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Current Progressive Dairy digital edition

1. Follow our new podcast: (From the Editor); 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? ...; Created on 30 September 2019
2. Checkoff Watch: More kids, more schools and more milk: Fuel Up to Play 60 at 10: (Organizations); 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 ...; Created on 30 September 2019
3. What happened? What’s next? - 2020 Dairy Margin Coverage enrollment begins in October: (Industry News); 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 ...; Created on 30 September 2019
4. How to improve your relationship with your banker: (Management); 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 ...; Created on 30 September 2019
5. Financial statements and how to account for growing-crop costs: (Management); 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 ...; Created on 30 September 2019
6. Activity monitoring helps young dairyman juggle an already full plate: (Management); 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 ...; Created on 30 September 2019
7. Saying sorry at harvest (and when backing into things): (Management); 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 ...; Created on 30 September 2019
8. Three farms outline costs of feed, labor, equipment and debt: (Management); 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 ...; Created on 30 September 2019
9. Effective communication improves employee milking procedures: (Management); 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 ...; Created on 30 September 2019
10. A message for your employees about radical animal rights activists: (Management); 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 ...; Created on 30 September 2019
11. Managing costs, line by line, on two Midwest dairies: (Management); 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, ...; Created on 30 September 2019
12. Land: List it, lease it or let it go?: (Management); 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 ...; Created on 30 September 2019
13. Small changes can make or break profitability of dairy operations: (Management); 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 ...; Created on 30 September 2019
14. World Dairy Expo Map: (Event Coverage); World Dairy Expo Map Click here or on the image above to view it at full size in a new window.; Created on 30 September 2019
15. World Dairy Expo 2019: New products, technologies to be introduced at World Dairy Expo: (Event Coverage); 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 ...; Created on 27 September 2019
16. World Dairy Expo 2019: Enhancing the World Dairy Expo experience: (Event Coverage); 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 ...; Created on 27 September 2019
17. World Dairy Expo 2019: Featured World Dairy Expo board member: ABS Global: (Event Coverage); 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 ...; Created on 27 September 2019
18. Evaluating ration combinations: A constant challenge: (Feed & Nutrition); 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 ...; Created on 27 September 2019
19. 10 ways to get more milk from homegrown forages: (Feed & Nutrition); 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 ...; Created on 27 September 2019
20. The role of robotic feeds: Balancing nutrition, efficiency and profit: (Feed & Nutrition); 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 ...; Created on 27 September 2019
21. Assess your risk to solve the clostridial puzzle: (Feed & Nutrition); 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. ...; Created on 27 September 2019
22. Your cows are flex-fuel animals: Are you taking advantage of that?: (Feed & Nutrition); 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 ...; Created on 27 September 2019
23. Climbing the peak milk mountain: (Feed & Nutrition); 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 ...; Created on 27 September 2019
24. Don’t be singularly focused when determining profitability: (Feed & Nutrition); 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. ...; Created on 27 September 2019
25. Lely Astronaut A5 automated milking system: (Barns & Equipment); 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 ...; Created on 27 September 2019
26. Five steps to faster, safer milking: (Barns & Equipment); 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 ...; Created on 27 September 2019
27. Success in your new milking system starts here: (Barns & Equipment); 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 ...; Created on 27 September 2019
28. Select liners designed with your herd and robot in mind: (Barns & Equipment); 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 ...; Created on 27 September 2019
29. Considering robotic milking? Spend your time before you spend your money: (Barns & Equipment); 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 ...; Created on 27 September 2019
30. The right routine for robotic milking: (Barns & Equipment); 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 ...; Created on 27 September 2019
31. Getting the most out of your dairy records for mastitis management: (Management); 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. ...; Created on 27 September 2019
32. Look, listen and feel: Life-saving daily practices for healthy milking equipment: (Barns & Equipment); 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 ...; Created on 27 September 2019
33. Just dropping by ... Rules: The pathway to strength: (Yevet Tenney); 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 ...; Created on 27 September 2019
34. The Milk House: Dry times Down Under: (Ryan Dennis); 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 ...; Created on 27 September 2019
35. HERd Management: World Dairy Expo: It’s for everyone: (Guest Blog); 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, ...; Created on 26 September 2019
36. The Manure Spreader: Get dirty: (Tim Moffett); 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” ...; Created on 26 September 2019
37. World Dairy Expo 2019: Dairy Forage Seminars provide extensive knowledge: (Event Coverage); 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, ...; Created on 26 September 2019
38. Understanding molds and wild yeast in forage and how to deal with them: (Feed & Nutrition); 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 ...; Created on 26 September 2019
39. Maintain effective fiber for better feed efficiency: (Feed & Nutrition); 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 ...; Created on 26 September 2019
40. On the Edge of Common Sense: Take care of yer friends: (Baxter Black); 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 ...; Created on 26 September 2019
41. World Dairy Expo 2019: Success of Avonlea Genetics leads to sharing tools for dairy’s progress: (Event Coverage); 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 ...; Created on 26 September 2019
42. World Dairy Expo 2019: Featured World Dairy Expo sponsor: Compeer Financial: (Event Coverage); 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 ...; Created on 26 September 2019
43. World Dairy Expo 2019: Featured World Dairy Expo volunteer: Richard Stampfl: (Event Coverage); 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. ...; Created on 26 September 2019
44. World Dairy Expo 2019: Committed dairyman: Steve Maddox: (Event Coverage); 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 ...; Created on 25 September 2019
45. Five challenges to DCAD success: (Feed & Nutrition); 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 ...; Created on 30 August 2019
46. Manure sensor provides real-time application data: (Manure); 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 ...; Created on 27 August 2019
47. Forage alternative: Can we use distillers to replace alfalfa hay?: (Feed & Nutrition); 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 ...; Created on 23 August 2019
48. Make it work: (Guest Blog); 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 ...; Created on 23 August 2019
49. K’iche’: What it is and why dairy farmers should care: (Management); 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 ...; Created on 22 August 2019
50. Focus on your feeder: (Feed & Nutrition); 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. ...; Created on 13 August 2019
51. Big data, big opportunities: How artificial intelligence is transforming dairy farming: (Event Coverage); 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 ...; Created on 29 July 2019
52. Keep your cows happy at milking time: (Barns & Equipment); 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 ...; Created on 18 July 2019
53. Five tips to make employee training and retention more effective: (Management); 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 ...; Created on 01 July 2019
54. Do’s and don’ts in designing a robot barn: (Barns & Equipment); 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 ...; Created on 22 May 2019
55. Keeping kelp in front of cows on grass: (Feed & Nutrition); 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