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Current Progressive Dairy digital edition

1. Market Watch: Cattle: (Organizations); Click a link below to see updates on Cattle from a specific issue of Progressive Dairyman. 2019 Issue 20, 2019: December 12, 2019 Issue 19, 2019: November 29, 2019 Issue 18, 2019: November 7, ...; Created on 16 October 2019
2. What’s written on your wall?: (From the Editor); Words. When spoken, they have power but, when written down, they can change the trajectory of one’s future. During a recent farm visit, a dairyman told me about the words he wrote down 20 years ago and ...; Created on 18 July 2019
3. Do you know: July is National Ice Cream Month!: (Industry News); Ice cream is more than a tasty treat. It’s big business in the U.S. In 2018, U.S. ice cream sales at retail exceeded $6.1 billion, according to IRI data courtesy of Dairy Management Inc.; Created on 18 July 2019
4. Ask a Vet: Tail maintenance options: (Herd Health); As of Jan. 1, 2017, the National Milk Producers Federation set a ban on tail docking. What’s the impact? Changes to on-farm tail-docking protocols Producers have to use an alternative to tail ...; Created on 18 July 2019
5. Best on farm fix: Dairyman’s ingenuity leads to multiple creations: (Barns & Equipment); From a young age, Dean Swager has been an innovative farmer, thinking of ways to make improvements both large and small for the benefit of his cattle, his time and the milk and meat he produces. After ...; Created on 18 July 2019
6. Donations promote understanding and discussion about opportunities in trade, trends and markets: (Organizations); Dairy farmers established Dairy’s Foundation to ensure our dairy farms remain viable and socially responsible for generations to come. Dairy farmers and industry partners engage in discussion and ask ...; Created on 18 July 2019
7. What happened? What’s next? - USDA staff are busy this summer: (Management); You’re busy – milking cows, packing bunker silos and watching presidential candidate debates (well, maybe). With that in mind, Progressive Dairy looks at issues in the news impacting you and your dairy ...; Created on 18 July 2019
8. Diversify your operation: There are more options than you think: (Management); In today’s unpredictable dairy economy, farmers have looked for ways to diversify their income streams. This isn’t a new way of thinking, though organizations have realized offering a place for brainstorming ...; Created on 18 July 2019
9. Marketing your diversified revenue stream: (Management); “What is unique about you and your farm that you can build into your brand?” asked Tera Johnson, director of the Food Finance Institute (FFI) and founder of teraswhey, in her keynote presentation at the ...; Created on 18 July 2019
10. 5 webinars to help you put it together and keep it together: (Management); As farmers, we face challenges and feel stress every day. It is when it becomes unrelenting and overwhelming we begin to experience negative side effects. Dairy farmers are some of the smartest, most innovative, ...; Created on 18 July 2019
11. Active listening: The lifeblood of great communication: (Management); Think of a recent time when someone – employee, colleague, partner, family member, friend – was not listening when you had something important to say. Now think about how you felt, and describe your feelings ...; Created on 18 July 2019
12. Single-stall robot facilities: The scalability factor: (Barns & Equipment); Scalability gives a certain level of flexibility to the way a farm can grow with robots, giving the producer a clear picture of what to expect throughout the path they choose, as well as how they can cash-flow ...; Created on 18 July 2019
13. Keep up with the milking evolution: (Barns & Equipment); Parlor expectations have changed. The goal of milking cows the best we can remains: to milk them safely, gently, quickly and completely. But the need for efficiency has changed how we milk cows, the number ...; Created on 18 July 2019
14. How to select the right milk filter to improve operation performance: (Barns & Equipment); In our previous article in the Feb. 7, 2019 issue of Progressive Dairyman, we discussed the history of milk filters and their importance in the milking process (Milk filters: The unsung hero of successful ...; Created on 18 July 2019
15. What are your cows telling you in a robot barn?: (Barns & Equipment); On most modern dairy operations across the U.S., you will find an office with a computer. The computer is most likely running 24 hours a day and may be covered with some dust or fly scat. In that computer, ...; Created on 18 July 2019
