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Current Progressive Dairy digital edition

1. Two questions for the second half of 2020: (From the Editor); Like the parable of the “Blind Men and an Elephant,” any personal statements regarding the first half of 2020 will likely fall short of accurately describing the overall picture. We tend to make claims ...; Created on 23 June 2020
2. What happened? What’s next? - A look at record volatility and the importance of grocery store sales: (Industry News); You’re busy milking cows, harvesting forages and finding things for the kids to do other than getting heifers ready for summer dairy cattle shows. With that in mind, Progressive Dairy looks at issues ...; Created on 23 June 2020
3. 5 habits of highly effective dairy farmers: (Management); It’s been more than 30 years since Stephen Covey wrote and published his best-selling book 7 Habits of Highly Effective People; however, the information he covered continues to be relevant. “Even today, ...; Created on 23 June 2020
4. Best practices for developing a farmland lease: (Management); Whether you are the landowner or the renter, sound legal advice is an “insurance policy” for both sides of a leasing arrangement, says Ed Cox, an attorney with the Iowa law firm of Craver, Grothe & Cox, ...; Created on 23 June 2020
5. Tips to help you communicate: (Management); It warms my coaching heart to sit in a workshop with a group of smart women in agriculture who truly want better communication on our farms. Some of the following communication tips were generated ...; Created on 23 June 2020
6. 5 tips to maximize the coronavirus labor opportunity: (Management); We already have the next generation of farmers unexpectedly coming home to farm as a direct consequence of this COVID-19 crisis. Closed colleges and shelter-in-place orders caused by the fall-out of ...; Created on 23 June 2020
7. Look to beef embryos for increased profitability: (A.I. & Breeding); As a producer, you understand the importance of discovering practical and profitable approaches that ensure the future of your operation. You recognize the need for new and unique ideas that create ...; Created on 23 June 2020
8. How to improve (or hurt) your future repro results: (A.I. & Breeding); These days, repro programs on progressive dairies are well-oiled machines. When it comes to annual pregnancy rates, we now tend to see more dairies around 30% than we see at 20%. And a 40+% annual average ...; Created on 23 June 2020
9. Teat dip: economics of efficiency: (Herd Health); Teat dip is an integral part of keeping good milk quality numbers. There are many methods to apply the dip and an even greater number of germicides to choose from today. Add to that the variations ...; Created on 23 June 2020
10. Mammary development is critical to lifetime milk production: (Herd Health); The mammary gland is an extremely unusual organ because it is undeveloped at birth. The mammary gland is just a collection of cells inside the teat when a dairy calf is born, and only then does its development ...; Created on 23 June 2020
11. ReVEALed: The forgotten destination for 6% of Holstein bull calves: (Calves & Heifers); Not all Holstein bull calves become steers. A tiny sliver (6%) contribute to a specialty meat sector that so quietly complements the dairy industry, some of us forget it’s there. However, American ...; Created on 23 June 2020
12. How we direct-market Brey Family Beef: (People); Almost two years ago we, like many dairy farmers, began breeding to beef in order to stabilize our herd size. Prior to the recent four-year downturn in prices, we’d had a steady flow of dairy sales of ...; Created on 23 June 2020
13. How to add value to dairy-beef cross calves: (Management); A near-perfect storm has created an opportunity to add value to dairy calves not destined for the milking string. While dairy herd numbers remain fairly steady, improved milk production efficiencies have ...; Created on 23 June 2020
14. Roadmap to fatty acid balancing: (Feed & Nutrition); Fatty acids can be flat-out complicated. First off, they have too many names. Linoleic is 18:2 and is also omega-6. Three names for the same fatty acid – is that really necessary? And then let’s talk ...; Created on 22 June 2020
15. Un-shrinking feed efficiency to increase dairy margins: (Feed & Nutrition); Reducing shrink may be the difference between a dairy staying in or going out of business, according to Dr. Mike Brouk, professor and extension dairy specialist at Kansas State University. At the 2019 ...; Created on 22 June 2020
16. A current primer on fatty acid feeding: (Feed & Nutrition); About 10 years ago, I was working in another country and asked a question of a nutritionist I had known for 10 years previously: “What fat supplementation are you providing?” I was surprised when she said ...; Created on 22 June 2020
17. Beat the heat: Heat stress in dairy cows: (Feed & Nutrition); While the first 85ºF day is a blessed event for beachgoers and sunbathers, it is equally unwelcome in the dairy production sector. From parlors and pens to fields and farms, heat stress is a major challenge ...; Created on 22 June 2020
18. Just dropping by ... Rights of the people: (Yevet Tenney); Ronald Reagan said, “Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn’t pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do ...; Created on 22 June 2020
19. Equipment Hub: Making ‘good fences’: (Barns & Equipment); Good fences make good neighbors. Good fences also serve as “curb appeal” for your farmstead. I sometimes find myself in the unenviable role of a farm business analyst and, frankly, one of the first observations ...; Created on 22 June 2020
20. HERd Management: Finding hope during uncertain times: (Guest Blog); In the dairy industry, we are used to uncertain times. Variability in milk prices, weather and other factors are challenges in an ordinary year. However, the COVID-19 pandemic has added a new dimension ...; Created on 22 June 2020
21. The Milk House: Like an Emerald Isle cowboy: (Ryan Dennis); It was suggested as something that would be “fun” – and granted, being a good foreign national generally meant pretending to learn the language of the country you lived in. However, it was also true ...; Created on 22 June 2020
22. The Manure Spreader: 4th of July questions: (Tim Moffett); Many of you have emailed me in the past about my writing abilities. And I thank you all. Some of you feel sorry for me and have asked if I lived under a power line growing up. And yes, as a matter of fact ...; Created on 22 June 2020
23. 3 Open Minutes with William (Willie) Coyne: (People); ‘I had COVID-19’: A hoof trimmer’s personal experience with coronavirus William (Willie) Coyne is a hoof trimmer who travels throughout west-central Minnesota with his business, On the Money Hoof Care. ...; Created on 22 June 2020
24. Keep your farm safe from virtual activist attacks: (Management); The novel coronavirus has impacted daily tasks and routines for everyone. Stay-at-home orders and social-distancing guidelines have many isolating at home, and large gatherings are being replaced with ...; Created on 03 June 2020
25. Breeding for the post-COVID-19 cow: (A.I. & Breeding); COVID-19-induced crisis mode is creating a scramble for short-term, and sometimes shortsighted, adjustments. Unfortunately, a narrow “right now” mindset doesn’t work for genetic plans. Milk markets ...; Created on 29 May 2020
26. How to approach risk management planning: (Guest Blog); Risks exist if there is something you don’t want to happen and it has a chance to happen. As dairy farmers, we face risks every day of every kind. These risks can include being around the cows, having ...; Created on 18 May 2020
27. The CANI concept for hiring a dairy nutritionist: (Feed & Nutrition); This article title combines two important pieces of running a high-performing dairy. First, it embraces the acronym CANI (constant and never-ending improvement), which is its own subject. CANI stems from ...; Created on 13 April 2020
28. Latinos in dairy: Creating a better understanding: (Management); It has been made quite clear over the past couple of decades that Latinos are of a growing importance in our nation’s dairy industry. Not only are Latinos crucial as employees of dairy operations, ...; Created on 11 November 2019