Earlier this year when I wrote on this editorial page that there were producers who had forward contracted their milk who were making money in this dairy depression, some said I was ignorant. I recently ...
I've done my best to keep up with the changing times. Well ... for the most part. It took me awhile to get on Facebook, and I did that through my comic strip character --CityBoy-- instead of my real identity. ...
Editor's note: The following is the last of two articles. In the August 11 issue of Progressive Dairyman, Bernard Erven explained the challenges and fears managers face during difficult times. The following ...
Life is all about choices. Some work out great, some not well at all. The key, though, is to always have a choice -- because the alternative is not pleasant. I have experienced such situations in my lifetime. ...
Here is a simple question: How much did the raw milk in that gallon of milk in the dairy case cost to produce? The process is simple enough -- convert the average price of a gallon of milk and compare ...
These statements were made in the July 28 hearing before the U.S. House of Representatives Subcommittee on Livestock, Dairy and Poultry. "I have found that there is considerable and widespread consensus ...
As dairymen begin to work smarter and realize they must work within the laws of supply and demand concerning the production and distribution of their milk products so as to make a profit, various brainstorming ...
A few rain showers didn't deter 80,000 people from attending Farm Technology Days in Waterloo, Wisconsin, July 21-23. One of the highest-attended shows in recent years, people came from near and far to ...
Night light isn't just for your kid's bedroom. Dim light in your dairy barn may benefit your cows and improve your bottom line. It offers a solution to the dilemma for farmers milking 3X and wanting to ...
Many recent high school and college graduates are questioning if there is a future in the dairy industry due to the depressed economic outlook. In the past two years, I have worked with a number of dairy ...
Sarah Stodola spent most of her childhood in California. She had an interest in farming from the time she was 16, but since she didn't grow up on a farm, she didn't think she could get into the industry. ...
Brenda Arnold of Drexel, Missouri, can tell other young people that being involved in the agriculture industry is important for success in a dairy career -- because she knows from experience. Even when ...
When Matt Strickland became herdsman of theCSU-Fresno dairy herd a little over a year ago, he felt that he had to do all the work. But he soon learned that delegation is the key to success. "I felt like ...
Megan Kregel of Guttenberg, Iowa, graduated this spring from Northeast Iowa Community College (NICC) with an associate's degree in dairy science. When asked what she would change about her education at ...
The following are quotes from students who attended the Southern Great Plains Dairy Consortium conference held in Clovis, New Mexico, May 18 - June 28. Students spent six weeks immersed in lectures and ...
Daniel Osborn's original intentions were just to build some equity and own some cattle. Instead he became the co-owner and general manager at Ridgecrest Dairy LLC at just 24 years old.
After graduating ...
The dairy science program at California Polytechnic State University is one of the biggest dairy programs in the U.S. Students in the program learn large-herd management and gain practical experience working ...
Lee Schreiver was raised on a dairy farm in Pennsylvania. After finishing a year of college and serving a mission for his church, it was time to decide what he wanted to do with his life. He decided he ...
In 2004 Kirt Sloan went to work as a consultant for dairyman Pete DeHaan near Salem, Oregon, with the goal of improving the pregnancy rate of Pete's herd. DeHaan had leased an empty facility for his heifers ...
Many producers are interested in developing a systematic and sustainable crossbreeding plan. In order to do so, they need solid recommendations on the most economical breeds and realistic performance expectations ...
The following are the steps I recommend for preparing multiple A.I. guns to maintain the highest semen quality.
Keep equipment clean and organized.
Identify cow(s) and check breeding records.
Have sleeves, ...
Proper semen handling procedures from locating the semen in the liquid nitrogen tank to entering the cow's reproductive tract need review periodically. Everyone establishes a routine for handling frozen ...
O-Man reaches one million
O-Man reaches the million dose milestone and he does it with high reliability. It's an amazing achievement. In addition to his dominance on index lists in the U.S., O-Man has ...
God gave us a way to judge. He said, "By their fruits ye shall know them." Men have track records. They make choices, and live lives that reflect what is in their hearts.
Often we go day to day without ...
Bruno Amaral
Nutritionist for Van Beek Nutrition in Ann Arbor, Michigan
Territory: Eastern Michigan Education Education
I received my bachelor's and master's degree in animal sciences from the University ...
When the Asian Flu hit the country in 2003, were people warned to stay away from Chinese restaurants and Japanese cars? When the West Nile virus was diagnosed in humans, did the Health Department tell ...
We have a number of terms and numbers thrown at us, especially in financially distressed times like now. Milk/feed ratio, income over feed cost, breakeven, variable costs and fixed costs are a few terms ...
Before beginning any type of two-generation business arrangement, the parties involved should examine their situation carefully and make a preliminary judgment of their potential for developing a successful ...
Many professionals depend on a professional improvement plan to keep themselves up-to-date in their chosen profession. As a dairy farmer, you are no less the professional than many of the people who provide ...
Dairy farmers now have an option to purchase consistently high-quality hay that provides 23.3 percent crude protein and virtually no waste because of the way it's processed. Dubbed "Godiva Hay" by a reporter, ...
Dave came by. I had seen him last week at the horse sale. "Did you sell that horse you were on, what was his name?"
"Dumbo," he said. "Dumbest horse I've ever rode! I got him from a Forest Ranger. She ...
Early this spring, an engineer with the Ministry of Water Resources (MoWR) invited me to visit his experiment station. Dr. Kamil M. Muhammed obtained a doctorate in irrigation management and holds a civil ...
The topic of risk management conjures up a wide array of understanding among agricultural producers. Although textbooks are fairly uniform in the definition of risk management and the components thereof, ...
On many occasions the owners of dairy farms find it difficult to work with their Hispanic employees. Hispanic people like to be very friendly, like to have physical contact and, on many occasions, they ...
Created on 25 August 2009
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