This blog was posted to the "Where good comes from" website from the Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy. Author Andy Whitman is the director of the natural capital initiative for the Manomet Center for ...
While there is a lot that can be (and has been) said about a show about manure, to those who have a stake in the business this event is a sure delight.
Held on Aug. 22, 2012, the North American Manure ...
Dairy families honored by University of Minnesota U of M recognized 76 Farm Families of 2012, including several dairy industry families:
Carlton County: Newman Dairy
Carver County: Heuer Dairy Inc. ...
Calves are essential to a dairy operation, as they represent the future of the herd and its income. They are also the most vulnerable segment of a herd, highly susceptible to disease with the highest mortality ...
One year ago, the difference between the value of milk and the cost of feed was much different than it is today. In this issue, we debut a new graphic that will follow the proposed national dairy margin, ...
Progressive Dairyman compiled the map below using installation data from robotic milking companies highlighted below.
States with at least one robotic milking installation of any kind are shaded in ...
A significant part of most dairies’ total mixed ration, corn silage is a crop that can lose its nutritional potential if not harvested and stored carefully.
University of California dairy advisers and ...
For the first time in more than a decade, COBA/Select Sires offered facility tours and a parade of bulls at an open house for customer-owners on August 10 at the Select Sires Inc. headquarters. While ...
Fluid milk sales continue to decline. Recently released USDA numbers show 2011 fluid milk sales at 53.2 billion lbs. Back in 1990, the number was around 54.8 billion lbs., nearly a 3 percent decline. ...
The dairy industry has seen much change in just the past few years. Extend the timeline out further and it has seen tremendous change in terms of productivity, technology and even financials.
The Northeast ...
Imagine living in a world where there are no consequences. What do you think that would be like?
At first, that sounds kind of intriguing, doesn’t it? You could eat whatever you want ... calories wouldn’t ...
The stressful growing condition much of the country is currently experiencing is the fourth time agriculture has been devastated by drought in the last 100 years.
Most of us have at least seen documentaries ...
“I am the owner! Why do I feel so powerless?”
“Why don’t my employees do what I tell them?”
“I wish I had more influence with my partners.”
“Employees frustrate me.”
As I teach and interact with farm ...
It’s been almost a year since my last article on the subject of estate planning and Congress’ extension of the federal lifetime exemption of $5 million dollars per person. This lifetime exemption is set ...
A discussion of risk management can get very complicated very quickly. It’s easy to be overwhelmed by all the tactics at your disposal. What’s the right strategy? What has the best potential for long-term ...
If the Dairy Security Act, as included in the Federal Agriculture Reform and Risk Management Act of 2012, or Farm Bill, were to pass Congress before the end of its current session in December, it would ...
If it were as easy to program our emotions as it is to program our milk wash line, marketing would be as simple as setting a timer for great results.
Unfortunately, it’s not. Your emotions can run rampant ...
Editor’s note: This is the second in a three-part series on developing middle managers.
The first article in this series looked at determining the right ingredients and personality types for middle management ...
YES, Tail docking in cattle should be permitted and the entire subject be left up to the owner and no one else – period!
First, my safety and the safety of my children and any other who may milk for me ...
In March, President Obama appointed Dr. Sonny Ramaswamy as director of the USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA). Ramaswamy, an entomologist, grew up in India at a time when food was ...
It’s no secret that corn supplies will be low this year – and tensions are running high on what to do about it.
Numerous organizations have signed on to a petition presented to EPA Administrator Lisa ...
I learned about computers during a time when punch cards, FORTRAN and COBOL were trendy terms.
I’m not going to say that I remained stuck in the computerized era of the 1970s and ’80s. After all, I found ...
Feed prices are at historic highs. Along with this, milk prices have not kept pace, causing extremely tight (many times negative) margins. High feed prices and variability in supplies have created the ...
Renaissance Nutrition, Inc. held its annual company educational conference in late July, with a lineup of 10 nationally recognized speakers from the dairy industry.
A total of nearly 150 people from both ...
There is something new coming to World Dairy Expo this year that you won’t want to miss. Actually, at 26,000 square feet, the New Holland Trade Center will be just plain hard to miss.
“I’m really excited ...
“Cows” is the common language spoken every year at World Dairy Expo, says the show’s marketing manager, Liz Matzke. Whether in the show ring, on the commercial exhibit floor or online at the expo’s website ...
Progressive Dairyman asked several companies exhibiting at World Dairy Expo to highlight a few of the new products that will be on display at the show.
Heifer genomics guide With the introduction of ...
Share your feedback, earn a hat This year at World Dairy Expo, Progressive Dairyman is committed to hearing from readers.
We invite you to stop by our booth in the Arena Building and tell us what ...
As a dairy producer, you may think it’s impossible to meet the nutritional needs of your herd with a high-quality corn silage without sacrificing tonnage.
But with the wide selection of silage hybrids ...
A recent study at the University of Wisconsin Arlington Research Station shows that snaplage can be a viable way to feed dairy herds – but its effect on milk depends on how it is fed.
The feeding trial ...
California, as the country’s largest dairy state, likes its cows. But it’s also trying to clean up its air quality.
So it’s asked dairymen to pitch in. Could the rest of the country someday request the ...
Engineers had the slide rule. Nutritionists used Pearson’s Square to calculate the proper inclusion rates for two ingredients in order to achieve the desired concentration of a single nutrient.
A lot ...
