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, ...
Brad Biehl’s bedding robot is smart. But then so is his autonomous feed pusher, robotic milker, automated calf feeder and other robots.
Biehl has a lot of automation, perhaps the most of any dairy ...
It started with a press release from the USDA titled “USDA Announces Safety Net Assistance for Milk Producers Due to Tightening Dairy Margins.”
In it, USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack announced about $11.2 ...
Did you know? Cows have the ability to recognize these basic tastes:
New research from Penn State University found cows do like some flavors more than others.
Researchers presented 16 lactating Holstein ...
The volume of natural cheese in cold storage has attracted a great deal of scrutiny in recent months, garnering attention among industry and political leaders, on social media and late-night talk shows. ...
This is a very pivotal time for U.S. dairy. People want to know more about the foods they eat. We have a great story to share – but only if we seize the opportunity to connect consumers with dairy farmers ...
About 100 women arrived at Legacy Farms in Shell Lake, Wisconsin, for the Vita Plus Chick Day on Friday, Aug. 19. After the rain clouds parted, the day began with a short history of the farm.
The Schloneger ...
Until recently, it was generally accepted that milk prices ran on a three-year cycle: one year of moderate prices followed by a year of very strong prices and then a year of weak milk prices.
This ...
Earlier this summer (well, it was winter down under) an Australian milk processor terminated the contracts of several dairy farmers because of an oversupply of milk. The processor cited the global supply ...
There are two very generous tax breaks business owners have relied upon: bonus depreciation and Section 179 expensing. For those unfamiliar with what these are, bonus depreciation currently allows business ...
As a farmer, chances are you’ve had the conversation of Social Security with your accountant, attorney or financial adviser, both during the early years of your business and today as you get closer to ...
As a CPA, I am often asked about dairy milk hedging strategies, particularly “to hedge or not to hedge.” There are many ways to answer this question, but the most common answer is: “It depends.” And hedging ...
I was recently asked what I thought were among the key ingredients of a long-term and substantive consulting relationship between a dairy producer and his or her adviser(s).
The person asking the question ...
Our K-12 and college students are well into another year of their education. You will soon see announcements for winter educational sessions. In this article, we stop and reflect on “learning.” In order ...
Does marketing ever seem like an uphill battle? If you’re not equipped to climb the market’s peaks or navigate its valleys, marketing will always seem tougher than it needs to be.
Following certain ...
One of the first questions I typically receive when I mention to farms that I am a labor management consultant is, “Am I paying my employees enough?” It is no secret that starting rates, pay structures ...
There is a saying that goes something like this: “When you are up to your ‘you-know-what’ in alligators, it is hard to remember that the original plan was just to drain the swamp.”
It is the same with ...
Three key components of any successful team are its people, strategies and execution. For Jack Harkins, many teams focus too much time on execution.
Among his many interests, Harkins, of Harkins Leadership ...
I hope you read the article “How dairy consultants might use video consulting more in the future” in the Sept. 12 issue of Progressive Dairyman. While I was quoted in the article, I would like to add a ...
Get to know the dairywoman leading the FARM program’s technical writing group
Dusting off a plaque presented by Dairymen Inc., Karen Jordan, DVM, recalled the competition her co-op held for younger dairymen ...
John and Joan Maxwell of Donahue, Iowa, operate Cinnamon Ridge Farm. They milk about 220 cows with robotics, operate 4,000 acres, make their own cheese on-site and host thousands of visitors annually. ...
If you are looking for dairyman and crop farmer Ron Brooks, there is a good chance you will find him in his “office.”
“I’ve got a great view from my office,” Brooks says. “It changes with every pass.” ...
As World Dairy Expo celebrates its 50th anniversary in 2016, the name Allen Hetts will be mentioned over and over again.
More than any other person, Hetts, along with a small, passionate group of Wisconsin ...
Larry Schultz has painted hundreds, if not thousands, of cows in his career as an artist specializing in agricultural scenes, so asking him to comment on one of his subjects might not always yield an impassioned ...
Looking for the latest products and technologies to manage your dairy? Get a sneak peek at the innovations on display at World Dairy Expo here.
KEY EH – Exhibition Hall MC – Coliseum, Main Concourse ...
ClearSpan’s new dairy building modernizes dairy production ClearSpan Fabric Structures recently revealed a new structural solution, the Dairy Building.
The structure is outfitted with the dairy industry’s ...
