We’ve all heard the phrase, “The only constant in life is change,” and today’s dynamic global landscape certainly reflects that sentiment.
From evolving expectations around the food consumers choose ...
You’re busy milk cows and finalizing cropping plans. With that in mind, Progressive Dairy looks at issues in the news impacting you and your dairy business.
In recognition of your time, we’ll attempt ...
Since the beginning of the 21st century, commercial disappearance of milk solids (milkfat plus nonfat solids) increased almost 40 percent.
Milk solids disappearance went from 20.6 billion pounds in ...
Financial planning and management is more than keeping track of your checkbook. It includes financial benchmarking and is more relevant today than ever before.
It is often perceived separate from the ...
The labor supply for agriculture has been changing in recent years. Some experts attribute this to stricter U.S. immigration policies and an improved economy in countries where much of the foreign-born ...
Crop managers and dairy managers with crops have been planning all winter for planting to arrive. Now it is time to be a doer (plant, spray, etc.). Right? Well, yes and no.
Yes, because with everything ...
When their milking facility burned down in the early ’80s, the Franken family had two choices: They could rebuild or they could shift gears. They chose to shift gears and began custom-raising heifers. ...
Two of the most common stray voltage and electrical issues on dairy operations are improperly grounded cattle waterers and improperly grounded electric fences.
Understanding equipotential planes can ...
There’s an old adage in the feed business. It goes: “There are four rations: the ration on paper, the ration that gets mixed, the ration that gets delivered and the ration that gets consumed.”
The ...
Nowhere is there more change than in the energy sector. Electric bills now include the option to choose your fuel source.
Coal, natural gas and nuclear fuel sources to generate electric energy are ...
When ag engineers get together, it’s not as though competition among brands disappears, but the focus is really more about ag engineers cheering each other as they try to “figure stuff out” to make it ...
Another National Farm Machinery Show in Louisville, Kentucky, wound down in February after showcasing new equipment and technology to more than 300,000 visitors.
Here’s a look at a few of the products ...
For more than a decade, Ray Bohacz has been tailoring his mechanical experience as an automobile engineer to help farmers with their own equipment.
He operates a podcast and website dedicated to explaining ...
Are you mechanically inclined? Most farmers know how to fix their equipment, but do you know how to diagnose why things break down? Everyone at the coffee shop will offer you an opinion. But who is right? ...
Not many years ago, there were only two people allowed to enter a newly planted Midwest cornfield: One was the person applying the side-dress nitrogen, and the other was the person applying the weed control. ...
While most cowgirls spend their time on horseback working cattle and helping out around the ranch, this is not where you will likely find Jennifer Cummins.
Though she may be wearing a cowgirl hat, ...
“More crop per drop.” This is the mantra of De Jager Farms in Chowchilla, California where water is scarce and conservation is king.
In a state where they are staring down a several year drought, the ...
God has allowed me to have this folder to make me strong for some future purpose. I am not going to mess up His plan by spending my days wallowing in self-pity.
Many years ago, when I tried my hand ...
If location is everything, let me start by disclosing this one thing: This column is being written inside a tent in the mountains of a drought-stricken desert of Chile.
These mountains, in particular, ...
If you were to look the word “happy” up in the dictionary, you would find a few different definitions. They include:
Feeling or showing pleasure
Having a sense of confidence
Satisfied with the ...
What do the Easter Bunny and the IRS have in common? Well, this year, they shared the same week in our lives.
There is a joke in there about how fast rabbits multiply and the IRS does the same thing ...
If you’ve read the news or a social media feed this year, chances are you’ve seen a headline about the environmental impact of animal agriculture. Sustainability, the environment and climate change are ...
Bettencourt Dairy has been operating in Jerome and Wendell counties of Idaho since 1982. The farm owns 19 barns housing 50,000 milking cattle in the Magic Valley. At 18 gallons of manure per cow per day, ...
The components of manure reflect the components of the cow’s internal and external environment, including a variety of potential disease-causing microorganisms. Proper manure management and attention to ...
If you see me walking around the farm, and I don’t hear you calling out my name, it’s probably because I don’t want to talk to you. Just kidding. It’s mostly because I’m listening to one of my many podcasts. ...
You don’t need technology to milk cows. But it sure makes it a lot easier.
In the past few decades, many dairies have switched from physical cow cards to computerized herd management systems.
In ...
At the beginning of 2019, I started implementing The One Thing principals in my personal and business life, and it has transformed how I make decisions and approach change for myself, with my spouse and ...
What is the best way to motivate your employees to improve their work performance? This is a common question of farmers hiring full-time employees. In addition to basic wages, many employers offer pay ...
Everyone’s weaning process looks slightly different. Facility constraints or labor considerations might cause two farms with similar pre-weaning programs to look vastly different come weaning time. And, ...
With a wide variety of manure management and nutrient recovery technologies available to dairy producers today, it can be difficult to know which one would be the best investment.
Newtrient, a business ...
Balancing manure and fertilizer applications, crop production and environmental conservation is an ongoing challenge. Having the knowledge and understanding of several foundational principles of nutrient ...
Created on 25 October 2019
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