16. The next evolution of lameness challenges: Reverse corkscrew claw: (Herd Health); In days past, before we learned the principles of good hoof care, we would see older, mature dairy cows with overgrown corkscrewed outer claws on their rear feet. The geneticists got interested and ...; Created on 18 July 2019
17. Footbath protocols for success and simplicity: (Herd Health); Consistency is usually a positive term when describing footbath management. However, there are so many footbath management variables that one or more mistakes can easily be made. Without a simple, ...; Created on 18 July 2019
18. Prevent heat stress now for healthier hooves in the future: (Herd Health); With summer in full swing, high temperatures are here to stay. Increasing temperatures can have a multitude of negative effects on dairy cows, including hoof problems that rear their heads later on. It’s ...; Created on 18 July 2019
19. Progressive Events: Hoof Health Conference gathers trimmers, experts from around the world: (Event Coverage); Hoof trimmers from across the country and around the world took a break from their chutes in order to enrich their minds and hone their skills at the 2019 Hoof Health Conference, held Feb. 21-23 in Albuquerque, ...; Created on 18 July 2019
20. Calcium and magnesium are important to the success of the transition period: (Feed & Nutrition); The transition period is the most critical period for a successful lactation. Many factors play a crucial role in the success of this period, such as comfort and ventilation, the overall health of the ...; Created on 18 July 2019
21. Bioactive additives help alleviate heat stress: (Feed & Nutrition); In the coming years, heat waves may occur more frequently and last longer. Beyond reducing the quality and quantity of forage, high temperatures and humidity also affect productivity and reproductive performance ...; Created on 18 July 2019
22. The power of protein for dry cows: (Feed & Nutrition); In the world of dairy nutrition, new recommendations are continually being made. An important area of focus in which new advances are being made is dry cow nutrition, especially the close-up dry cow period, ...; Created on 18 July 2019
23. Leading the Way: 6 little details that make a big difference in dairy showmanship contests: (Organizations); County and state fair season is upon us, and we don’t want you to miss winning a showmanship class on minor, yet important, details. Here are six tips to help you catch the competitive edge and win the ...; Created on 18 July 2019
24. Just dropping by ... The blessing and cursing of language: (Yevet Tenney); Recently, I was reminded the story of Helen Keller, who was 9 months old when she was stricken with the disease that left her both blind and deaf. She was an amazing lady who accomplished more than ...; Created on 18 July 2019
25. Equipment Hub: The lowly (but oh so necessary) hand tool: (Barns & Equipment); Often when we think about putting time into proper operation, maintenance and tool safety, our thoughts turn to the expensive power tools at our disposal. While it certainly makes sense to take care ...; Created on 18 July 2019
26. Life on the family farm under an open heaven: A very challenging spring: (Guest Blog); In farming, as well as in life, things sometimes go totally different than what a person expects or plans. This last winter proved to be a very hard one with all the ice, snow and bitter cold. Spring finally ...; Created on 17 July 2019
27. The Milk House: The underground farm scene: (Ryan Dennis); There’s a lot happening on the planet’s surface right now. Global warming is killing off the biodiversity needed to sustain life as well as creating dangerous weather phenomena. An increasing human ...; Created on 17 July 2019
28. The Manure Spreader: Uncle Jugg: (Tim Moffett); Let me take you back to a time of innocence. A time when I thought everything was legal as long as there was no game warden around. A time when I thought all the best places to hunt ducks had huge sand ...; Created on 17 July 2019
29. Texas dairy monitors all aspects of herd health: (Barns & Equipment); Collecting and analyzing critical data points, from activity to rumination, for every individual cow can be a struggle for many dairy farms. But this type of information is paramount in maintaining the ...; Created on 17 July 2019
