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Current Progressive Dairy digital edition

1. 0709PD: Recharged by the Tomahawk Chop: (From the Editor); 2009 has been draining if not even depressing. Bad news and less-than-expected projections are announced daily. The mental and spiritual energy required to preserve hope does tax and drain even the most ...; Created on 24 April 2009
2. 0709PD: Design the Proud to Dairy logo your way!: (From the Editor); Our website has grown in popularity, and it’s all because of producers like you that are getting on and sharing pictures and thoughts with others. We have 24 of the 50 states represented in our membership. ...; Created on 24 April 2009
3. 0709PD: California state order faces challenges: (Industry News); Late last year, the Secretary of California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) reduced the minimum Class I price plants must pay by 35 cents. This decision followed a prior hearing where CDFA also ...; Created on 24 April 2009
4. 0709PD: Strategic planning: Keep it simple – do it well: (Management); The current economy has many business managers on the edge of their seats. Sometimes it is difficult to know what to do, and even once a course of action has been determined, there is hesitance to act ...; Created on 24 April 2009
5. 0709PD: Milk marketing in 2009 – What will work?: (Industry News); We all know the old saying, “When life hands you lemons, make lemonade.” When it comes to milk in 2009, the market may be handing us the proverbial lemon. For many producers, milk prices may barely come ...; Created on 24 April 2009
6. 0709PD: Feeding management tactics and strategies during volatile times: (Feed & Nutrition); The dairy industry is in uncharted waters with the rollercoaster feed and milk prices over the last 15 months. Given the high feed prices and sudden decrease in the milk price, farmers may be tempted to ...; Created on 24 April 2009
7. 0709PD: Essential tips for today’s dairy navigator: (Management); Have you ever thought of yourself as a navigator? The Webster’s Dictionary definition I will use for navigator is, “To operate or control the course of” (i.e., your dairy). The waters rise and fall with ...; Created on 24 April 2009
8. 0709PD: Helpful hints to retaining Hispanic labor: (Management); Good help is hard to find and often painful to lose. Hispanic workers have proven to be a much-wanted source of hardworking, dependable labor for employers. Under the shadow of increased immigration enforcement, ...; Created on 24 April 2009
9. 0709PD: Capture dairy’s opportunities: (From the Editor); From diaryeditor's BLOG • May 2, 2009 Train workers better I have seen a remarkable increase in requests for training workers, with more dairymen worrying about losing milk quality bonuses. A dairyman ...; Created on 24 April 2009
10. 0709PD: Mr. Chairman, Here's the State of the Ag Econom: (Guest Blog); The following comments were made in testimony before the U.S. House of Representatives Subcommittee on General Farm Commodities and Risk Management. “With confidence in financial markets weakened and the ...; Created on 24 April 2009
11. 0709PD: Records needed to evaluate detection, treatment of mastitis: (Herd Health); After visiting and analyzing data from thousands of dairies in her career, Pamela Ruegg, DVM, MPVM, Dipl. ABVP (Dairy Practice), can attest that there is no better way to deal with mastitis than through ...; Created on 24 April 2009
12. 0709PD: Dollars and sense in calf nutrition equals peak milk: (Calves & Heifers); Today’s milk price environment has everyone looking to reduce expenditures and improve efficiency. We’re constantly challenged to offer suggestions for calf and heifer nutrition programs. Cutting costs ...; Created on 24 April 2009
13. 0709PD: Pre- and post-dipping: Your insurance policy for milk quality: (Herd Health); Over the past few months I’ve heard producers asking, “Where can I make cuts in the parlor to lower my cost of production?” While the need to cut costs is top-of-mind in these tough economic times, it’s ...; Created on 24 April 2009
14. 0709PD: Measure fiber digestibility to improve nutrition: (Feed & Nutrition); Feed cost evaluation is an important part of managing your dairy business, especially in these economic times of low milk prices and high input costs. Of these input costs, feed expenditures represent ...; Created on 24 April 2009
15. 0709PD: Three reasons why dairy heifer A.I. is a good thing: (A.I. & Breeding); The answer to the question “Why artificially inseminate heifers?” is quite simple: to increase the number of genetically superior heifers available for herd replacement and sale. Certainly there are many ...; Created on 24 April 2009
16. 0709PD: Breed organizations take advantage of online opportunities: (A.I. & Breeding); As dairies look to become more efficient in all aspects of their operation, the industry’s major breed organizations have answered the call by providing online cattle registration. In doing so they are ...; Created on 24 April 2009
17. 0709PD: Producers share their crossbreeding results: (A.I. & Breeding); Crossbreeding has recently gained a lot of attention in popular press articles; however, in 2008, the amount of semen from non-traditional breeds (Swedish Red [SR], Montbeliarde [MO], etc.) imported into ...; Created on 24 April 2009
