Search - Progressive Dairy

Current Progressive Dairy digital edition

1. Pay it forward: (From the Editor); 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 ...; Created on 01 October 2020
2. Checkoff Watch: Bringing Fuel Up to Play 60 to the e-learning world: (Organizations); 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 ...; Created on 01 October 2020
3. Invest in lifelong learning: (Organizations); 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 ...; Created on 01 October 2020
4. In Focus: Cropland values stable amidst uncertainty: (Industry News); 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. ...; Created on 01 October 2020
5. What happened? Cull cow prices could be lower: (Industry News); 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 ...; Created on 01 October 2020
6. Dairy-RP and LGM-Dairy: Look forward to capture floor prices: (Management); 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 ...; Created on 01 October 2020
7. Volatility drives need for risk management strategies: (Management); 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 ...; Created on 01 October 2020
8. Learn to use milk price risk management: (Management); 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 ...; Created on 01 October 2020
9. Got milk price risk? Know the tools available to manage it: (Management); 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 ...; Created on 01 October 2020
10. Dairy demand during the pandemic: (Management); 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 ...; Created on 01 October 2020
11. Planning for the future: What can be learned from milking robots’ owners: (Management); 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, ...; Created on 01 October 2020
12. How to maximize performance and efficiency of CIP routines: (Barns & Equipment); “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 ...; Created on 01 October 2020
13. More manure digesters in dairy’s future: (Manure); 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 ...; Created on 01 October 2020
14. Biogas project developers work with dairies to capture methane: (Manure); 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 ...; Created on 01 October 2020
15. Biogas cluster projects connect farms and renewable fuel: (Manure); 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 ...; Created on 01 October 2020
16. Dairy farmers should take care when considering a methane digester: (Manure); 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 ...; Created on 01 October 2020
17. CoBank: California incentives spur dairy manure methane digester developments: (Manure); 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 ...; Created on 01 October 2020
18. Efficiency-driving technologies for rotaries and parlors: (Barns & Equipment); 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 ...; Created on 01 October 2020
19. 5 reasons to keep cooling information on the cloud: (Barns & Equipment); 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 ...; Created on 01 October 2020
20. Keep your milking system running in top form: (Barns & Equipment); 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 ...; Created on 01 October 2020
21. Research finds value in fatty acid supplementation for fresh cows: (Feed & Nutrition); 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 ...; Created on 01 October 2020
22. Probiotics, prebiotics, DFMs, yeasts, bacteria: Do they really work? part 2: (Feed & Nutrition); 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 ...; Created on 01 October 2020
23. Evaluating financial metrics: Income over feed cost – IOFC: (Feed & Nutrition); 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 ...; Created on 01 October 2020
24. Chase the pellet: Are robotic milking system cows getting the feed they deserve?: (Feed & Nutrition); 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 ...; Created on 29 September 2020
25. Automated feeding: Efficient, accurate and healthy for cows: (Feed & Nutrition); 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 ...; Created on 29 September 2020
26. Wild yeasts: A perennial problem: (Feed & Nutrition); 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 ...; Created on 29 September 2020
27. Tips to avoid the new-crop corn silage slump: (Feed & Nutrition); 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 ...; Created on 29 September 2020
28. Step up your seed genetics selection: (Feed & Nutrition); 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, ...; Created on 29 September 2020
29. Annual cool-season forages: A viable option for feed and wastewater management: (Feed & Nutrition); 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 ...; Created on 29 September 2020
30. How much is a forage worth to a dairy cow?: (Feed & Nutrition); 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 ...; Created on 29 September 2020
31. Manage your mycotoxin load: (Feed & Nutrition); 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 ...; Created on 29 September 2020
32. Equipment Hub: Don’t wait for winter: (Barns & Equipment); 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 ...; Created on 29 September 2020
33. HERd Management: 10-ish reasons to be thankful you’re a farmer in 2020: (Guest Blog); 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 ...; Created on 29 September 2020
34. The Milk House: Sheep and satire: (Ryan Dennis); 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 ...; Created on 29 September 2020
35. The Manure Spreader: Pot roast: (Tim Moffett); 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 ...; Created on 29 September 2020
36. 7 feed additives to consider for fresh cow rations: (Feed & Nutrition); 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 ...; Created on 17 August 2020
37. How not to learn milk marketing: (Guest Blog); 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