriate that the year closed out with one more. On December 17, 2010, President Obama signed into law the Tax Relief, Unemployment Insurance ...; Created on 03 February 2011
14. Profit margin outlook and strategic margin management: (Industry News); This past year has certainly been one many dairy producers would just as easily like to forget. After a brutal year in 2009, profit margins remained negative through most of last year with depressed milk ...; Created on 03 February 2011
15. Keys to a powerful family or non-family partnership: (Management); Most family businesses – farms, local agribusinesses, restaurants, etc. – are started by an individual owner. As they grow, the businesses (farms) often transition to multiple owners. The new owners ...; Created on 03 February 2011
16. High financial priorities for dairy operators in 2011: (Management); You are in the business of dairying to make money, not to lose it. We know it doesn’t always happen that way. As you know, milk and feed prices are volatile at best these days, and it takes more and ...; Created on 03 February 2011
17. Adjusting to meet new financial reporting requirements: (Management); Much has happened over the last three years in both the dairy industry and the financial world – changes that dairy producers will need to navigate with care. During this time, we have seen milk prices ...; Created on 03 February 2011
18. How would you re-prioritize the USDA budget?: (Management); You might want to buckle your seat belt. The folks who are the customers of agriculture and who pay the freight for maintaining farm programs have spoken. And what they say may not necessarily be sweet ...; Created on 03 February 2011
19. In your own words... What is the most difficult problem you deal with on your dairy?: (People); Q. What is the most difficult problem you deal with on your dairy? How do you handle it? Mark Diederichs Lake Breeze Dairy, LLC Malone, Wisconsin To keep our employees motivated and finding something ...; Created on 03 February 2011
20. Comparison of feedstuff prices and the current dairy situation: (Management); At this time of the year, I wish I could bring you some good news. I am afraid, however, that what has been a modest recovery for our dairy farms starting in late spring is about to end. Most dairy farms, ...; Created on 03 February 2011
21. Succession planning is a process, not an event: (Management); With a low economy affecting interest rates and farm values, now is a good time to take care of planning the future of your business. Dan Rupar of Ruder Ware LLSC out of Wausau, Wisconsin, specializes ...; Created on 03 February 2011
22. Decrease weaned heifer pneumonia: (Calves & Heifers); Respiratory disease is responsible for nearly half of all weaned heifer deaths on U.S. dairy farms. New benchmarks for pneumonia treatment and mortality rates take aggressive aim at this troubling statistic ...; Created on 03 February 2011
23. Managing the expanding heifer population: (Calves & Heifers); A heifer is your future. Many farmers believe this to be true and have been committed to raising every heifer for their operation. A lot of cash has been allocated to improve calf management, age at ...; Created on 03 February 2011
24. Implementing amino acids in dairy rations: Lessons learned from the swine industry: (Feed & Nutrition); Use of some supplemental amino acids is now becoming available for all species worldwide. In the past 20 to 30 years, adaptation of supplemental amino acid(s) in the non-ruminant diet has undergone sequential ...; Created on 03 February 2011
25. Create efficiencies with three-in-one feeding machine: (Feed & Nutrition); It is no secret that feed and labor are the two highest expenses on a dairy operation, and don’t forget fuel prices that are expected to climb through 2011. Jones Equipment Company LLC in Massey, Maryland, ...; Created on 03 February 2011
26. Off-season: Evaluate your silage quality, bunker performance: (Feed & Nutrition); Preserving silage quality is more important than ever with rising commodity costs. Feedout of last year’s crop is the best time to evaluate how your silage quality and bunker/pile storage are performing, ...; Created on 03 February 2011
27. Consider rumen-protected B vitamins for dairy cows: (Feed & Nutrition); Until recently there has not been a significant push to supplement B vitamins in dairy cow diets since they are known to be synthesized in large amounts in a cow’s rumen. It has been recognized for many ...; Created on 03 February 2011
28. Evaluate rations to get the most IOFC with higher-priced corn: (Feed & Nutrition); Using ration modeling programs that evaluate multiple carbohydrate fractions and their digestibility enables us to increase income over feed cost (IOFC). Corn prices are over $6 per bu and predicted to ...; Created on 03 February 2011
29. Wild yeast could be a problem at your dairy: (Feed & Nutrition); It is every dairyman’s desire to feed high-quality corn silage and/or haylage to ensure excellent animal health and production and keep feed costs in line. However, maintaining the silage in good condition ...; Created on 03 February 2011
30. Are your cows ketotic?: (Herd Health); If you answered “yes,” you should feel good about being proactive about this condition, knowing you can do something about it. If you answered “no” because you have actually tested for ketosis, you, ...; Created on 03 February 2011
31. Improve profitability through amino acid balancing: (Feed & Nutrition); Anyone involved in the dairy industry realizes these are difficult times. Nevertheless, there are strategies that can help improve profitability even during these hard times. One such strategy is to balance ...; Created on 03 February 2011