18. 0709PD: Ultrasound improves timed A.I. conception rates: (A.I. & Breeding); Anyone who has spent time breeding dairy cows over the years has seen the reproductive changes that have occurred. Cows no longer exhibit signs of heat like they did just a couple of decades ago. A certain ...; Created on 24 April 2009
19. 0709PD: Genomics – Information for enhanced genetic evaluations and sire selection: (A.I. & Breeding); The doubling of milk production per cow in the U.S. in the last 50 years did not happen by chance. Research data since the use of A.I. in dairy herds enrolled in the Dairy Herd Improvement (DHI) program ...; Created on 24 April 2009
20. 0709PD: Eyes – The window to a cow’s disposition: (Herd Health); Cows are known for their big, beautiful dark eyes. But University of Guelph researchers have discovered it’s actually the whites of their eyes that are important when it comes to determining their temperament. ...; Created on 24 April 2009
21. 0709PD: Breeders’ circle: (A.I. & Breeding); World Wide Sires 2009 With the release of the April 2009 genetic evaluations, World Wide Sires adds 15 new Holstein bulls to our line-up, sired by 10 different sire fathers. These new graduates include ...; Created on 24 April 2009
22. 0709PD: America’s funniest farm videos: (Baxter Black); It’s curious why more cows aren’t featured on America’s Funniest Home Videos. Maybe it’s because we cow guardians always have our hands full of hay forks, reins, twine cutters, squeeze chute handles, syringes ...; Created on 24 April 2009
23. 0709PD: Comparing natural service to artificial insemination: (A.I. & Breeding); Achieving a high, accurate heat-detection rate (HDR) is a major challenge to dairy producers. There are management issues affecting HDR such as labor constraints, commitment to effective heat detection ...; Created on 24 April 2009
24. 0709PD: Steps to a successful synchronization and A.I. program: (A.I. & Breeding); Synchronization and artificial insemination (A.I.) are effective tools to build a better herd. However they are only as effective as the planning and implementation put into both of those programs. This ...; Created on 24 April 2009
25. 0709PD: Little details with big effects on cow cooling: (Barns & Equipment); As we move into the hottest time of the year, it is important to reevaluate the effectiveness of your cooling system. Research from the University of Florida has shown 15 to 22 percent reductions in milk ...; Created on 24 April 2009
26. 0709PD: Raising healthy dairy calves: (Calves & Heifers); Feeding and management practices for dairy calves directly impact not only their survival, but just as importantly, their future milk production. Recent studies which have followed calves through their ...; Created on 24 April 2009
27. 0709PD: Can cows with digital dermatitis be identified during milking?: (Herd Health); Lameness continues to be a major welfare issue for dairy cows. In addition to the reduction in performance, the visual image of lame cows on farms can lead to a negative public perception of dairy farming. ...; Created on 24 April 2009
28. 0709PD: Learning and competitive advantage: (Management); Most business operators would agree that it’s getting tougher out there – every day. It doesn’t matter whether it’s the local grocery store, a machinery dealer or your own farm operation – an environment ...; Created on 24 April 2009
29. 0709PD: Lame cows improve when given access to pasture: (Herd Health); Lameness is a common and costly disorder affecting dairy cattle. Freestall housing systems are designed for ease of management but are also associated with a greater risk of hoof injury and disease leading ...; Created on 24 April 2009
30. 0709PD: Tips for hot weather management: (Calves & Heifers); Depending on where your dairy is located this may be a hot weather season for you. It is always challenging to maintain good gains under these weather conditions. What is “hot” weather for calves? Thermoneutral ...; Created on 24 April 2009
31. 0709PD: If the world was up to me: (Baxter Black); I was at coffee shop communion with a couple of Nebraska wise men. After we had outlined, opined and refined solutions for the deficit, global warming, the ethanol fizzle and the movement to hold the next ...; Created on 24 April 2009
32. 0709PD: Developing agricultural planning in Iraq: (Guest Blog); I am standing near the stainless steel doors of Annex One. This is the office complex I work in at the U.S. Embassy Compound. The Chancery is next door. Annex Two is at the other end of the compound. Today, ...; Created on 24 April 2009
33. 0709PD: Reasonable fertility: (A.I. & Breeding); In the old days, we expected to get a 50 to 55 percent conception rate (1.9 to 2 services per conception) with milking cows. We have done a great job of breeding high-producing Holsteins. Unfortunately, ...; Created on 24 April 2009
34. Just dropping by... Virtuous women: (Yevet Tenney); It isn’t easy to face yourself and see your weaknesses, but sometimes it must be done. Last month in our women’s organization, I gave a lesson on virtue. I had a chance to look into my heart and to pray. ...; Created on 24 April 2009
35. 0709 PD: New hire Rachel Kaehler: (People in the News); Rachel Kaehler Dairy Cattle Show Coordinator at World Dairy Expo in Madison, Wisconsin Territory: U.S. and Canada Education I am pleased to put my years of experience growing up on a farm and showing ...; Created on 24 April 2009