Imagine taking a cow’s temperature simply by snapping a picture of her head.
Want an early warning system to detect hoof disease or mastitis? Just snap a picture of the cow’s foot or udder.
These and ...
It’s never difficult to spot a healthy, content cow. She’s the one chewing her cud after eating comfortably at the feedbunk. For generations, dairy producers, veterinarians and nutritionists have relied ...
With activity monitoring systems trending across the dairy industry, Progressive Dairyman reviewed how producers are using one specific system that tracks data not previously monitored – rumination ...
Just like snowflakes and udder conformations, no two farms are exactly the same. Robotic milking has certainly highlighted this fact as more North American dairy producers are preparing their farms for ...
Editor’s note: This is the final article of a three-part series.
With traditional mastitis detection methods, complex media are used for the growth and isolation of bacterial organisms. On-farm preparation, ...
Typical alkaline detergents are effective in water temperatures from 170°F down to 120°F and, in most CIP situations, that’s an acceptable range. However, when called to diagnose CIP system issues, we ...
Group housing in the calf barn has become an efficient way to house and manage dairy calves. Since our Grober Young Animal Development Center opened its doors in 2009, there has been a dedicated effort ...
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This practical calf management article features tips for keeping calves comfortable throughout all seasons of the year. to jump to the article below.
Authors Mark Hill, Gale Bateman ...
There’s been lots of discussion over the years as to what’s the best way to feed the neonatal calf. The calf-raising program on a dairy farm is a critical cog in the long-term profitability of that dairy. ...
In the September 1 issue of Progressive Dairyman, we reached out to calf researchers and asked them to share their thoughts on the future of automatic calf feeding.
For this issue, we’ve invited company ...
Calf management has become increasingly important for many dairy producers, as scientific evidence suggests that the early stages of a heifer’s development can have long-lasting effects on her future ...
As summer fades to a close, take steps to help prevent the costly effects of bovine respiratory disease (BRD). Changing weather conditions can create respiratory challenges for calves. Cooling temperatures ...
It was a hot sunny day in southern California when I received a phone call to do a field postmortem.
I immediately said yes – I like to do those farm visits because they give me a chance to see the ...
Arie Roeloffs comes from a family that has been dairying for generations. Southfield Dairy in Wendell, Idaho, began milking in 1992. They have almost 5,200 head and raise all of their own calves, with ...
Does vaccination equal immunization? How do animals develop immunity? What challenges do animals encounter when trying to develop adequate immune response?
These questions come up occasionally as dairy ...
For several years, California dairyman Greg Hooker has been aligning his 4,500-cow dairy operation for what he says is a “large shift” in heifer rearing – a focus on quality and not quantity.
“In the ...
Cow-centered dairy farms include animal- and worker-friendly procedures and facilities for raising dairy replacements from birth to pre-calving.
They provide clean, dry and comfortable living spaces ...
Lagoons and ponds are required storage facilities for large cattle operations. Their purpose is to collect watershed from the livestock areas and hold it until it can be properly dispersed according to ...
California’s Cap-And-Trade Regulation took effect on January 1 this year and marks a significant shift in how carbon credits from dairy digester projects built throughout the U.S. will be generated and ...
In an effort to reduce nutrient losses from manure applied to cropland, a number of best management practices have been created. They were crafted using the best available information at the time and, ...
As crops come off the fields this fall, it will be time to start emptying manure storage and hauling the “black gold” back and forth to the fields. For some, those fields are contiguous to the farm where ...
Editor’s note: Since this is our World Dairy Expo issue, we thought we’d use this HERd management column to catch up with Kim Wilson, who wrote a blog for our Proud to Dairy network in 2010. She shared ...
Our family’s history starts with a pond on top of a hill. It was first dug by my great-grandfather, Claire Dennis, as a watering hole for cattle. He lived and milked there for two years without electricity. ...
The most important election of our lifetime is fast approaching. Some of us have made our decision and will punch the card for the candidates we have followed on the news networks. We have weighed the ...
One of the areas we tend to have good intentions about practicing is farm safety, but sometimes our good intentions get set aside. I realize this is not intentional, but we must make an extra effort ...
The Earth recycles naturally. Plants give off oxygen and absorb carbon dioxide. Animals take up oxygen and give off carbon dioxide. Animals eat plants, digest and deposit it as fiber, minerals and nutrients ...
Check out a sampling of some of the unique booth promotions and educational offerings at this year’s show.
Free copies of business book ‘Great by Choice’ Stewart-Peterson Inc. (EH 1605, 1606) is offering ...
European plywood replacement now available in U.S.
EcoSheet recycled plywood is a durable, weather-resistant building material for a variety of agricultural applications. It is made in the U.K., where ...
My USDA official duty station is East Lansing, Michigan. I am here at the state Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) office. The challenge is shifting my work towards domestic challenges from ...
If there are any heroes in the abandoned/neglected/abused horse quagmire, it is the BLM Wild Horse Program. The “unintended consequences” of Wild Horse Annie’s dreams have taken the pendulum of reasonable ...
For our readers' convenience, we've compiled a list of all of the trending topic articles features.
July 1, 2013: A.I. company hand-picked its preferred activity monitor system June 11, 2013: Flavor ...
Click a link below to see updates on Cattle from a specific issue of Progressive Dairyman.
Issue 18 2012: December 11, 2012
Issue 17 2012: November 21, 2012
Issue 16 2012: November 1, 2012
Issue ...
Created on 27 December 2010
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