I’m most recently impressed by examples of producers and allied industry organizations doing due diligence to defend the dairy industry and its future.Here’s just three examples I’d like to highlight. ...
What should we do when we are confronted with a bad news story or negative perception of the industry or milk prices are rock bottom (or under the rock that marks rock bottom)? Bad news happens. Unfortunately, ...
Dairy farming and baseball are very similar. In both baseball and dairy farming you have to learn the fundamentals and apply them every time you step on the field.
Baseball is a team sport and every ...
The following is part of a letter sent to members of Congress by Robert E. Gilbert, Chairman of A. L. Gilbert company. To the Members of Congress, I would like to discuss the parity pricing system which ...
When we lived at our previous house, I wanted to build a garage. The building that was supposed to be our garage, a small barn-like 1930s-era building, ceased being a garage after a small earthquake shifted ...
As we finish harvest and start moving towards spring, most farmers’ thoughts turn toward planting. It is a natural, seasonal process of renewal on the farm. Before planting, though, there needs to be planning.Crop ...
“Working with cows is good because I am Hindu, and the cow is an animal to be seen with respect. Working with cows makes me happy,” says Indra Gautam, a refugee originally from Bhutan. The son of a schoolteacher ...
Editor’s note: This is the second of two articles that describes the struggles and experiences of an American dairyman managing a dairy in Kenya.
“We in America don’t realize how far we are in front of ...
On September 8, 2008, as Cedar Rapids, Iowa, was still reeling from devastating summer floods, Diamond V broke ground on what would become its new south manufacturing facility and a symbol of hope for ...
I am a third-generation California dairy farmer married for 26 years to a third-generation dairy farmer. Never have we seen business as bad as it is now, and our loss has been great. I am not one that ...
The Dairy Calf and Heifer Association (DCHA) recently announced new calf-raising standards for Holstein calves from birth to 6 months old. Progressive Dairyman Editor Walt Cooley discussed the development ...
Jennifer Ackerman is the calf manager at Norm E-Lane Farms in Chili, Wisconsin.Owned by the Meissner family, this 2,000-cow dairy has 130 calves on milk. Jennifer just started working at this dairy, but ...
Because calves are born without circulating immunoglobulins (Ig), particularly IgG, in their blood, it’s essential that they consume colostrum as soon as possible after birth. Absorption of IgG depends ...
Pulling on a sweatshirt or grabbing a jacket before you head out to the barn should be a reminder that winter is on its way. It should also be a reminder that as you make adjustments for the approaching ...
Two major concerns for every dairy farmer are feed and replacements. When looking at how to feed those replacements, it seems that the conventional system is the way to go.Conventional meaning, mix up ...
How is post-weaning growth in your calves? One challenge in raising calves is a slump in growth after weaning. There can be several causes for this.One is the amount of roughage offered to the calf. Weaned ...
Essential fatty acids (EFAs) continue to be a hot topic in dairy cattle nutrition as new research, on-farm trials and meetings provide additional information to the industry on how critical EFAs are for ...
Wright’s Dairy Farm near North Smithfield, Rhode Island, is a small, family-run, 140-cow dairy. The dairy sits on 90 acres, and the family rents 150 acres to grow corn silage on. What sets this dairy apart ...
The U.S. dairy industry with its cycles of boom and bust makes us all wonder if times will ever return to when we may enjoy the comfort and security of a stable milk price. Blame it on federal milk pricing ...
“Grass-fed milk is a viable niche market. A lot of producers I have spoken with were using pasture-based as a way to potentially market their milk as a value-added product. Pasture has to be a major component ...
I don’t ever recall a time in my nearly 60 years of living when there has been such a deluge of propaganda being poured on the American people. I used to teach my seventh graders about the dangers of propaganda ...
Harold Howrigan, a champion of Vermont’s dairy industry, has died. He was 85. Howrigan, whose family has been in the dairy business in Franklin County since the mid-1800s, passed away Sept. 7 at his farmhouse ...
Those of you who watch television appreciate the increasing presence of ‘hard-sell, direct-buy’ commercials on the cable and satellite networks.The pitch involves an inventive but cheaply produced product ...
In today’s dairy industry, calves are raised under a wide variety of environmental conditions. These conditions range from calves being raised outside under a wide range of weather and temperature conditions, ...
Casey Knapp, a 20-year-old from Preble, New York, has been very involved in promoting agriculture – on the organic side. Some of Knapp’s activities include speaking in behalf of Organic Valley at the Young ...
For a number of years, entertainer Jeff Foxworthy has related to rural folks with his “You might be a redneck if ….” and David Letterman has become notorious for his “Top 10” list. In combining those concepts, ...
Do you want to improve working conditions on your farm, but aren’t sure what’s most important to employees? Don’t think you can afford to? Don’t know where to start?The “10 Positive Practices” described ...
When designing a bovine viral diarrhea (BVD) control plan, vaccination for prevention of birth of persistently infected (PI) calves should be a primary target.As the principal source of fetal infection ...
The success of farming operations is based on teamwork by the parties involved. By working together, you can often accomplish more than when you work as individuals.So it is important that you use teams ...
Seven Magic Valley youths were awarded scholarships in conjunction with the Magic Valley Dairy Heifer Program at this year’s Twin Falls County Fair. The scholarships were awarded on the basis of excellence ...
“So, what’s the difference between riding a mechanical bull and riding a real one?” asked the boy of his dad.
“You will know the difference, my son, the first time you climb over into the buckin’ chute ...
I am off-post for just over two weeks. Our USDA Agricultural Adviser, Jon Melhus and I are working in a southern province as part of a Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT). Together, we are delivering ...
Raising calves during colder weather presents a number of challenges that require increased attention to your calf care program.The primary reason that we discuss cold weather implications for calves, ...
Created on 07 October 2009
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