Magazine

California’s Planet-Smart Dairies: A Model for National Climate Efforts

January 29, 2021 DairyBusiness News Team DP 0

2020 has been a historic year, and the only thing for certain in 2021 is more change. President-elect Joe Biden will reenter the U.S. into the Paris Climate Agreement, renewing national commitment to reduce greenhouse [Read More …]

California and Denmark Sign MOU on Climate Smart Dairy Collaboration

January 29, 2021 DairyBusiness News Team DP 0

CDFA Secretary Karen Ross and Minister Rasmus Prehn of Denmark’s Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Fisheries have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) focusing on dairy innovations and technologies addressing climate change. The signing event, [Read More …]

Dairy Promotion Checkoff: Evolving for Success

December 31, 2020 DairyBusiness News Team DP 0

When dairy’s plans were upended early in 2020 due to COVID-19, the dairy promotion checkoff seized the opportunity to lead and execute a refocused marketing plan still aimed at building sales and trust for dairy [Read More …]

How to Get the Most Out of Your TMR Audit

December 31, 2020 DairyBusiness News Team DP 0

Feed and nutrition management have influential impacts on the health of your herd. Diet consistency can play a large role in whether a farm is profitable, or even if a cow is productive and healthy. [Read More …]

Lessons 2020 Taught Us

December 31, 2020 DairyBusiness News Team DP 0

If you would look back on headlines about dairy from a year ago, you would read that 2020 was expected to be an average or maybe even better than average year, with milk prices and [Read More …]

Dr. Kenneth Kalscheur’s investigations into the nutritive value of canola meal

December 31, 2020 DairyBusiness News Team DP 0

DairyBusiness has been in the forefront of extending some of the groundbreaking findings regarding the use of canola meal in dairy rations, with articles published November 2, 2019 and July 17, 2020. On March 16, [Read More …]

When Will You Find Time?

December 31, 2020 DairyBusiness News Team DP 0

This is a question I recently asked a new client of mine. Please allow me to explain my thought process. During our initial discussions and analysis, we had discovered several areas of his operation that [Read More …]

How Did 2020 Compare with 2018 and 2019?

December 31, 2020 DairyBusiness News Team DP 0

This post will show how 2020 YTD is compared to 2018 and 2019 for the dairy industry. Although not all data is in for 2020, there is enough available data to show how 2020 was [Read More …]

Someone at the Farm Tested Positive for COVID-19 — Now What?

December 31, 2020 DairyBusiness News Team DP 0

At this writing in Mid-December 2020, community spread of COVID-19 is gaining momentum in rural areas of New York. As employers, farmers have certain responsibilities when one of their workforce tests positive for COVID-19. Because farmworkers [Read More …]

Coaching vs Evaluations to Improve Ag Employee Performance

December 31, 2020 DairyBusiness News Team DP 0

One of the most difficult things farm managers have to master is coaching employees. Coaching enables employers to optimize the performance they desire. Once mastered you will see employees that understand goals and expectations more [Read More …]

The Case for Both DCAD Rations and Oral Calcium Near Calving

December 31, 2020 DairyBusiness News Team DP 0

Today’s dairy cows produce four times more milk than cows did a century ago.1 With this dramatic increase in production comes a greater demand for calcium, especially for colostrum and milk directly after calving. To [Read More …]

Compost bedded barns as an alternative housing option for lactating cows

December 31, 2020 DairyBusiness News Team DP 0

Introduction Compost bedded pack barns have become more prevalent in the last few years. This barn style started in the 1980’s in Virginia1 , and the idea is to improve cow comfort and longevity2 . [Read More …]

Software Innovation Allows Livestock Producers to More Quickly Determine Soybean Feed Value, Formulate Rations

December 31, 2020 DairyBusiness News Team DP 0

Illinois Soybean Association, Dalex reduce time required to identify soybean feed value at the variety level from three weeks to about two hours When the Illinois Soybean Association (ISA) checkoff-funded High Yield PLUS Quality (HY+Q) [Read More …]

CA: Highlights from the 2020 Dietary Guidelines Scientific Report

December 31, 2020 DairyBusiness News Team DP 0

Today, people are more concerned than ever about their health and well-being. The global COVID-19 pandemic has created a sense of anxiety and brought to light the alarming disparities that exist in the U.S. healthcare [Read More …]

Feed Saved – A Path to Breeding More Efficient Cows

December 4, 2020 DairyBusiness News Team DP 0

Feed represents the single largest expense on most dairy farms, and even small improvements can have important financial, environmental, and land use implications. We have made tremendous and well-documented gains in the efficiency of milk [Read More …]

‘Beast’ Shows Beauty of Dairy In Minecraft Game

December 4, 2020 DairyBusiness News Team DP 0

Amanda Freund shows “Mr. Beast” robotic milkers in action The Wi-Fi connection in our barn has worked flawlessly this year. I’ve done several virtual field trips for classrooms that went off without a hitch. But [Read More …]

Why Don’t You Just Go Away?

December 4, 2020 DairyBusiness News Team DP 0

John Ellsworth Hopefully, I caught your attention with this question. Please allow me to explain. Read on and see 3.a. below. Cal Newport in his fantastic book Deep Work defines “Deep Work” as: “…the ability [Read More …]

Retail is All We Got… and It Ain’t Looking That Hot

December 4, 2020 DairyBusiness News Team DP 0

Retail sales of dairy products were a little disappointing in October. Sales were up from last year for all of the major dairy products, but the pace of growth slowed between September and October. Natural [Read More …]

A Closer Look at Class I (Fluid) Milk Prices

December 4, 2020 DairyBusiness News Team DP 0

Under the current federal milk pricing system, Class I milk price (i.e., fluid sales) is treated as a product of Class III and Class IV prices. Whereas Class III and Class IV milk are traded [Read More …]

What Does Dairy Sustainability Mean to Me?

