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2022
Issue 09, 2022: May 25, 2022 Issue 09, 2022: May 25, 2022 [Culling] Issue 08, 2022: May 7, 2022 Issue ...
You may not think of yourself as the CEO for your dairy because you don’t wear a tie or have a corner office, but you are a chief executive officer. Once you’ve come to terms with your C-suite status, ...
During the last year, the topic of trade policy has been part of nearly every major political discussion, both on the 2016 campaign trail and on Capitol Hill. For America’s dairy community, the conversation ...
The 2016 summary of Dairy Herd Improvement (DHI) test-day results revealed somatic cell counts (SCC) were down compared to a year earlier.
Nationally, average 2016 test-day herd SCC was 203,000 cells ...
The effort to bring the California dairy market under the Federal Milk Marketing Order (FMMO) umbrella started in 2015 and will certainly end in 2017.
The proposed USDA “Recommended Decision” (Milk ...
“Human resource management has to be recognized as a very important part of what we do,” said Rick Zimmerman, executive director of the Northeast Agribusiness and Feed Alliance.
Employees are “not ...
The most common question asked by a dairy farmer to his or her broker is some variation of, “Should I lock in my milk price?”
At face value, this seems like a simple question. By analyzing the current ...
The basis of a dairy’s profitability – calvings and subsequent milk production – depends on the successful detection of cows in heat and correct insemination (technique plus time).
This means dairy ...
The landscape of dairy operations and the dairy industry as a whole are much different today than they were even a few decades ago. Operations are becoming larger, and multiple farms are being consolidated ...
The expertise dairy producers need to have today to be successful is overwhelming. Everything from genetic selection, futures pricing, employee management, nutrient management and succession planning – ...
I recently learned a former employee is on Facebook and other social media sites pushing an animal rights agenda. This individual no longer works for us (they worked for us two years ago), but their page ...
Editor’s note: In this second of a two-part series, the authors review best management and prevention practices for subclinical hypocalcemia.
Click here to read the first-part of the series, Managing ...
Editor’s note: This article is the second in a two-part series featuring 10 steps to a successful transition period. Steps 6-10 are discussed in this article.
In our previous article (Progressive Dairyman, ...
Recently, a client of mine had been losing what little premium co-ops are still offering for milk quality – to the tune of around $50,000. With this past year’s milk price, this extra cash for achieving ...
In my grandfather’s day, everyone milked cows before and after work. My grandfather milked eight “dairy” cows that resembled polled Herefords, traded the cream for corn meal, and my grandmother cooked ...
Choosing the right teat dip for your farm can be an overwhelming process. There are several germicides in varying concentrations available in the market today. When choosing a teat dip, however, it is ...
Editor’s note: This article is the first in a two-part series about how transition cows’ immune systems are impacted by metabolic factors. Read part 2 More metabolic factors affecting the immune system ...
The most successful calf programs begin with this end objective in mind: healthy, productive animals ready to enter the milking string in a timely fashion.
Meeting that goal depends on providing each ...
Summer is here, and with 2017 predicted to be warmer than normal, heat stress management on dairy farms should be a top priority. However, heat stress doesn’t just apply to cows. All livestock experience ...
As the saying goes, good things come in small packages. This is especially true when it comes to raising Jersey calves. Just because they are small in stature doesn’t mean we should short-change Jersey ...
Have you ever found yourself reading a milk replacer tag and trying to understand what additives are included, what those additives do and whether or not they are right for your calf program?
If so, ...
Naturally occurring turnover in dairy herd population necessitates the availability of a supply of high-quality replacement animals to maintain herd population and milk flow. For a majority of dairy operations ...
Heat stress is a major concern for calves. Research has proven calves suffer from heat stress in much the same way cows do. A calf’s temperature threshold can be easily reached during summer months.
A ...
In 1975, I learned a valuable lesson in newborn calf health. It was the first spring after my father passed away, and I was solely in charge of calving our beef herd in northern Minnesota.
Things went ...
For the owners of Rosy-Lane Holsteins, healthy cows are the heart of a profitable dairy operation.
“Healthier cows make more money and reduce vet costs, foot trimming costs and overall herd health ...
I do not need to convince dairymen that milk is the most nutritionally complete food source, but I would like to make the point here that milk does not always provide adequate supplies of vitamins and ...
Protein and amino acids are the most expensive nutrients for raising young calves and heifers. For the growing calf and heifer, protein can be supplied in several different ways. The animal’s stage of ...
Bovine respiratory disease (BRD) causes significant economic losses in dairies across the U.S. While vaccination is available and necessary, it isn’t always effective. Delivering trace minerals via injection, ...
Many agree raising quality, healthy heifers is one of the most important goals for any dairy producer. It is surprising, though, that most discussion regarding heifer raising immediately gravitates toward ...
Dairy Farmers of America (DFA), a national farmer-owned dairy cooperative, and Vanguard Renewables, a Massachusetts-based renewable energy developer, formed a strategic partnership to help bring anaerobic ...
Farm fatalities from toxic manure fumes occur every year. Some appear in the news; some do not – but each one is a heart-wrenching loss for the family and friends the victims leave behind.
There is ...
“Rules of engagement are rules or directives to military forces (including individuals) that define the circumstances, conditions, degree and manner in which the use of force ... may be applied.”
—Source: ...
Is your farm energy-efficient? How can you tell? If you add up all of your electricity use for a year that is used for milk harvesting or cow housing and divide by the number of milking cows, you will ...
The history of agriculture in most Western nations follows the same pattern. Humans on the European continent domesticated the aurochs early on in their evolution and eventually produced the dairy cow. ...
Life in the country can sometimes get a little boring. History reveals how boring things have gotten by the games we have invented (out of pure boredom) while doing our daily chores.
The common denominator ...
No matter which type of calf housing system you use, it’s easy to let your ventilation system get stale. Proper ventilation can have a major impact on calf health and well-being.
Whether you are looking ...
An unplanned catastrophe can strike a dairy of any size at any time. A tornado or fire could level facilities and kill livestock in a matter of minutes.
A death or serious illness could remove key ...
Building the right calf barn may mean looking outside the dairy industry for inspiration. For Dave Endres, owner of Endres Jazzy Jerseys, a 900-cow Jersey dairy in Lodi, Wisconsin, this meant borrowing ...
Ninety-nine percent of farm insurance policies sold today have fundamental coverage flaws when it comes to dealing with environmental liability. Those gaps in your general farm liability insurance coverage ...
Every day, dairy farmers go to great lengths to care for their cows. In this series from Dairy MAX, Jodi Jackson of Bentwood Dairy in Texas shares her story about caring for a calf with a broken leg. Can ...
The Quality Milk Alliance (QMA) and the Southeast Quality Milk Initiative (SQMI) are two USDA projects focusing on improving milk quality in the U.S. The two projects are similar but use different methods ...
Two Wisconsin farm families are grieving the loss of two young men, one a 29-year-old farmer from Amherst, the other a 16-year-old boy from Owen.
Mike Biadasz, 29, of Amherst, Wisconsin, allegedly ...
Created on 27 September 2016
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