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Getting cows bred in a timely manner and pregnant at first service is impacted by their ability to show a heat. If your cows’ environment isn’t conducive to expressing heats with physical indicators like mounting, chin resting and sniffing – it could impact your herd’s bottom line.

Now more than ever, it is important to make sure each stall on your dairy is occupied by the most profitable cows. One way to improve profit per stall is to change the makeup of your herd and milk a higher percentage of older cows, as they are typically the best producers.

Whether it’s a piece of property or a tractor, once you’ve decided to make an investment in your business, the question then turns to the source of capital to finance that investment. Do you invest your cash? If so, how much?

Every year, Dairy Nutrition and Management Consulting (DNMC) holds a dairy summit. It’s an opportunity for dairy industry experts to meet together in the spirit of learning and community, and to discuss the changes in the business. 

The ideal pre-fresh period is 21 days. Too much corn silage makes heifers fat. Excess dietary salt causes udder edema. The younger the age at first calving, the better.

These are just a few things we’ve been told about pre-fresh heifers, but are they facts or fallacies?

At the demand of dairy processors, rBST has been removed from the toolboxes of many dairy farmers, and some suspect that reproductive hormone therapy could be next.