December 4, 2020 DairyBusiness News Team DP 0

Over 120 years ago, a family that milked cows by hand morning and night, carried calves with their bare arms, and grazed their cattle on lush, green pastures proved to be sustainable, providing for their [Read More …]

Cainthus Introduces ALUS Behavior, Allowing Large Dairies to Further Optimize Milk Production and Animal Welfare

December 4, 2020 DairyBusiness News Team DP 0

After the introduction of the award-winning product ALUS Nutrition, Cainthus now releases its second product for this year: ALUS Behavior. Large dairies now have access to valuable insights on cow behavior and cow comfort, pivotal [Read More …]

Negative Producer Price Differentials – What makes them negative and when will it change?

December 4, 2020 DairyBusiness News Team DP 0

Negative Producer Price Differentials (PPDs) are killing producer income. What is a PPD and what is its purpose? This post will examine why PPDs are negative and what it will take to make them positive. Some examples [Read More …]

Dairy Sense: By the Numbers

December 4, 2020 DairyBusiness News Team DP 0

“There is no one single area that determines whether a farm will have a competitive cost of production. It always comes back to the big picture and not getting lost in the details.” Production perspective: [Read More …]

2020 New England Green Pastures Award Cites Region’s Top Dairies

December 4, 2020 DairyBusiness News Team DP 0

Outstanding farm management always takes the spotlight, and the changes and challenges faced in 2020 can’t deter such attention to detail and excellence in agricultural production. Since 1947, the New England Green Pastures Award program [Read More …]

Does Your Culture Reflect Who You Want to Be as An Employer?

December 4, 2020 DairyBusiness News Team DP 0

How To Measure Your Farm Business Culture Why use an employee survey to measure culture? Sound employment practices geared toward attracting, training, retaining, and rewarding employees must reflect a clear understanding of employee views and [Read More …]

Management Tip: Protect Your Investment in Your Heifer Crop

December 4, 2020 DairyBusiness News Team DP 0

Protecting your investment in your heifer herd has never been more important. We tend to put a lot of emphasis on genetic progress with our breeding programs but sometimes fail to partner that with a [Read More …]

The food system cheats working people

December 4, 2020 DairyBusiness News Team DP 0

According to the USDA, Americans spend less on food as a percent of their incomes than anyone else in the world. This may seem like a good deal, especially for people who struggle to make [Read More …]

Updated Yield Forecasts to Benefit DRP in California, Two Other States

December 4, 2020 DairyBusiness News Team DP 1

On Friday, November 20, Federal Crop Insurance Corporation Board of Directors approved changes to Dairy Revenue Protection that are very important for dairy producers in California, Texas, and Illinois. The forecast model, used to project [Read More …]

California Water Update

December 4, 2020 DairyBusiness News Team DP 0

Water availability is a big deal to a dairy. Without an accessible and relatively clean water supply, dairy farming is not possible. Much of California enjoys a Mediterranean-style climate, where precipitation is not a year [Read More …]

Avoid These Calf Raising Bottlenecks

October 30, 2020 DairyBusiness News Team DP 0

Each dairy farmer has their own philosophy around the best way to raise calves. Every farm is different, and what works best on one farm may not work on another. Regardless of system, there are [Read More …]

California’s Planet-Smart Dairies: A Model for National Climate Efforts

California and Denmark Sign MOU on Climate Smart Dairy Collaboration

Dairy Promotion Checkoff: Evolving for Success

How to Get the Most Out of Your TMR Audit

Lessons 2020 Taught Us

Dr. Kenneth Kalscheur’s investigations into the nutritive value of canola meal

When Will You Find Time?

How Did 2020 Compare with 2018 and 2019?

Someone at the Farm Tested Positive for COVID-19 — Now What?

Coaching vs Evaluations to Improve Ag Employee Performance

The Case for Both DCAD Rations and Oral Calcium Near Calving

Compost bedded barns as an alternative housing option for lactating cows

Software Innovation Allows Livestock Producers to More Quickly Determine Soybean Feed Value, Formulate Rations

CA: Highlights from the 2020 Dietary Guidelines Scientific Report

Feed Saved – A Path to Breeding More Efficient Cows

‘Beast’ Shows Beauty of Dairy In Minecraft Game

Why Don’t You Just Go Away?

Retail is All We Got… and It Ain’t Looking That Hot

A Closer Look at Class I (Fluid) Milk Prices

What Does Dairy Sustainability Mean to Me?

Cainthus Introduces ALUS Behavior, Allowing Large Dairies to Further Optimize Milk Production and Animal Welfare

Negative Producer Price Differentials – What makes them negative and when will it change?

Dairy Sense: By the Numbers

2020 New England Green Pastures Award Cites Region’s Top Dairies

Does Your Culture Reflect Who You Want to Be as An Employer?

Management Tip: Protect Your Investment in Your Heifer Crop

The food system cheats working people

Updated Yield Forecasts to Benefit DRP in California, Two Other States

California Water Update

Avoid These Calf Raising Bottlenecks

What’s Your Communication Level? by John Ellsworth

Born of the Bond Series Premiere Shines Spotlight on Veterinary Care Deserts

Dairy’s Big GLP-1 Moment: 5 Risks Processors Need to Know

Summer Is Over: Use This Fall to Evaluate Summer Heat Stress