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1. 1108 PD: Expand even when you can’t: (From the Editor); What profitable dairymen know is that you’ve always got to be expanding to survive. Being progressive requires it. But what do you do when you can’t? Find a way. This issue is full of examples of producers ...; Created on 24 July 2008
2. 1108 PD: Making milk is making music: (Guest Blog); Yet another challenge to a common dairy practice recently crossed my desk. This time it is a proposal by the USDA under the Animal Welfare Act to regulate how newborn calves are treated from birth to about ...; Created on 24 July 2008
3. 1108 PD: Is bigger, better? Only if you mind your feed and milk prices: (Management); You have most likely heard the expression that bigger isn’t always better. In my conversations, I find that many dairymen tend to disagree with that statement. Economies of scale spread over sound management ...; Created on 24 July 2008
4. 1108 PD: Growth despite record input costs? It’s possible if you manage volatility: (Management); One year ago in the May 2007 issue of Progressive Dairyman, I was asked to write an article on feed price direction. By using basic fundamental analysis, a dose of futuristic forward thinking and some ...; Created on 24 July 2008
5. 1108 PD: Sire conception rate (SCR) evaluation to improve A.I. programs: (A.I. & Breeding); How much genetic improvement do you make in the absence of a pregnancy? None. How much milk will be created without a pregnancy? None. How much money will a dairy make without milk? None. So, getting cows ...; Created on 24 July 2008
6. 1108 PD: Do your workers know these heat-stress-reducing tips ?: (Herd Health); High temperatures have adverse repercussions on herd health and productivity. Proper management and nutrition strategies are used to minimize the impact of heat stress in dairy cattle, reducing the associated ...; Created on 24 July 2008
7. 1108 PD: Teach employees about measuring feed efficiency: (Feed & Nutrition); With input costs on a continual rise, the words feed efficiency are the latest buzzwords. Feed efficiency has long been a cornerstone for the livestock industry, and dairy producers should help feed managers ...; Created on 24 July 2008
8. 1108 PD: What the best know about heat detection: (A.I. & Breeding); Heat detection always requires some degree of human intervention. This is because our only indication of estrus is the cow’s abnormal behavior. Consider these facts: 1. The average cow is in heat 10 of ...; Created on 24 July 2008
9. 1108 PD: Is the industry shifting toward holistic dairying?: (Feed & Nutrition); As a holistic veterinarian, I am gratified that many of the trends affecting the dairy industry today appear to be moving the industry toward a more holistic approach to animal husbandry and away from ...; Created on 24 July 2008
10. 1108 PD PROGRESSIVE EVENTS: Minnesota Milk Producers' Tour: (Event Coverage); Almost 100 dairy producers and industry representatives participated in the Minnesota Milk Producers’ second annual Summer Bus Tour, held in mid-June. The two-day tour covered five dairies in western Wisconsin ...; Created on 24 July 2008
11. 1108 PD: The better way to get traction: (Barns & Equipment); Thirty years of standing over an air-hammer breaking out perfectly good dairy barn floors because the top eighth of an inch on the surface is wrong gives someone a lot of time to think, “There has to be ...; Created on 24 July 2008
12. 1108 PD: Consider rising raw material costs in your expansion plans: (Barns & Equipment); With milk prices having reached near record highs just a year ago and the outlook for international demand for U.S. dairy products remaining strong, it is understandable for dairy producers to be looking ...; Created on 24 July 2008
13. 1108 PD: New parlor, new problems? How to make the transition smooth: (Barns & Equipment); Building a new milking facility is a stressful time for everyone involved, especially the cows. In the midst of stress, it’s absolutely critical that you focus on the cows – their performance and health ...; Created on 24 July 2008
