Click a link below to see updates on Cattle from a specific issue of Progressive Dairyman.
2019
Issue 20, 2019: December 12, 2019 Issue 19, 2019: November 29, 2019 Issue 18, 2019: November 7, ...
There is a growing appetite for Western-style food in the international diet, and the dairy checkoff is working to put U.S. dairy on menus far beyond our borders.
Dairy Management Inc. (DMI), which ...
Many attendees at Western Dairy Management Conference experienced delayed flights or a bumpy ride into Reno, Nevada, for the 14th edition of the biennial event.
High wind advisories grounded many flights ...
You’re busy – milking cows, managing employees and getting ready for spring. With that in mind, Progressive Dairyman looks at issues in the news impacting you and your dairy business.
In recognition ...
Now more than ever, dairy producers need to focus on the productivity of their farm operations using an inside resource: their employees.
“When it comes to management, employees are a critical part ...
Growing your dairy farm requires a strategic plan, one that positions it for success in the long term. That plan forms the basis for incremental growth, focused on putting numerous small steps together ...
Editor’s note: The author, an Indiana dairy producer and freelance writer, continues her exploration of resources and methods to help dairy farmers deal with farm stress. Find a comprehensive list of programs, ...
Do you ever feel like when you cross one thing off your to-do list, two more things get added? There’s no doubt responsibilities on the farm and at home can pile up quickly. And when faced with challenging ...
Progressive Dairyman recently introduced readers to our new group of editorial advisers (See “Meet Progressive Dairyman’s 2019 reader advisers,” March 12, 2019, issue).
This panel of dairy farmers ...
Although they may take on various forms, dairy discussion groups involve individuals with common interests who gather to exchange information and ideas, compare methods and support one other. Grants offered ...
“There’s always something to learn,” Sam Gardner, co-owner and farm manager of Gardner Heifers in Huddleston, Virginia, says. “If you’re going to be involved in any industry, you really need to be out ...
Grotegut Dairy in Newton, Wisconsin, is always photo-ready. As the Wisconsin Farm Discovery Center’s designated tour partner, the 2,700-cow dairy welcomes several daily bus tours filled with visitors from ...
Consumers continue to pressure the dairy industry for facility improvements that promote natural animal behaviors, including freedom of movement and socialization, and researchers are learning how to adapt ...
For dairies considering robotic milking, one common question often asked is whether it is best to build a new barn or retrofit an existing one. The answer, typically, is: “It depends.” I suggest your answer ...
Bedded pack barns – either deep-bedded or compost bedded – allow cows to freely roam and lie down in any configuration they prefer. Manure is kept in place and managed in solid form.
The bedded pack ...
Maintaining your equipment is key to maximizing its longevity. More often than not, maintenance of milking parlor stalls and gates is forgotten until something breaks down.
By being proactive with ...
Trying to figure out how to make the numbers work on a new-construction barn can be a bit challenging when you know exactly what you want, but the price exceeds your budget allowance. Cow comfort is not ...
Ventilation systems in the U.S. are divided into two main types: natural and mechanical ventilation systems.
These are then subdivided into four types: natural, tunnel (where the air flows parallel ...
Dairy cows need water to turn feed into milk – a product that is already nearly 90 percent water.
Achieving ideal water intake comes down to two criteria: quantity and quality.
While that seems like ...
Nuisance flies are a vector of disease and an irritant to cattle and workers on a dairy operation. Because of the confined nature of a dairy, it is important to use an integrated pest management (IPM) ...
Talking about cow comfort involves listening to and understanding numerous opinions on this issue. Nevertheless, what is real cow comfort? How can it be judged? In addition, maybe even more importantly, ...
Reading and interpreting a nutrient management plan (NMP) can be intimidating. The plan has a lot of charts, numbers and symbols. Restriction maps include a lot of squiggly lines, different-colored hash ...
Using dried manure solids for bedding is becoming more common among U.S. dairy herds. It allows farms an alternative way to handle manure, and it can help offset bedding costs – a large expense on many ...
It was a magnificent house with all the trappings of grandeur: marble pillars, spiral staircases and stained-glass windows. Passersby and foreigners always bowed their heads, crossed themselves or just ...
Have you even been looking for a bolt, found what you thought was the correct bolt, only to find it would not thread up? Or have you ever looked at the top of a bolt and wondered what those numbers or ...
Four burned-out vehicles. Three men hospitalized. Bats and axe handles lying in the mud. A dead dog.
The aftermath looked apocalyptic at Anthony McGann’s farm in rural Ireland. Or the stuff of old westerns. ...
When we were pregnant with our first daughter, people always said, “It takes a village to raise a baby.” If you’ve never had kids, you might not realize that maxim is definitely true. Even if you don’t ...
When I heard of goat yoga, I thought the tree huggers had lost their minds. I thought there was no way this was real. I was wrong – first time ever.
Well, now there is a thing called “cow cuddling.” ...
Whether you are building a new barn or retrofitting an existing structure, deciding on the proper robot layout is a critical yet enjoyable process.
There are several different options and configurations ...
With agriculture and farming in his DNA, Rick Martens is operating a business from the farm that has been in his family for generations. Located 80 miles north of Minneapolis, Minnesota, the century-old ...
In June 2017, we embarked on what was going to be a roller-coaster ride for the next 16 months. It was that summer our dairy equipment company representative took the family on our first tour of robotic ...
Promoting a surface on which cows want to lie down is about more than just comfort. The bedding material a dairy chooses plays a critical role in preventing mastitis, reducing injury, regulating temperature ...
When building a dairy barn, choosing between natural and mechanical ventilation can be a tough decision; however, a novel design brings the two methods together to create a controllable environment with ...
Technology continues to push the dairy industry forward with bigger, better, more automated equipment – yet some old reliables are making a comeback. Manure gutter cleaners have existed for more than 60 ...
Created on 27 November 2018
advertisement
Serving Dairies Nationwide
Progressive Dairy regularly delivers relevant industry news, cow health and dairy management info to you at no cost.