If you listen to podcasts, you’re going to be excited for this news. We now have a podcast available. Find it by searching for “Progressive Dairy” podcast on your favorite platform.
What is a podcast? ...
Dairy has nourished our country’s youth for decades in schools. In fact, milk has long been the only product mandated to be served with school meals.
And 10 years ago, your dairy promotion checkoff ...
You’re busy milking cows and taking a break from forage production to attend World Dairy Expo. With that in mind, Progressive Dairy looks at issues in the news impacting you and your dairy business. In ...
Preserving the relationship with your banker is important during good times, and it is essential to your survival in times like these.
While your financials still rule when a banker evaluates your ...
Why do banks require financial statements? Financial statements provide the bank reassurance that the operation is in compliance with covenants as set forth in their agreements.
Many banking institutions ...
Dairyman Michael Johnson’s journey toward activity monitoring started several years ago when he realized his plate was getting too full to handle everything.
The father of two young children at the ...
Sometimes I wish I didn’t have real-life examples of how I make mistakes. One harvest, I was the combine driver who backed into the fuel truck while I was unloading my auger for cleanout to move to the ...
Following the theme of the 2019 Progressive Dairy Operators (PDO) Triennial Symposium, “Managing disruptors on the dairy farm,” three dairy producers shared the methods they use to manage in this changing ...
What I hear from dairy producers and their managers right now is how hard it is to find good people in this job market. It is very easy to get caught up on what’s lacking or missing in the workplace and ...
The reason for this letter is to thank you for the hard work you do for the dairies in this country.
We want to thank you for your effort in taking care of the animals that support your family and ...
Two Midwest dairies shared their strategies for managing costs during the 2019 Four-State Dairy Nutrition Conference, held in Dubuque, Iowa, this past June.
Winding Meadows
In the spring of 2019, ...
Whether it’s a piece of ground you’ve rented for years, one that’s been passed down in the family for generations or an acreage up for sale a few miles from the home farm, there seems to be a “more is ...
During the last 20 years, many dairy farmers have seen their profit margins reduced even though they’re producing more milk.
“Pounds of milk per cow does not automatically mean more profit,” said Jim ...
Looking for the latest products and technologies to manage your dairy? Get a sneak peek at the innovations on display at World Dairy Expo.
ANIMAL HEALTH
Cinnatube all-natural dry cow tube
Cinnatube ...
As World Dairy Expo quickly approaches, exhibitors, companies and attendees can expect the return of staple events and look forward to new additions to this year’s overall experience.
With a focus ...
For the 53 years World Dairy Expo has existed, so has the partnership with ABS Global. The company, which is known as a world-leading provider of bovine genetics, reproduction services, technologies and ...
What is the best ration to feed to your dairy cows? An excellent question and one that has confounded dairy producers forever. We tend to focus largely on what is fed to the lactating herd since this is ...
It’s every dairy producer’s goal: Get more milk out of homegrown forages and spend less on purchased feeds. It sounds so easy but, in reality, getting more milk out of our homegrown forages is accomplished ...
From an economic perspective, once we have invested in a robot or automated milking system, the goal should be to maximize the milking capacity of the robot. Because of its limited capacity of milking ...
Clostridial diseases can be among the most puzzling problems on a dairy. That’s because C. perfringens and other clostridia species occur naturally in soils, water and throughout the dairy environment. ...
In the daily demands of running a dairy, most of us who work with dairy cows might not reflect on how amazing they are.
Your cows are converting low-energy diets (compared with diets fed to pigs and ...
Climbing a mountain is no easy task. It takes preparation, planning and hard work to reach the summit. And there’s added value in the rewarding trip back down.
The same concept applies to achieving ...
Having focus is a good thing, but being singularly focused to measure profitability is not.
We know with some certainty, herds which produce more milk or higher components have higher profitability. ...
Lely opened its North American manufacturing facility in Pella, Iowa, in 2012. It is one of three manufacturing facilities in the world.
It produces weigh floors, cow brushes and central units, in ...
Is it time to replace our parlor? That’s what Rick and Marleen Adams were wondering two years ago as they struggled to reduce a stubbornly high somatic cell count (SCC). Their double-12 herringbone parlor ...
Is a new milking system in your future? Whether you’re thinking about a new parlor or robots, you expect your new system to meet your goals and provide return on investment (ROI).
How will you measure ...
Teat liners are the link between your cows and the robot. Choosing the right type of teat liner helps ensure all milk is quickly and carefully removed from the udder. The teat liner is designed to provide ...
Just like any substantial project for your dairy operation, a robotic milking facility will represent a significant capital investment. Considering that you will utilize what you buy and build every day ...
