When anti-dairy protesters take off their shirts and dump milk on each other during a presidential candidate’s campaign event, you know we’re dealing with nuts – literally and figuratively.
Hollywood ...
Pinkeye is a common infectious disease affecting one or both eyes of cattle. Pinkeye is commonly caused by an infectious bacteria known as Moraxella bovis. Other emerging causative agents include Moraxella ...
On the first day of work, your new hire is giving you his or her best. The employee wants to impress you and is looking to you for guidance. So why don’t producers give the new employee their best?
Time ...
More than 400 dairy producers and indutry professionals reignited their commitment to dairy at the 2020 Pennsylvania Dairy Summit in State College, Pennsylvania, on Feb. 5-6.
With four keynote sessions ...
On a dairy farm, obvious challenges surface every day, perhaps a displaced abomasum or mastitic quarter. These problems are readily diagnosed and usually treated successfully.
However, hidden challenges ...
Today’s dairy farm cannot be run by one person. To be successful in any industry, teams must be established to keep operations running smoothly. However, teams are a major investment.
Optimizing that ...
A dairy’s success depends on the ability to obtain and evaluate data on each and every cow – when she should be bred, if she is at risk for a health event and how much milk she produces, along with other ...
Well, 2019 is over and with it 819 dairies went out of business in Wisconsin alone. Some might say, it is the evolution of the industry; some might say, “They were poor producers.”
One reality is that ...
With the conclusion of 2019, a full-year profile of each Federal Milk Marketing Order (FMMO) becomes clearer. One of the biggest changes in 2019 was the inclusion of California as an FMMO for a full year. ...
Pete Kappleman is a fourth-generation Wisconsin dairy farmer who now serves as senior vice president of member and government relations for Land O’Lakes.
Representing a dairy and agricultural cooperative ...
In Pete Kappleman’s home state of Wisconsin, licensed dairy farm numbers fell by 818 last year. In neighboring Minnesota, where Land O’Lakes is headquartered, the number of licensed dairy farms declined ...
With its heavy dependence on the fluid milk market, no part of the country is a bigger cauldron of emotion than the Southeast.
Ask about producer mood, and responses range from lost patience and frustration ...
Lynda Foster operates a 180-cow, Lely robot dairy with her family near Fort Scott, Kansas. A member of Dairy Farmers of America (and Progressive Dairy’s editorial adviser board), she admits to being an ...
The two dairy behemoths on the opposite ends of the Southwest – Texas and California – have been on somewhat divergent paths over the past couple of years. Entering 2019, however, producers in both states ...
The improved outlook for milk prices in 2020 is providing some degree of optimism for producers, mixed with a sense of relief, according to Chris Laughton, Farm Credit East’s director of Knowledge Exchange. ...
“Apprehensive” is the best term to describe the mood of dairy producers in Idaho, according to Rick Naerebout, chief executive officer of the Idaho Dairymen’s Association.
That apprehension is being ...
Are cow farts destroying the planet? Does eating meat matter? Can grazing reverse climate change?
Jasmine A. Dillon, Ph.D., assistant professor of beef and dairy agro-ecosystems at Colorado State University, ...
At the beginning of 2020, AABP updated its production practice guidelines for dehorning calves, and one of the significant updates was a recommendation for pain mitigation.
Progressive Dairy Editor ...
Raising replacement heifers is the second-greatest cost on a dairy farm, and these animals will dictate the future success of the enterprise. To ensure future productive success, many considerations should ...
How does one know when to breed virgin heifers? On many dairies, the decision is entirely subjective based on if the heifers look “big” enough, reach a certain age, or the pen is getting crowded and they ...
Dairy producers are working to raise both the optimal number and the highest-quality heifers for their operations. Developing replacement heifers is a significant and necessary expenditure for dairies, ...
There are many topics to discuss when managing heifer inventory. Producers give careful thought to feed and labor costs, reproduction, semen strategies, etc. – the list can go on and on.
While these ...
Conventional wisdom has told us we should house dairy calves individually to prevent nose-to-nose contact and control spread of disease. Calf hutches have been viewed as the “gold standard” for calf raising. ...
Scours – it’s an unwelcome but far too common problem on many dairies today. Thanks to education and development of new products, tremendous strides have been made in reducing the severity and number of ...
Each year, I am asked to review and give input on scholarship and award forms. Learning how to make a great form is a handy life skill to possess. It’s a great way to earn scholarship money for college ...
In our culture today, so many people complain about hard work. By the way they talk about it, you would think it’s something that should be avoided if at all possible. But wise people know better. It always ...
As part of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus exhorted His followers:
Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in ...
Note: This information applies specifically to the New Holland BR Series balers.
Most net issues are mechanical in nature. The two most common causes are dull knives and insufficient brake tension against ...
“I think your son may have sensory processing disorder,” the doctor said to me. Meanwhile, said son is literally bouncing off the walls, grabbing random objects and throwing them, putting every godforsaken ...
When I was young, I always got jealous when I saw that other kids had Gameboys and Nintendos. I wanted to play with all the latest gadgets and entertainment.
Fortunately, and probably as my parents ...
Have you ever met someone who was always grumpy? Sure you have. I know we all have our moments – and sometimes days.
But I’m talking about that person who could win the Powerball lottery, get $75 per ...
The year is well on its way! After a very challenging 2019, the dairy community is still ready to face 365-day, 24/7 work. Dairy farmers have the privilege and responsibility to feed the world, by producing ...
Twelve years ago this January, I completed my first half marathon in Phoenix, Arizona – a fact I admit has absolutely nothing to do with dairy. But the following day, I attended a federal court hearing ...
Carol’s story is just another glamorous tale of a city girl who married a romantic Nebraska Sandhills rancher years ago and became a “vocational cow assistant” for life.
“So what exactly do you want ...
Even when producers put up the right quality of feed for a class of cows, ensuring that all cows have enough feed is a goal that has a few components to consider.
Too much competition from other cows, ...
The topic of silage density in storage has garnered a great deal of focus in the last few decades, but it remains a key opportunity area on many farms for its role in 1) minimizing storage losses and feed ...
While weather is a constant challenge to maintaining forage supply, producers can control other threats to having enough feed.
Mismatched storage capacity and lack of planning or design, incorrect ...
Over the past four years a number of groups in the Northeast have initiated efforts to increase collaboration and enhance our understanding of corn silage hybrid forage quality through existing Corn Silage ...
In today’s tight dairy economy, every acre, just like every cow, needs to be profitable. Adding red clover in a tight economical rotation, teamed with winter forage, can do that.
Red clover has been ...
With yield monitor technology, silage growers can see the impact of management changes in every field section over time. Unfortunately, even with calibrated equipment and best operator practices, yield ...
Forage sorghum is a drought- and heat-tolerant warm-season grass that can be used for silage on dairy farms. Since it requires a soil temperature of at least 60°F for planting, the recommended planting ...
For all three days of this year’s show, the weather cooperated nicely and was sunny and beautiful. Progressive Dairy Editor Walt Cooley searched the grounds for new products and interesting insights at ...
If you want to start a grass-based business, the most important question is how to make the wisest use of all the financial resources at your disposal.
A balance sheet is a place to start, said Paul ...
First one there is the winner! It’s a race between antibodies in the colostrum and the bacteria in the environment. Who would you like to win?
I cannot even begin to count the number of times I’ve ...
Calfhood pneumonia can be frustrating to deal with. Understanding where the problem originates is the first step in creating a plan to combat it. Most cases of calfhood pneumonia can be placed into one ...
Created on 13 January 2020
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