Thanks again to those of you who have called in and added your comments and questions to consider as we seek out solutions for our industry crisis. Please keep them coming. At the end of July, members ...
County Field Nights are a long-held summer tradition for the Pennsylvania Holstein Association. The county clubs organize the event at a different farm each year, allowing neighboring producers to see ...
The other day, a dairyman client called regarding a side business he was considering and wanted some advice. He had begun making a product for his own use but had also received interest from others who ...
Recently I have had a very stimulating conversation with a renowned physician and pathologist, Oliver Stanton and Anders Ericsson, author of the Harvard Business Review (HBR) paper, “The making of an expert.” ...
Editor’s note: The following is the first of two articles.
Bad times happen. The bad times often come from changes and calamities over which the business had no control. Better times follow bad times ...
My goal as a dairy producer was always to achieve economical milk production, while at the same time adopting sustainable crop, land and herd management practices. I still think primarily as a dairy producer. ...
Defending the player with the ball in basketball is easier when the player is between you and the out of bounds line, better yet when he’s in a corner. What is one-on-one in the open court is two-on-one ...
The following comments were made in hearings on July 14 and 21 before the U.S. House of Representatives Subcommittee on Livestock, Dairy and Poultry. “Though volatility in milk prices has long plagued ...
Dairy producer Art Groeneweg of Monroe, Washington, describes the transition between milking 3X and 4X milking as the difference between driving at 55 mph and 75 mph. It’s more thrilling, but also requires ...
Energy saving options for dairies are widely varied, and new options are developing regularly. Some options are tried and tested and others involve emerging technology. Incentives and rebates may also ...
Two years ago, Brent and Travis Tollerud of Pelican Rapids, Minnesota, bought an existing dairy facility to replace the older facility their father had used.
They moved their cows into the facility ...
The 2009 National Guernsey Convention was held in Richardson, Texas, July 8-13. More than 250 members and guests from across the U.S. and Canada attended, including 70 junior members who took part in a ...
Chief author for “Recombinant Bovine Somatotropin (rbST): A Safety Assessment” Progressive Dairyman Editor Walt Cooley recently asked Richard Raymond, a faculty affiliate at Colorado State University in ...
In April I had the opportunity to spend two weeks visiting the People’s Republic of China as a dairy consultant on behalf of the U.S. Grains Council (USGC). The USGC is a trade organization whose mission ...
Feed expenditures are the single-largest operating expense, accounting for 45 to 50 percent of total production costs in your dairy business. Feed costs need to be closely monitored at all times so it ...
Each year molds and mycotoxins leave a major economic impact on the dairy industry, and despite advances in analysis of these toxic metabolites produced by molds, they still prove to be difficult to measure ...
Hoof health and lameness in dairy cows and heifers continues to be a challenge for our industry. Rarely do you find a dairy farm that doesn’t have a cow or two favoring a foot in need of attention. Some ...
Sweden has promoted breeding for healthy cows, maintaining high production for several decades. In 2006, a breeding value for claw health based on data recorded by claw trimmers started to be included ...
When it comes to dairy management, hoof care often gets set aside on many operations – especially when cash flow begins to slow. However, proper hoof care and reduced lameness have proven over time to ...
I remember long, sleepy nights traveling while my daddy sang songs of the Old West and recited poems that took my imagination back to the cowboy who built the American West.Songs and poetry were so much ...
Jim Loften
Manager, Technical Sales and Service at MSC Specialty Nutrition in Dundee, Illinois Education
I was born and raised in north-central Iowa where my father practiced veterinary medicine. His ...
Fix milk pricing system first
Dear Editor,
The milk pricing system is in dire need of repair. When evaluating the merits of potential growth management programs (GMPs), it is important to consider and ...
Two of the richest animal rights groups in the country have recently made the news: PETA killed 95 percent of the dogs and cats left in their care in 2008 (VA Department of AG), and the Humane Society ...
We are all consumers of the wonderful dairy products we help produce, thus improving milk quality on the farm makes a difference to you as a consumer and as a producer because quality affects the profitability ...
As temperatures rise, feed intake in dairy cattle tends to decline. Avoiding heat stress will help cows stay on feed and thus maintain productivity and keep more milk in the tank.
Producers can alleviate ...
Growing conditions have a significant impact on the nutritional value of corn silage, and though growers can’t change Mother Nature, they can be prepared and make adjustments during harvest that can have ...
With the harvesting of corn silage rapidly approaching, a review of the processes involved in making quality corn silage is probably warranted. The fermentation process involves plant sugars being fermented ...
Dairy producers may want to identify the areas of the farm in which the greatest expenses are incurred and act accordingly to minimize them. They may take this approach to help cope with the current economic ...
Another squeeze chute story. In my world it is the equivalent of a shark attack or a middle-of-the-night calving call … a story that sends shivers down my spine! Monty said he was just along for the ride, ...
The work here in Iraq continues. That is, the work of leaving. We are rapidly slowing down our presence here, especially the U.S. military. As I write this column, Iraq is now nearly in charge of its own ...
Created on 05 August 2009
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