When we are young, we ourselves don’t always recognize our talents, but our parents sometimes do. From an early age, my mom noticed I had a knack for dairy judging. So she pushed me, more than any of my ...
Yes, these are extraordinary times, and your dairy promotion checkoff is working in even more urgent ways to keep your milk moving and provide nutritious foods to families everywhere.
When the pandemic ...
What investments would you like to make to your dairy farm? If it’s anything like ours, there’s a long list of improvements and updates on the wish list. But there’s an equally important question often ...
Average U.S. agricultural land values and cropland rental rates were steady in 2020, according to the USDA’s annual report.
Click here or on the image above to view it at full size in a new window. ...
You’re busy. With that in mind, Progressive Dairy looks at issues in the news impacting you and your dairy business. In recognition of your time, we’ll attempt to summarize recent events or actions making ...
Editor's note: There are several risk management tools available to dairy farmers (see Risk management: Forward strategy based on 2020 hindsight), and one may be a better option than another based on your ...
Milk price volatility continues to be a major concern for U.S. dairy producers. That volatility – along with the recent experience of large negative producer price differentials (PPDs) – can have a significant ...
Modern milk price risk management has been around for more than 20 years. As we have seen in 2020, with the impact of COVID-19 on the dairy market, milk price volatility is not going away.
This year ...
The milk price risk management landscape has changed immensely over the last few years. This article takes a brief look at available programs and highlights what to consider when evaluating how to manage ...
The coronavirus threw a monkey wrench in dairy sales. State and local governments issued stay-at-home orders. “Non-essential” businesses were mandated to close in many localities and states.
The March ...
The current economic context implies a high level of market uncertainty. Consequently, caution should be exercised when it comes to major expansion or investment projects. Yet, things will eventually settle, ...
“That’s the way we have always done it.”
That is a very scary phrase. It typically implies that you are not changing or looking to improve. It can also imply that you have done it for so long, you may ...
For some time, anaerobic digesters for nutrient management and clean energy have been discussed and utilized. However, much of the dairy industry is still unfamiliar with these beneficial systems.
Sometimes ...
As the dairy industry works to reduce its carbon footprint, one of the recommended actions is the use of anaerobic digesters to capture methane and convert it to renewable energy.
Various initiatives ...
Cows, with their four-chambered stomachs, have always been models of digestive proficiency, as anyone who’s dodged cow pies in a pasture can attest. These grazing bovines and other livestock produce thousands ...
Editor’s note: The following is an opinion piece and has been reprinted from Texas Association of Dairymen with permission of the author.
At Texas Association of Dairymen, I get calls monthly from ...
In August, CoBank’s Knowledge Exchange division released a report outlining how incentives in California initiated a spike in digester developments in the state and throughout the country.
According ...
Efficiency is defined as the ability to accomplish something with the least waste of time, effort and resources.
In the dairy business, we define and accomplish efficiency in many ways. How many cows ...
As you navigate your way through our hectic world each day, you may have never considered changing where information from your milk cooling system is stored.
Here are a few reasons why you may want ...
Enjoying a meal with your family. Cheering on your son at his baseball game. Attending your parents’ anniversary party. These are important life moments you don’t want to miss because of a milking system ...
Fat is an integral part of the fresh cow’s ration. Moreover, it is actually the fatty acids, building blocks which constitute the macronutrient, that are important in the ration.
Current research is ...
In Part 1 of this series, we began a discussion of prebiotic and probiotic products used in feeding cattle. The types and species are numerous and in many cases, not well understood. Let’s pick up here ...
The dairy industry is known for using a lot of metrics. There are reproductive metrics, financial metrics, production metrics and nutrition metrics. In the best cases, metrics help us make decisions and ...
It’s human nature to love puzzles. We naturally want to feel ingenious by piecing each misshapen token together to create something bigger and better.
On robotic dairies, there are many puzzle pieces ...
Automated feeding is not necessarily a new concept. Tiestall barns utilized automated versions of concentrate feeders as far back as the 1970s and ’80s.
From there, the addition of total mixed ration ...
How to mitigate and prevent spoiled silage for the future
Throughout the summer, many dairy consultants have seen farm teams challenged by aerobically unstable 2019 ensiled forages and high-moisture ...
Whether it is maximizing production, maintaining herd health, or controlling cost, a key component is the quality of forage fed.
There have been significant technological advances in how producers ...
When making a several-hundred-thousand-dollar investment with a piece of machinery, we typically do our homework. You can probably share stories of test-driving self-propelled forage harvesters or tractors, ...
Corn silage is often the main feed source for dairy production systems. However, annual cool-season forages can be a viable option for merging forage production and nutrient management during the “off ...
One factor to consider when determining the price dairy farmers should pay for a forage is the ability of the forage to support milk production.
That ability is based on the nutrient composition of ...
Last fall was particularly difficult for forage harvesting and post-harvest management. Weather impacts have created major problems for forage management; among these challenges, mycotoxins can be a costly ...
The job isn’t over just because the temperatures drop. Harsh winter weather can have a harsh impact on your equipment, especially without the right maintenance.
If you don’t take the necessary precautions ...
Year 2020 – what a time to be alive. Can we all agree that this has been one of the worst years ever? It hasn’t been my favorite.
However, I have never been more thankful to be a farmer and to live ...
Despite being from a small Catholic country, the sheep of Ireland have garnered an international reputation for being particularly lustful.
Not long ago, millions of people on the Indian subcontinent ...
When it comes to food or drink, we’ve all got one item that makes us cringe when we hear the name, see it on a plate or smell it in a glass.
I’m not talking about some strange food item you saw people ...
Fresh cows experience many stressors and challenges in the first few days and weeks after parturition. These stressors and challenges take their toll on the cows’ immune systems, making these cows more ...
My husband and I officially bought the cows three years ago. We’ve been learning together, working together and making the farm ours, slowly but surely. We took over the farm in the middle of a long downturn ...
Created on 17 August 2020
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