Click a link below to see updates on cattle from a specific issue of Progressive Dairy.
2021
Issue 2, 2021: January 19, 2021 Issue 1, 2021: January 1, 2021
2020 Issue 20, 2020: December 12, ...
Between thawing frozen pipes and putting earmuffs on calves, hopefully these cold winter days allow a few moments to catch up on your reading list. One book in particular has got me thinking deeply and ...
Successfully managing a dairy farm requires utilizing both the head and the heart, dairy producers and representatives of allied industries were reminded during the Professional Dairy Producers (PDPW) ...
You’re busy – milking cows, managing employees and attending farm meetings and conferences. With that in mind, Progressive Dairyman looks at issues in the news impacting you and your dairy business.
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Crossbred dairy beef is big news as dairy producers seek to diversify and capture the most value from their bull calves, heifers that aren’t needed for the milking herd or cows which are no longer going ...
Nutritional management during the transition period is very important, as it affects health, milk production and reproductive performance of dairy cows.
As fresh cows usually experience a negative ...
Ask any producer who consistently feeds close-up dry cows a negative-DCAD diet if it makes a difference for transition cows, and the answer will be yes. Producers routinely report that when cows are metabolically ...
Of all the performance indicators you can monitor on the dairy, fresh cow performance ranks near the top, since the start of the lactation really determines the rest of the lactation.
Yet it is often ...
“Implementation of best management practices for transition cows will plausibly improve metabolic health, immune function and regulation of inflammation,” says Luciano Caixeta, DVM, Ph.D., and associate ...
Programs to address dairy cattle welfare come in different shapes and sizes. They range from those that serve niche markets are relatively small and aim to differentiate their product with an animal welfare ...
Drafting and updating standard operating procedures (SOPs) may not be a favorite task on the dairy farm, but it is critical for a well-run operation. According to a survey of large dairy farms conducted ...
As temperatures in parts of the country dip below freezing, and moisture is prevalent, bovine hoof care demands some extra attention. Additionally, winter temperatures can affect common practices such ...
As dairy producers seek more ways to sharpen the pencil on profitability, they are examining each area of the farm budget for cost-saving opportunities. This leads some to ponder the pros and cons of contracting ...
It has been painfully obvious to everyone involved the dairy economy has been in one of the longest financial droughts most of us can remember.
It is only natural and financially responsible to cut ...
The best action plans for hoof health and digital dermatitis prevention call for consistent footbaths, and dairy farmers have the choice between manually filling and draining the bath or using an automated ...
Don’t let poor semen tank maintenance and management be the cause of poor semen fertility. Use this handy checklist to ensure proper handling for best semen performance. Properly cool forceps or tweezers ...
Operating a business without a plan is like going on a road trip without directions. A wanderlust attitude might lead to some interesting paths, but it will not get you to your destination quickly or efficiently. ...
The following is a summary from the Dairy Genomics Workshop series on the value of genomic testing females, presented in Idaho, Washington, Florida, Texas and California in late 2018.
The extension ...
Instead of pointing fingers, a group of northeast Wisconsin farmers are raising their hands to acknowledge the local dairy industry’s part in groundwater issues and making a public commitment to solving ...
Nutrient losses from agricultural systems in the Mississippi River basin have contributed to the hypoxic zone in the Gulf of Mexico. In 2008, in response to this challenge, the EPA’s Hypoxia Task Force ...
Laundry piles high, dishes totter and spill on the counter, crumbs scatter like ants under the table, and the teal carpet lies cluttered and brown from the want of a vacuum while I sit frustrated, once ...
Good help is hard to find … and those words are true in just about any industry you can imagine. Whether you are looking for a farm mechanic or a high-school basketball referee, a qualified person who ...
Recently, I went back home and walked through the barn. The freestalls have held beef cattle in them since my parents quit dairy farming several years ago.
Other areas, however, like the feed room, ...
I’ve always said, “If we can’t bring consumers to the farm, then let’s bring the farm to consumers.” As a dairy farmer and passionate agvocate, I particularly love to educate about agriculture through ...
Let’s face it; living where we live is different. It’s slower-paced, and people from big cities may poke fun at us, but who cares? These days, most cities have Uber.
If you’re not familiar with Uber, ...
“We really don’t have a nutrient problem; we have a water problem,” states Galen Smith, partner and general manager of Coldstream Farm LLC in Deming, Washington.
With their new 50-stall rotary parlor ...
How cows eat and ruminate is just as important as the nutritional composition of the feed in front of them. Make the most of every minute at the bunk by understanding dairy cow behavior and incorporating ...
With all of the bad news and market challenges dairy farmers have been contending with during the past year, Michael Hosterman, agricultural business consultant with AgChoice Farm Credit, has a bit of ...
The selection of replacement heifers in commercial dairy farms has been traditionally characterized by very low intensity of selection, because in general farmers retain nearly every heifer calf as a future ...
In 2002, Bragger Family Dairy became the first Discovery Farms Core Farm through monitoring efforts on two streams located on the farm. The dairy is located in Buffalo County, Wisconsin, which is known ...
Many dairy producers point to freezing winter weather as a reason to reduce or eliminate footbath use. Before accepting this as fact, let’s review winter footbath research to see “if” there is a benefit ...
These are tough times in the dairy industry, and tough times force us to do things that sometimes won’t happen when times are good. We all have comfort zones, and even if we don’t realize it, we do things ...
Most days your automatic scraper system chugs along in the barn, doing its job. Until it doesn’t. Then, it’s an emergency call to your dealer and extra shipping and service fees for replacement parts. ...
Created on 06 September 2018
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