Click a link below to see updates on cattle from a specific issue of Progressive Dairy.
2021
Issue 2, 2021: January 19, 2021 Issue 1, 2021: January 1, 2021
2020 Issue 20, 2020: December 12, ...
In January, my fiancé, Scott, started trying to convince me that we needed to purchase the house right next to his family’s business. He plans to run the company someday and having our home next door would ...
The Molly Caren Agricultural Center near London, Ohio, will welcome more than 100,000 visitors in less than a month for its annual Farm Science Review, but earlier in August, the 80-acre exhibit area was ...
Recently there has been much media buzz about “free trade agreements.” Free trade agreements cover many products, but this article will focus on dairy products. Certainly these free trade agreements will ...
This question is being asked at industry meetings, policy workshops and is now a recurring topic among company executives. The answer to this question will affect the future of our industry and, as such, ...
Math is integral to your dairy operation. You routinely crunch numbers ahead of making important decisions. Those numbers tell you whether it’s wise to, for example, expand the herd, add employees and ...
Penn State Extension recently did a survey of the projected breakeven cost on 110 Pennsylvania-based dairy farms. The average projected breakeven was $19.04 per hundredweight, about $4 per hundredweight ...
As I mentioned in my last article in the Aug. 7 issue, the following is a trick question: “Is yours a family-first or business-first family business?” Your answer should be “neither” and “both.” Running ...
Employees are the greatest assets an organization has; thus, knowing them and caring is top priority.
The foundation of employee engagement during the summer months is no different than at any other ...
Eighty dead calves in two weeks: “The dry cow ration is not working; colostrum quality is suffering; my calves are dying …”
On a recent farm call from a producer, his calf-raising operation had taken ...
The American Dairy Science Association (ADSA) and the American Society of Animal Science (ASAS) organized their 2016 joint annual meeting this past July in Salt Lake City, Utah.
Passionate dairy science ...
At Jerseyland Dairy LLC, dairy manager Tanner Schmidt knows a solid reproduction program depends on more than just shots and semen; it comes down to having the right people in place, doing the right things ...
Would you invest in something that causes metritis, ketosis or mastitis? You probably already have. The unit of semen you purchased last week and thawed this morning could actually cost hundreds of dollars ...
Can you believe up to 60 percent of embryos don’t “make it” in the lactating dairy cow? That’s right. In addition to poor estrus expression and low conception rate, embryonic loss is another significant ...
Dr. Don Niles, partner on Dairy Dreams in Casco, Wisconsin, said there is no single miracle for a good breeding program and transition of heifers into the dairy herd; rather, there are several very important ...
How are genomics working on your farm?
That was the topic of a panel discussion at the Great Lakes Regional Dairy Conference held in February in Mount Pleasant, Michigan.
The panel included Steve ...
As automated milking gains traction across the country, dairy producers are learning that some cows are just better suited than their herdmates to thrive in these systems. By breeding for specific robot-friendly ...
Activity monitoring systems are becoming increasingly popular tools to help dairy farmers manage their herds and detect changes in cow behavior. One of the first applications of activity monitoring systems ...
Until recently, assisted reproductive technologies such as multiple ovulation embryo transfer and in vitro fertilization (IVF) have seen limited use in the commercial dairy sector.
Traditionally, these ...
Reproductive technologies like embryo transfer (ET) and in vitro fertilization can help advance the genetic level of heifers entering the milking herd, offering enhanced profits for producers. With the ...
In the current economic state of the industry, there is an understandable need to hunker down and tread water until milk prices and margins start trending in a positive direction.
Projects, expansions ...
From the perspective of an A.I. company, the strategic breeding and genetic decisions you make today have a huge impact on the profitability and bottom line of your future milking herd. However, it’s important ...
The ability to actively choose the gender of the calf to be born is now a reality on dairy farms. Indeed, the last 10 years have seen rapid evolution in semen-sexing technologies.
When sexed semen ...
When Robert Gervais, founder of Gervais Family Farm in Bakersfield, Vermont, bought the original farm in 1960, his wife, Gisele, was seven months pregnant and he had to borrow $10 for the lawyer’s fee ...
While sexed semen is often cited as the reason for the increased number of available dairy replacement heifers, another factor is helping create a larger pool of next-generation milk producers: U.S. dairy ...
The latest USDA National Animal Health Monitoring System (NAHMS) study results show dairy producers are doing a better job of colostrum management (see related story NAHMS Diary 2014: Producers making ...
Editor’s note: This article is part two in a three-part series on evaluating your hygiene protocols. Visit Are you saving money with hygiene? to read part one and Are your calves secure? 7 ways to make ...
The virtues of colostrum in successful calf raising cannot be overemphasized. This “liquid gold” not only delivers critical immune protection but also provides specialized nutrients, energy, fluid and ...
Feeding calves is much more than what is in the pail or bottle. The way milk, water and starter are delivered can play just as big of a role in the health and performance of the calf.
Bottle feeding ...
In just a few months, the use of medically important feed-grade antibiotics on your dairy will require veterinarian authorization. When the Veterinary Feed Directive (VFD) takes effect on Jan. 1, 2017, ...
Back in the day, when I woke up to the quiet sounds of birds chirping in the trees and the warm serene light of morning streaming through my curtains, and the warm secure feeling of family wrapped around ...
My dad had a lot of home-grown wisdom. He came from a time when common sense was a lot more common than it is now. I was very fortunate to grow up and later partner as an adult under his guidance and advice. ...
I walk the Corrib often. I’ll stroll its banks if it’s a nice day, or sometimes at night, if I happen to be feeling contemplative. The River Corrib is supposed to be the shortest and fastest river in Europe. ...
I remember the call like it was yesterday. I was on a business trip to Pennsylvania and took a quick jingle from my husband as I waited for my lunch to arrive. “I’ve got some bad news,” he started. “Roofus ...
How much impact does heifer stocking density have on their conditioning?
Many herd managers seek to prevent freshening heifers from being overconditioned by dietary dilution with low-energy forages. ...
Molasses is a common ingredient in texturized calf starters. It is added for palatability and reduction of dust. Unfortunately, molasses brings some challenges to the manufacturing process because of its ...
To most people a dog is the family pet. A dog on a farm is a working dog. That’s why you never see a poodle or a dachshund on a farm. And if you do you see one, it’s not for long. Small dogs tend to “run ...
It’s estimated that cows, along with the process of milking, produce 20 gallons of manure and 10 gallons of water per cow per day. Add this up and consider the need for six months of storage plus extra ...
Editor’s note: Christina Winch originally posted this blog on Progressive Dairyman’s Proud to Dairy network. Join the site for free and share your ideas for keeping calves entertained.
Farmers have creative ...
As the general public outcries against applying manure products via irrigation methods grew louder, a unique work group formed to review related issues, discuss the technical details and develop guidance ...
A first-of-its-kind field study was recently completed to estimate the risk of acute gastrointestinal illness from airborne pathogens during manure irrigation and to identify the other variables, such ...
Cows want to do certain things at certain times, and there’s a reason for that. Cows naturally try to synchronize rhythms so that milk synthesis will occur when nutrients are available.
“All physiological ...
Created on 29 January 2016
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