Imrestor immune restorative Introducing Imrestor (pegbovigrastim injection) – the first-of-its-kind immune restorative for periparturient dairy cows and heifers, available only by veterinary prescription. ...
Golden Calf Company introduces new colostrum pasteurizer The newest colostrum pasteurizer will be launching at World Dairy Expo. With built-in smart technology, this pasteurizer will text its users to ...
Fritsch introduces Power Bedding Groomer New from Fritsch, the Power Bedding Groomer is designed to groom cattle freestalls using deep bedding. After a single pass, it breaks up hard, compressed chunks ...
Bolifor MGP+ and Bolifor Mag33 magnesium supplements Yara Animal Nutrition is introducing two new magnesium supplements to the North American feed market.
The main advantages of Bolifor MGP+ and Bolifor ...
Portable manure separator ideal for concentrated operations The Plug and Play Portable Manure Separator by Bauer North America is a space-saving option for farms with high animal density but limited distribution ...
Evolution X1 increases milking speed without increasing vacuum levels Evolution X1 by Conewango combines gentle, low vacuum with high-milking-speed design. This liner is ideal for dairy producers who want ...
One of the unique disadvantages for the U.S. dairy industry in international dairy markets is the standard for milk quality. The specific standard allowed for somatic cell count (SCC) is a barrier for ...
High-quality milk is the ultimate goal of any dairy operation. Normal milk from high-producing cows is composed of water, fat, protein, sugars, minerals and other additional trace components. The quality ...
Jessica Scillieri Smith grew up wanting to become a veterinarian so badly she was determined to get into any vet school right out of high school. A friend recommended she apply to the University of Vermont ...
Every dairy farmer knows that high-quality, pleasant-tasting milk can’t come from unhealthy cows. Keeping cows healthy is the first, best step toward milk with a sweet, clean taste. Having healthy cows ...
From 25 milliliters of teat dip to 12 milliliters. From two manual positions to one.
These are the improvements VDS Farms in Fulton, Michigan, made after installing pre- and post-milking robots in their ...
Here’s the story of a typical day for a quality milk specialist, whose alarm clock is her daughter, Sophia, softly crying from her crib at 4:30 a.m. when she’s ready to be fed.
I prepare for my ...
The dairy industry is conditioned to grab a tube and treat every case of mastitis that comes along. But in reality, all mastitis cases are not created equal, and treating all cases the same can mean you’re ...
One of the highest risk periods for mastitis in a cow’s life is the period just after it is dried off. Bacteria enter the mammary gland when the teat canal is open, and in the period just after dry-off ...
One day late in June, one farm did what others may be too scared to have happen. It let 20 outside individuals conduct a walk-through of the dairy to make observations related to milk quality and to troubleshoot ...
Over the last few decades, numerous advances in the dairy industry have allowed lactating dairy cows to produce greater quantities of higher-quality milk than ever before. In 1980, researchers reported ...
Most dairy nutritionists have different philosophies when it comes to dairy cow ration formulation. But we can all agree on one thing: It’s not just crude protein and net energy of lactation anymore.
Dairy ...
Feeding fresh cows has been an ongoing challenge for the dairy industry for many years, especially since the national average for a single lactation is over 22,000 pounds and climbing.
That means a ...
Depending upon how much silage inventory carryover your farm has on hand, you may be looking at making the switch to new-crop corn silage very soon, if you haven’t already. When making these transitions, ...
Fiber continues to be a key nutrient in the dairy rations of high-producing cows. Forages are the main source of fiber that may be raised on the dairy farm. But quality can vary greatly from crop to crop ...
“What do heat stress in dairy cows and ketosis have in common? Leaky gut syndrome (LGS),” Lance Baumgard, professor of animal science at Iowa State University, says.
“The origin of heat stress issues ...
As of late, the term “soil health” seems unavoidable. The topic has been the center of a flurry of activity resulting in partnerships, institutions, initiatives and networks. Confusion is added through ...
In many parts of North America, there can be a surplus of whole-plant corn acres left over for corn grain harvesting once the silage tonnage requirements are met.
For dairy and beef operations, this ...
The owners of Gracemar Farms prefer to be hands-on operators. Even as the farm continues to grow in size, they maintain active roles in the farm’s daily tasks.
For example, John Kampman milks the entire ...