A well-established routine doesn’t always mean doing the same thing, at the same time, every day. In fact, routines in a robotic barn are often anything but “routine.” The size of the farm, the number ...
Mastitis records are an essential part of dairy herd management for many progressive dairy operations. The adage of “if you can’t measure it, you can’t manage it” holds true when it comes to mastitis management. ...
Look, listen and feel – critical words and concepts you learn in first aid and CPR that are imperative to assess a person’s well-being who’s been traumatized.
Look at their position, complexion, vital ...
Recently, I heard a rumor a group is trying to change the Bible to make it more politically correct and to accommodate those who are not comfortable with the intolerant way it excludes people who choose ...
In case you missed it, recently there was the Tibooburra Butchering and Golf Day in New South Wales, Australia. Over 150 people gathered to tee off at the state’s only desert golf course, followed by watching ...
World Dairy Expo (WDE) has always been one of my favorite weeks of the year. Sometimes, I think I’m even more excited about that first week in October than I am for my birthday (month) or Christmas.
First, ...
A recent scientific study revealed that growing up on a farm in a clinically unclean environment will actually boost your immune system. What does that mean for me?
It means the “five-second rule” ...
A yearly highlight for World Dairy Expo, the Dairy Forage Seminars will once again be held along with the World Forage Analysis Super Bowl to provide educational opportunities to attendees.
These seminars, ...
Researchers are increasingly identifying the implication of microbial growth in dairy feed ingredients and feed. Not only does the growth of mold and wild yeast strains in these rations impact the nutritional ...
As nutritionists, we once thought adding the correct level of neutral detergent fiber (NDF) to the diet was all that was required to create a healthy rumen and thus allow the protein and energy contained ...
Friend is a word that I don’t throw around Though it’s used and abused, I still like the sound. I save it for people who’ve done right by me And I know I can count on if ever need be.
Some of my friends ...
Avonlea Genetics Inc. aims to supply tools for dairy’s progress while striving to earn World Dairy Expo champion honors to add to their herd’s award tool chest.
For this well-known Canadian Jersey ...
World Dairy Expo is enjoyed by more than 65,000 people from nearly 100 countries each year. At the annual event, board members, sponsors and countless volunteers come together to make it the best possible ...
From show ring display setup to commercial exhibitor move in, working at World Dairy Expo’s official gift shop to parking cars, assisting ringside and beyond, Richard Stampfl has filled a variety of roles. ...
Committed: feeling dedication and loyalty to a cause, activity or job; wholeheartedly dedicated. (Oxford Dictionary).
World Dairy Expo’s 2019 Dairyman of the Year embodies this definition of what it ...
Paying special attention to transition cows from the close-up or maternity pen to the fresh pen usually pays big dividends for the dairy producer. During no other time in a cow’s lactation cycle will she ...
Livestock manure is a highly variable fertilizer. Its composition can vary depending on the age of the animal, feedstuffs consumed and the way it is agitated and removed from storage, just to name a few ...
If we look at the composition of dried distillers grains with solubles (DDGS), we see that they contain a significant amount of fiber.
In fact, the concentration of neutral detergent fiber (NDF) in ...
As I typed the title to this blog, I could actually see Tim Gunn from Project Runway nodding his approval. Make it work. As farmers, we’re pretty inventive. I’ve never met a farmer who couldn’t make something ...
If you have not heard of K’iche’ (or Quiché), chances are, you will soon.
No, it’s not a pastry-crusted egg bake. In fact, it’s not even in the Merriam-Webster Dictionary … yet.
K’iche’ (pronounced ...
Your best employee should be in charge of feeding your herd, including weighing, mixing, delivery and monitoring rations. This individual can make or break the feeding program, rumen health and profitability. ...
Move over, artificial insemination. There’s a new moniker for the letters “AI” in the dairy industry. These days, “artificial intelligence” is all the buzz.
Big data, machine learning, systems integration ...
With all the things going on around your dairy, have you ever thought about whether cows actually like being milked? How would you know if they were happy or unhappy with the milking process?
There ...
Since 1970, the number of dairy farms in the U.S. has dropped by more than 93%, from more than 640,000 to around 40,000 in 2018. In an industry dominated by large organizations, smaller family farms face ...
When it comes to the adoption of automated milking systems, Dr. Nigel Cook said, “The U.S. is way behind.
“This is a European system being transplanted in North America and that’s great because we can ...
In another installment of Penn State Extension’s Dairy Grazing Management Guide webinar series, University of New Hampshire professor, extension educator and veterinarian Andre Brito discussed the growing ...
Created on 18 March 2019
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