14. 1108 PD: Minnesota producers partner to expand: (Management); Maurie and Rita Young, owners of Emerald Spring Dairy in Plainview, Minnesota, saw an opportunity in November 2005 to expand their 500-cow operation. Heijwood Dairy, a neighboring farm located directly ...; Created on 24 July 2008
15. 1108 PD: Parlor renovation: Friend or foe?: (Barns & Equipment); A necessary evil in the business world is change. Capitalism stretches every business to adapt to changes in the marketplace or be replaced by a business that will change. Each of us knows the phrase “no ...; Created on 24 July 2008
16. 1108 PD: Finnish dairy architect thinks outside the barn: (Barns & Equipment); Even at 11 years old, Jouni Pitkaranta of Seinajoki, Finland, knew he wanted to be involved with agricultural architecture. “I did my first cow barn drawing, and I could say that even from that moment, ...; Created on 24 July 2008
17. 1108 PD: Six expansion tips from Texas dairy engineers: (Barns & Equipment); Think about the cows. That’s some foundational advice Ted and Don Gribble of Five-G Consulting begin with when they counsel dairymen about expanding their facilities. The Gribbles, with three generations ...; Created on 24 July 2008
18. 1108 PD: Just dropping by ...: (Yevet Tenney); Saga of the E-Harmony Bill Someone wise once said, “Teach them correct principles and let them govern themselves.” Another wise man said, “Give a man a fish and he will eat for a day. Teach a man to fish ...; Created on 24 July 2008
19. 1108 PD: On the Edge of Common Sense: Food crisis: (Baxter Black); At the top of the agenda for reporters this news cycle is the global food crisis. Jay Leno observed that the world is suffering from a food shortage and obesity at the same time! Pundits, who seem to have ...; Created on 24 July 2008
20. 1108 PD: High-priced corn and dairy cow rations: (Feed & Nutrition); Corn grain usually makes up 30 to 35 percent of the total ration dry matter (DM) of a typical Midwest lactating cow diet. Changes in its price, therefore, can have significant impact on total feed costs. ...; Created on 24 July 2008
21. 1108 PD: Seven surefire ways to improve fertility of dairy cows: (A.I. & Breeding); Poor fertility of lactating dairy cows significantly challenges most dairy producers. In most herds conception rates of cows are at best about half that of heifers. It is not clear what culprits are primarily ...; Created on 24 July 2008
22. 1108 PD: Seven steps to reducing mastitis and improving milk quality: (Herd Health); 1. Define the problem. Use DHIA or on-farm records, bulk tank somatic cell count (SCC) records, bulk tank cultures and individual cow cultures to try to determine which cows are infected and when they ...; Created on 24 July 2008
23. 1108 PD: Dollars to donuts: How to compete for agricultural labor: (Management); In the popular movie “What Women Want,” Mel Gibson’s character is involved in a freak accident that leaves him with the ability to read women’s minds. Many times, employers wish they had that ability as ...; Created on 24 July 2008
24. 1108 PD: Bedding choices: Mastitis control and cow comfort: (Barns & Equipment); Teat end exposure to mastitis- causing bacteria is the root of all mastitis problems. When the cow is standing, the probability for exposure is minimal. Eventually, cows will find a place to lie down, ...; Created on 24 July 2008
25. 1108 PD: Tips for reproductive success: (A.I. & Breeding); Researchers have provided dairy producers with tools to improve reproductive performance in their dairy herds, yet the results continue to be less than desirable. Nationally, the 21-day pregnancy rate ...; Created on 24 July 2008
26. 1108 PD: On the Edge of Common Sense: Flapjacks at play: (Baxter Black); A big part of the cowboy culture is the music that celebrates the West; the trail drives, the danger and the romance of the life. “… all day I face the barren waste without the taste of water …” “… tryin’ ...; Created on 24 July 2008
27. 1108 PD: The View from Here: (Guest Blog); I wrote of our Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) Comprehensive Nutrient Management Plan (CNMP) Course a few articles ago. The facilitated portion of the course is now done. In this article, ...; Created on 24 July 2008