In the last few years, a number of automatic teat dipping and spraying technologies have been introduced to the dairy industry. In the midst of the early adoption phase, Progressive Dairyman reached out ...
I feel I’m living the dream when I help producers realize theirs. I have been fortunate to be involved in some of the world’s largest robotic dairies, most notably Fundo El Risquillo in Chile, which boasts ...
A milk cooling system is an essential element of any dairy operation. There is no way around it; if you milk cows, you need a milk cooling system, as it decreases the chance for bacteria growth in milk. ...
Have you ever asked yourself or been asked the age-old question: Does the milking hose diameter really affect the way cows milk out, or does it improve parlor efficiency?
Before we determine the answer ...
After fielding numerous complaints from the fieldman about the state of the milk house temperature wheel charts, Marge Pavlat from Casco, Wisconsin, decided it was time to find a solution.
“The fieldman ...
Animal welfare in the milking parlor is one piece of the bigger picture of how improving cow comfort and removing barriers to production can increase milk production efficiency and profitability on your ...
Early adopters of automatic milking systems have primarily been farms with 240 cows or less. According to Jack Rodenburg of DairyLogix, there are “probably less than 60 dairies worldwide with more than ...
Having been involved with robotic milking since early 2002, I have experienced many success stories regarding robotic milking. During that time, I have also seen farms that have struggled and questioned ...
As we’ve seen with so many industries, technology continues to evolve within the agricultural equipment industry each and every day. And today, whether you’re in the field or at home, you can now quickly ...
I have been blogging and using social media to share my farm story for quite a few years now. When I first started, I knew there were going to be people who didn’t like what I had to say or didn’t agree ...
In 1968, I started as a dairy farmer with my father in a first-generation dairy farm in the Netherlands. Since then, I’ve experienced a lot of changes in my life.
Societies have changed from local ...
When I was in junior high, our school principal showed up drunk at a basketball game. He shouted at the referees over a bad call, calling the decision “asinine.” When they gave him a warning, he told them ...
Statistics show the average person changes careers five to seven times in a lifetime. I couldn’t find any statistics on how many job titles a farmer has in one day. One particular rough Tuesday, I was ...
Since its beginning in 1966, World Dairy Expo has grown to become one of the best trade shows and dairy cattle expositions around the globe. How much do you know about this place where people and cows ...
Most of the producers I work with on a daily basis have dreams and clear goals for the future of their operations. This may include milk production benchmarks, income over feed cost targets, gains in reproduction ...
An increasing number of dairy farmers across the country have been switching from conventional silage chopping to a newer process known as shredlage.
The shredlage processor rips the forage longitudinally, ...
Recently, researchers at the department of animal and poultry science, University of the Saskatchewan, have completed a dairy milk production trial. This research is part of Saskatchewan Ministry of Agriculture’s ...
Many’s the time I’ve come home with yellow paint on my coveralls. Caterpillar yellow – spot it a mile away. We used it to mark our cull cows. Two paint brands we’d borrowed from the sheepherders were dipped ...
From the folding seats of World Dairy Expo’s iconic Coliseum, spectators watch the procession of beautiful cows glide across the colored shavings as they compete for top honors in the international show. ...
Lawyers representing the National Milk Producers Federation (NMPF) and major dairy cooperatives ended five years of litigation surrounding the “herd retirement” component of the Cooperatives Working Together ...
Two U.S. lawmakers representing major U.S. dairy states, U.S. Sens. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), have called on Obama Administration leaders to review new Canadian trade policies ...
When she was offered the full-time milk tester job in high school, Becky Cook from Blackfoot, Idaho, turned it down. Little did she know that years down the road she would find herself milk testing for ...
If you give a kid a halter, he’ll ask for a calf. Because who wants to jump rope with a halter? It’s best used to walk a calf around.
If you give a kid a calf, he’ll ask for some feed. After all, calves ...
Producing the highest quality milk is a top priority for Grand View Dairy, and the numbers prove that to be true.
“Somatic cell count has been about 85,000 for the last two years,” Jackie Schnackel ...
Mastitis is the most common disease and the leading cause for antibiotic use on dairy farms. Due to consumer demand, antibiotic use is becoming more scrutinized in animal agriculture. This year at the ...
Every milking parlor is unique in its configuration (i.e., herringbone, parallel, rotary or other variations), staffing levels, milking routine, shift duration, milking equipment and tools (i.e., cluster ...
Created on 13 July 2016
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