Our annual “State of the dairy industry” issue is where we take stock of where the industry has been in recent years, what the present picture looks like and what the future holds.
This reflection ...
St. Albans Cooperative Creamery is the first dairy cooperative in the nation to provide new information to dairy producer members regarding the fatty acids making up the milkfat in their cows’ milk. The ...
Ready access to an affordable food supply is no longer enough to satisfy the American appetite. Increasingly, consumers are seeking greater context for the food they eat, particularly as it relates to ...
As we head into spring, here are a few simple and practical ideas to help graziers through the transition of seasons (as shared by attendees of the GrassWorks Conference held annually in Wisconsin):
When ...
At April Ridge Genetics Center, the view can’t be beat.
“I love seeing the best of the breeding program right here,” Ed Peck says, looking out over his livestock from a loft viewing window at his genetics ...
When the U.S. departments of Agriculture and Health and Human Services released the 2015 Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGAs) in January, it was clear: Dairy remains an important part of the dietary ...
Local dairy checkoff staffs are taking a proactive, comprehensive, integrated approach to sharing results, highlighting the dairy recommendations with health and wellness partners, industry leaders and ...
The 2016 Great Lakes Regional Dairy Conference attracted more than 450 dairy industry enthusiasts to Mount Pleasant, Michigan, on Feb. 4-6 to hear about the global dairy market and learn from other dairy ...
Editor’s note: This is the last of four articles explaining producer payment systems for milk in the U.S.
California produces a little more than 20 percent of U.S. milk and has its own unique payment ...
In Purity and Danger, a classic book on social anthropology published in 1963, Mary Douglas points out how distinctions in many societies between “clean” and “unclean” are really about what is considered ...
Are dairy managers more likely to ask how they can improve as a boss or how they can find better employees? My experience suggests that dairy farm managers are more likely to focus on finding employees. ...
There’s something farmers do when watching a weather forecast prior to chopping hay. It’s the same thing that’s done before an alfalfa or corn variety gets chosen – or a hand is revealed in a game of poker. ...
The day after Christmas, the aptly named winter storm Goliath blew its way through the Southern Plains states. The snow and 80-mph wind ravaged dairy country in Texas and New Mexico. Like winter storm ...
World
The globe was awash in milk in 2015 as the EU removed its milk quota production restrictions and major dairy buyers remained on the sidelines.
As a result of oversupply and low international ...
A second straight year of declining milk prices will test – and potentially change – short-term management plans for many dairy producers, according to dairy accountants and lenders contacted by Progressive ...
The current world population is 7.4 billion people, and it is estimated we will reach the 8-billion-person mark sometime in 2024. By 2040, we should reach 9 billion people on the planet. Demands for food, ...
Ten years from now, what will our U.S. dairy industry look like? It’s a fascinating question when you think about it. On one hand, 10 years doesn’t seem like that much time for change. That is, until you ...
Editor’s note: Mike McCloskey, CEO of Select Milk Producers and founder of Fair Oaks Farms, delivered testimony before the U.S. House of Representatives’ Subcommittee on Biotechnology, Horticulture and ...
Climate change is real. It has happened, it is happening, and it will continue to happen. It is impacted by agricultural practices, and it impacts agricultural practices.
Farmers will have to adapt, ...
From breeding and nutrition to manure management and education, efforts are underway to keep agriculture on the forefront of climate change solutions.
Researchers, both within and outside government ...
Climate change means more heat stress. Dairy herds under heat stress mean less milk production, more illness, less dry matter intake, decreased fertility, increased embryonic loss and poor growth.
Farmers ...
Farmers need to assume climate change will cause changes in weather patterns and that it will require them to make changes.
Efficient production is the key to lower agricultural greenhouse gas (GHG) ...
“Dairy farms do have some impact on climate change. Dairy farms do emit greenhouse gases (GHG). And, of course, the changing climate impacts dairy farms,” Al Rotz, USDA-ARS, said.
Carbon dioxide is ...
Dairies around the world should be concerned about mycotoxins emerging on the farm as fungal threats continue to affect animal, plant and ecosystem health.
Global disease alerts persist, and several ...
Court interpretations of environmental laws, combined with increased financial risks related to the environment, are converging to create a new reality: Manure is manure until it pollutes, and environmental ...
