Magazine

Help protect your calves against a leading contributor to BRD and lifelong profitability implications. Most producers know that calfhood pneumonia, or bovine respiratory disease (BRD), is one of the leading health concerns impacting calves on [Read More …]

Productive Life Series: Hoof Care

Welcome to the second installment of our Productive Life Series, where we delve into the essential aspects of dairy farming that set the stage for a successful and sustainable operation. In this article, we will [Read More …]

Embracing Lactose-Free Dairy For Optimal Health

Lactose intolerance is a common concern among many people that impacts their ability to enjoy the nutritional benefits of dairy without discomfort. Many people are excluding milk and dairy foods from their diet in response [Read More …]

Magazine

Follow Safety Protocols When Filling Silos and Bunkers

Over the next several months, farmers will be harvesting forages and putting high-powered equipment to work. While that equipment poses its own safety risks, the upright silos and bunkers that store the forage offer another [Read More …]

Class III Prices are Low. What Can be Done?

Class III milk for cheese makes up more than 50% of the total U.S. milk usage and the price is low. The current Class III milk price index published by the Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) [Read More …]

What If Stuff Happens?

There is a process that I like to complete each year with my Clients, usually in the early months of the year. I call it the “Objectives & Challenges” process. The Objectives setting part of [Read More …]

How To Freeze Milk, Cheese, Yogurt, and Other Dairy Foods

Using your freezer is one of the best ways to save money and reduce food waste. It’s also a great way to store meals and smoothie ingredients you prep in advance. But can you freeze dairy foods? [Read More …]

U.S. Dairy Education and Training Consortium: Nurturing Future Leaders in Dairy Management

The U.S. Dairy Education and Training Consortium (USDETC) stands as a beacon of opportunity and innovation in the realm of dairy education. Established in 2008, this program has emerged as a pivotal platform for students [Read More …]

Livestock Water Quality

We regularly test our soil, plants, manure, and feed, so why aren’t we testing our water? Water is an aspect often overlooked but has important implications to livestock nutrition and feed intake. You may think [Read More …]

New Research Shows Reduced Clinical Mastitis Risk and More Comfort with Bovikalc® Dry

Intervention at dry-off has a ripple effect on cow health through the entire next lactation. “Our industry has done a great job getting cows to produce more milk,” said Luciano Caixeta, DVM, PhD, associate [Read More …]

Checkoff Strategy Moving Dairy Through Retail Channels

Grocery sales in 2023 totaled $678 billion, with about $90 billion of those purchases coming from an online source. Interestingly, about $470 billion – or nearly 70 percent – of all grocery sales were digitally [Read More …]

Strategic Feed Decisions: Some of the Most Profitable Choices You Can Make

Strategy involves setting a specific course of action to achieve your goals. When it comes to feed inputs, strategic planning helps optimize the largest variable cost of production on the dairy. Attention to detail and [Read More …]

Is it time to revisit your dry-off procedures?

With volatile milk prices and razor-thin margins, dairy producers often seek new ways to reduce production loss. It might be easy to overlook more routine procedures — like dry-off. Although quick, the process of drying [Read More …]

Don’t Forget the Other Biosecurity Threats

We have recently heard a great deal regarding a new threat to biosecurity on dairy farms. The avian flu virus has mutated into a form that can infect dairy cows and cause reduced appetite and [Read More …]

How Early-Stage Nutrition Helps Animals Reach Full Genetic Potential

Producing resilient animals requires optimal conditions at early life stages, wherein strategic nutrition solutions support future growth processes and performance outcomes. Five key considerations for long-term health are prevalent across agriculturally important species—swine, poultry, ruminants [Read More …]

Are You Paying Attention?

In a recent article by Joshua Becker entitled Controlling Your Attention: The Most Important Skill of the 21st Century and How to Do It, he points out that we are all constantly being distracted by [Read More …]

Why is Class III Milk Priced so Low?

The statistics below are based on the Upper Midwest March 2024 payments for milk and their 12-month Averages. They are taken from the USDA monthly reports. Table I below lists the value of each class [Read More …]

Innovative Partnership Between NUI, Interfood and Stonex Will Develop A New Futures Curve For The Mexican Dairy Market

Three parties with their own expertise in digital agri-trade solutions, international dairy trade, and market intelligence have joined forces to build a first-of-its-kind dual-stream buy/sell platform focused on the trade of non-fat dried milk (NFDM) [Read More …]

Strategies to include sorghum silage in lactating cow rations.

The expansion of dairy cattle inventory in the Texas Panhandle is increasing forage demand while groundwater levels decline. Sorghum is a drought-tolerant forage alternative with low input costs, and production of sorghum for silage has [Read More …]

Harvesting Love: Celebrating Dairy Farmer Moms

Celebrating mothers who are dairy farmers is a testament to their dedication and hard work in providing nourishment not only for their families but also for their communities. These resilient women rise early and work [Read More …]

Recommendations to Minimize Influenza Transmission at Dairy Cattle Livestock Exhibitions

Since late March 2024, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Food and Drug Administration, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and state veterinary and public health officials have been investigating the detection of highly pathogenic avian [Read More …]

Lactose-Free Milk Meeting Unmet Demand in Schools

We talk a lot about “unmet demand” as a checkoff. This is the ability to provide people with the dairy products how, when and where they want them. It’s hard to believe that students across [Read More …]

When Environmental Mastitis Strikes, Focus on Pathogens in Bedding

Managing manure can pose a significant challenge on a dairy. While the nutrients in manure make it a valuable resource, the process of collecting, storing and disposing of manure is an enterprise of its own. [Read More …]

Steps for success with cow monitoring technology

Onboarding a new cow monitoring system is not a simple matter of flipping a switch. When making a financial investment in cow activity monitoring technology, plan to also invest your time to successfully implement the [Read More …]

Is This Sustainable?

This is likely a question many folks in the dairy industry are asking these days. In essence, how long can we make this work? Considering the lower milk prices, high feed prices these past 18 [Read More …]

Location Matters! Florida: $25.10/Cwt. – Upper Midwest: $19.89/Cwt.

Producer pricing in the Federal Orders is based on the USDA formulas. All producers in an Order receive equal payment per cwt. That does not mean that all Federal Orders receive the same payment! Producer [Read More …]

2023 Semen Sales Report Reflects Global Trends

The National Association of Animal Breeders (NAAB) members report annual units for the categories of domestic sales, export sales, custom collection, and imported units for dairy and beef breeds. With approximately 95% of the US [Read More …]

Manure Management = Big Decisions

Are you thinking about changing manure management to access a carbon market or improve nitrogen balance? If so, be sure to do your homework! There are many moving parts. Here are a few things to [Read More …]

How Late Can Cool-Season Perennial Forages Be Planted?

Cool-season perennial forages need time to develop before summer temperatures rise. Use this guide to help assess how late in the spring these stands can be planted. Spring is a traditional and popular time in [Read More …]

April 2024 Evaluation Changes: What’s New?