30. Robots solved labor issues, improved efficiencies at Green Waves Farm: (Barns & Equipment); Almost 10 years ago, brothers Mark and Paul Berning decided to install an automated calf feeder to assist with one of the tasks at Green Waves Farm in St. Michael, Minnesota. Mark was spending more ...; Created on 17 July 2019
31. On the Edge of Common Sense: The cost of recycling: (Baxter Black); We try to be faithful recyclers around the house. I make regular runs to town with the pickup full of newspapers, bottles, aluminum cans, cardboard boxes and tin. I take old pipe and steel to the scrap ...; Created on 17 July 2019
32. How pulsation and vacuum differ in automated milking systems: (Barns & Equipment); Milk yields are maximized when calm cows are milked with a consistent routine from one milking to the next and from one milker to the next. The pulsation ratio or vacuum of a milking machine affects ...; Created on 17 July 2019
33. The dairy cow: (Training Tools); The first dairy cows came to the United States in 1611, according to the International Dairy Foods Association. Click here or on the image above to view it at full size in a new window.; Created on 17 July 2019
34. Be the person you would like to work with!: (Management); A team is a group of people with different skills who perform different tasks and work together toward a common goal. All dairy workers, regardless of their roles in the farm, are team members. However, ...; Created on 17 July 2019
35. How to label the type of lameness in your herd: (Herd Health); By definition, lameness is any abnormality that causes a cow’s gait to change. However, within this broad term are very specific types of hoof lesions and injuries, and each requires specialized treatment ...; Created on 16 July 2019
36. Spring Breeze Dairy: A turn-key transformation: (Barns & Equipment); In the sandy soils of Wisconsin’s Northwoods sits the old sawmill city of Antigo. Here, trees far outnumber people, and cows too, but tucked in between the towering tracks of timber and flat, open ...; Created on 16 July 2019
37. Calf heat stress: The little things make the biggest difference: (Calves & Heifers); The sun is shining, and winter is a distant memory. You may be eager to spend time in the field and catch up on tasks you couldn’t do all winter. But during this busy time, don’t forget how warmer weather ...; Created on 16 May 2019
38. Calves and bicycle wheels: A systematic approach to troubleshooting pre-weaned calves: (Calves & Heifers); On Oct. 11, 1826, Theodore Jones of London, England, received a patent for what he called “wire wheels.” Jones found if he added wires, or what we now call spokes, to a circular rim, the wheel could bear ...; Created on 15 May 2019
39. Perpetuating the positives: (Guest Blog); These are arguably the most difficult times in (dairy) farming history, with high costs and low market prices. The conversations and climate among dairy farmers and agriculturalists often reflect this. ...; Created on 19 April 2019
40. Develop a plan for barn construction: (Barns & Equipment); Benjamin Franklin said, “By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail.” Achieving any significant accomplishment is not the result of luck or chance. The winning Super Bowl team is not surprised they ...; Created on 19 April 2019
41. Bigger body size, more milk increases cooling demands for today's cows: (Herd Health); In his fifth edition of Dairy Cattle and Milk Production published in 1939, Dr. Clarence Eckles reported that the “ratio between the human population and the number of cows in the United States had remained ...; Created on 02 April 2019
42. Conventional vs. robotic dairies: A look at the key metrics: (Management); Robotic milking systems are not for every operation. As we’ve written about previously, some of the original assumptions the industry had about the types of labor savings dairy robots would bring haven’t ...; Created on 02 April 2019
43. Former dairyman converts barn for raising steers: (Barns & Equipment); Empty barns across America are a ghostly reminder of the dairy industry’s rapid exodus. Hollow and empty, they once housed the lifeblood of a farm, and are now begging a return to useful service for the ...; Created on 02 January 2019
44. Cow comfort: Health, welfare and markets: (Herd Health); Consumer demands may be fickle and often are not based on a realistic view of livestock production. Yet today’s consumer focus on animal welfare should factor into dairy producer decisions. While market ...; Created on 18 July 2016