Wealth planning is a process that should begin with a detailed review of all aspects of your financial life and a thorough understanding of your personal situation. The purpose of a wealth plan is to create ...
It only takes a mere 30 seconds with Tom Trantham of Pelzer, South Carolina, to understand why he was named 2015 South Carolina Farmer of the Year.
His passion for caring for dairy cows, improving ...
Making and feeding hay and silage is a lot of work. It takes time and money.
“Can we get the animals to do some of that work for us?”
Penn State Extension forage specialist Marvin Hall asked attendees ...
We bought our farm in 1991, and I learned very quickly that it was impossible to get my crops planted early in the spring. By planting late, it really cut into my crop yields. Back then, I was way in debt ...
“Tennessee Williams lived in this house,” the landlord said. She was a quiet woman in her 60s who had tried to shut the door on me, having explained that she wasn’t showing the room today. I handed her ...
“For as a man thinketh in his heart, so is he ...” —Proverbs 23:7
That quote is a powerful, life-changing statement. Our minds – or our thoughts – allow us to achieve greatness or to remain in abject ...
Skid steer loaders and compact track loaders can be very versatile dairy tools, but with so many manufacturers and options, it can be difficult to figure out what machine really suits your operation best. ...
What is iNDF or uNDF?
A: The fiber that is locked within lignin and never (ever) capable of being digested is now termed indigestible NDF (iNDF). We use undigested NDF (uNDF) at 120 or 240 hours of digestion ...
When I got asked to write the HERd management column for the “State of the Dairy Industry” issue, I knew it could be a challenge. After all, how do you summarize an entire year into so few words?
But ...
Clichés are the English versions of ancient Chinese proverbs. I think people who use clichés are actually saying to you, “I don’t have the time or patience to talk to you about your problem, so here is ...
Let’s look at what it takes to build the best barn for your operation, starting with understanding the basic concepts and the most common errors in barn design as well as other design options or technologies ...
With tax season upon us, the last thing you probably want to hear is the word “audit.” However, not all audits are created equally, and one type – an energy audit – can actually save you money.
In ...
As more and more is learned about nutrient application and soil conservation, three innovative Wisconsin farmers have changed how they apply manure.
Dan Brick, Ben Peterson and Bob Uphoff shared what ...
When it comes to producing high-quality milk, clean milking equipment is a crucial part to achieving this goal. Monitoring milk quality counts, and keeping your milking equipment cleaning on track is a ...
Unless you’re a tiger trimmer in Tanganyika, the tranquilizer gun has not lived up to its potential. During its preliminary promotion, it was touted as the greatest invention since the rope. But in the ...
Progressive Dairyman Editor Walt Cooley attended World Ag Expo in Tulare, California, Feb. 9-11, 2016. He walked the show seeking out booths that were stopping traffic or displaying something new that ...
Last spring we purchased a 9-month-old heifer, an unusual move for our farm. She was 200 GTPI points higher than anything tested in our herd, positive for all the traits we watch in genetic selection and ...
Milk – it’s a four-letter word that carries so many connotations. Today, milk is old fashioned and unexciting. It’s not new. It’s not exciting. It’s the same milk our parents were drinking. Perhaps that’s ...
Tennessee weather can be unforgiving in its ability to deliver extremes, from the heat of the deep South to the winter cold of the North.
But it is also a region that delivers plenty of good grazing, ...
Utilizing manure as fertilizer is one common approach to capturing the inherent value in manure and reducing the costs of off-farm inputs. But the approach has its limitations; particularly in situations ...
There are many things a farmer can do to help the environment. In the dairy industry, utilizing anaerobic digesters to capture methane gas and produce electricity is a primary way to reduce greenhouse ...
At their annual company meeting in August, Progressive Publishing employees had the opportunity to tour and sample the products at Ballard Family Dairy and Cheese in Gooding, Idaho. Steve Ballard shared ...
In partial response to the energy crisis in the early 1970s, anaerobic digesters were installed at nearly 200 dairy farms across the U.S., only for the vast majority of these systems to shut down or fail ...
Jennifer Warner from New Holstein, Wisconsin, may have spent five years in the U.S. Air Force, but on her family farm is where she is most comfortable and can be found today. She isn’t afraid to drive ...
Created on 02 April 2015
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