32. How nutrition can affect prepartum and postpartum cows: (Feed & Nutrition); I have had the advantage of working as a practicing veterinarian in the Midwest and as a nutritionist in California, Utah, Idaho and Texas. When comparing the managerial and nutritional styles of these ...; Created on 03 February 2011
33. Formulation innovation improves dairy’s bottom line: (Feed & Nutrition); “Milk Class III futures prices are forecast to decline over 12 percent in the next 3 to 6 months while corn prices hover around $5.85, pointing to another tough year.” The bleak news seems like a reoccurring ...; Created on 03 February 2011
34. New on-farm trials test IOFC results of amino acid balancing: (Feed & Nutrition); Ration formulation decisions are not taken lightly. But when it comes to ration modifications, two questions steal the show: “What will this cost me?” and “What financial return can I expect?” The answers ...; Created on 03 February 2011
35. Use of commodity feeds in dairy rations: (Feed & Nutrition); The use of commodity feeds, such as corn gluten feed or soybean hulls, in dairy rations is not a new concept to the dairy industry. Commodity feeds have been used by feed companies and larger dairies for ...; Created on 03 February 2011
36. I belong to... NDB: Ryan Anglin: (People); Age: 57 Location: Bentonville, Arkansas My dairy’s history: (# of generations, family members, etc.) I’m a third-generation dairy producer. In April 1972, I assumed major dairy operations after my ...; Created on 03 February 2011
37. Just dropping by... Don’t blame the parents: (Yevet Tenney); “It’s not my fault! I didn’t do it! I can’t do it! It’s too hard! The devil made me do it! I saw it on TV. I couldn’t help myself. It’s an addiction.” The excuses never end. It is easy to look outside ...; Created on 03 February 2011
38. Mechanics Corner: Electrical system team players: (Barns & Equipment); This is the concluding segment on electrical systems. In the future, however, I will be discussing specific areas of electrical systems. The battery, starter and alternator are the three electrical ...; Created on 02 February 2011
39. On the Edge of Common Sense: Makin’ a livin’ in the cow bidness: (Baxter Black); An interviewer asked me how one can make a living in the cow business. Actually he said, “As we’re heading into the next couple of years with declining cattle numbers and steady prices, how do you think ...; Created on 02 February 2011
40. Milk quality in California: Is it up to the EU challenge?: (Herd Health); Starting in 2011, the somatic cell count (SCC) in bulk tank milk (BTM) must be less than 400,000 cells per ml for milk or milk products exported to the European Union (EU). Most milk in California is marketed ...; Created on 02 February 2011
41. Do cows adapt quickly to being milked by robots?: (Barns & Equipment); Last summer, the milking herd at MSU’s Kellogg Biological Station Pasture Dairy Research and Education Center (PDREC) moved into a new freestall barn, equipped with two robotic milkers. We collected data ...; Created on 02 February 2011
42. Considerations when purchasing hay for a dairy milking herd: (Feed & Nutrition); Forages are the foundation for building diets for the dairy herd. The quality of these forages greatly impacts profitability and performance, especially of the milking herd. Because of limited land base, ...; Created on 02 February 2011
43. Minimize shipping stress by planning ahead: (Management); Shipping day should be more than “we got them on the truck, and they’re gone.” Forward thinking and improved management practices can reduce challenges on this important payday by keeping stress and ...; Created on 02 February 2011
44. Are you feeding too much vitamin E?: (Feed & Nutrition); “If some is good, then more is better” has been the accepted feeding practice for vitamin E in dairy cows, especially during the dry and early lactation periods. Only positive or “no effect” studies of ...; Created on 02 February 2011
45. Grouping to increase milk yield and decrease feed costs: (Feed & Nutrition); Many producers have abandoned feeding multiple totally mixed rations (TMRs) to milking cows after they leave the fresh group (or after calving), despite great differences in nutrient requirements and animal ...; Created on 02 February 2011
46. Feed efficiency or maximum milk production?: (Feed & Nutrition); Manure nutrients, a valuable commodity in the past, are becoming an unwanted pollutant. Manure is a natural “byproduct” of milk and meat production from farm animals. In human history, this “byproduct” ...; Created on 02 February 2011
47. On the Edge of Common Sense: Samantha and Braveheart: (Baxter Black); My hat is off to parents who have a job in town but insist on raising their kids in a “rural lifestyle.” Fifty or so thousand young people were at the National FFA Convention in Indianapolis last year. ...; Created on 02 February 2011
48. The View from Here: A report of a day in the field: (Guest Blog); Reporting to you from Islamabad, Pakistan. In this, my second report from Pakistan, I report of a day in the field. I have four visits done today, all within Punjab province and near the capital city ...; Created on 02 February 2011
49. Job descriptions: The building block of organizations: (Management); The primary objective of a job description is to help employees and supervisors reach a mutual understanding about important details of a job in order to avoid future problems. This article discusses ...; Created on 02 February 2011