Magazine

Times are tough for farmers across the nation, milk prices are low and dairy producers have been hit hard by tariffs on the products they export to some of our major dairy trading partners. This [Read More …]

Widespread Concern Increases Over Lack of Evidence for Controversial USDA Upheaval of Research Arm

American Statistical Association calls on Congress to intervene, requests independent analysis of department’s claims The US Department of Agriculture (USDA)’s reorganization plan, which would relocate a key agricultural research agency outside Washington, DC, has drawn [Read More …]

Illinois Dairy Farmer Participates in McDonald’s Sustainability Experience

McDonald’s hosted a McCafé Sustainability Journey Experience in downtown Chicago on Nov. 29. The event was designed to bring consumers to a Columbian coffee farm and show how McDonald’s is committed to making McCafé beverages [Read More …]

CA: California Dairy Quality Assurance Program Celebrates 20 Years

In honor of the 20th anniversary of the California Dairy Quality Assurance Program (CDQAP), the California Dairy Research Foundation (CDRF) released a new document highlighting the impact that CDQAP has had on the environment and [Read More …]

CA: USDA Invests in California Water Management

USDA is investing more than $449M to help build an innovative water management system U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue has announced the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is investing more than $449 million to [Read More …]

CA: Dairyman Valadao Defeated in Reelection Bid

Three-term Congressman David Valadao (R-CA) was defeated in his bid for reelection from his central California district in Kings and Fresno counties. He was one of very few in Congress with an active affiliation with [Read More …]

Checkoff Partner Strategy Crucial to Driving Short- and Long-Term Sales

At a time when dairy farmers face continued uncertainty that impacts their farm businesses – from commodity pricing, input costs and global trade and market conditions – there remains one constant: a checkoff approach and [Read More …]

The New Normal?

October Class and Component Prices were announced October 31. Prices were mixed resulting in a 3.5% drop in the Class III price to $15.53/cwt. That is a pretty normal price based on current history. This [Read More …]

EPA Proposes to Clarify EPCRA Release Reporting Exemption for Animal Farms

On October 30, 2018, EPA proposed to amend the emergency release notification regulations under the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act (EPCRA) to exempt air emissions from animal waste from federal reporting requirements. This amendment would clarify [Read More …]

Six Steps to Troubleshooting a Milk Quality Issue

Last year, nearly 9.4 million dairy cows in the U.S. produced 215 billion pounds of fluid milk.1 With that much milk, you could fill 3,100 large tanker trucks, take a dip in 38 Olympic-sized swimming [Read More …]

Calf Care Essentials: Four Pillars for Newborn Success

Build a solid foundation for calf health and productivity No matter how long you’ve been raising calves, it’s important to help build a solid foundation for each new arrival. The four pillars of calf care [Read More …]

Midwest Dairy Over the Moon About Reaching the Next Generation of Consumers

Moo Lab pop-up events at Iowa State University and University of Minnesota catch dreamy results. Got milk? If you’re a member of the Frappuccino-sipping Generation Z, the answer is yes, but with a twist. Gen [Read More …]

Getting it Right: Feeding Calves in a Group Housing Facility

In the sixth free webinar of the DeLaval Calf College series, Dr. Robert James, PhD., reviewed the options for feeding calves in group housing facilities. He noted that a successful group calf feeding operation provides [Read More …]

CA: Trade, Farm Bill and Water Topics for Fresno State Agribusiness Conference

In what might be the understatement of the year, Dr. Terry Barr of CoBank asserted today’s low commodity prices “are not comfortable for most producers, given their cost structures.” With the cost of inputs increasing [Read More …]

CA: Dairy Council Releases Trends Report

To forecast food and nutrition issues likely to impact the dairy industry in future years, the Dairy Council of California has released the fall edition of its 2018 Dairy Industry Trends Report. Produced twice a year, the report is a resource for [Read More …]

New Products: Harvest Tec Introduces Dew Maker for Dry Hay

A new product is coming to the aid of alfalfa growers in arid climates. Harvest Tec, an inventor company and purveyor of tools and technology for making better quality hay has introduced its new Dew [Read More …]

New Products: SecuraTrac® Introduces Tiny, Powerful MobileDefender™ Model S

New Wake on SOS feature extends battery life, improves convenience for mobile workers SecuraTrac®, a leading provider of mobile health and safety solutions focused on senior safety, employee well-being and the healthcare industry, announces its next [Read More …]

New Products: AGCO Introduces New White Planters 9500VER and 9700VER Precision Planting-ready Toolbars

New vacuum electric ready toolbars can be fully customized with Precision Planting components The White Planters™ line now includes two new toolbars, available to meet the varying needs of producers across the country for Precision [Read More …]

How Could the Dairy Market Be Impacted by the Global Economy in 2019?

See the big picture. With more outlooks for more global financial and commodity markets than any other conference, INTL FCStone’s Global Markets Outlook can change how you see the markets going forward. INTL FCStone will [Read More …]

California’s First Cluster of Dairy Digesters

Calgren Renewable Fuels and Maas Energy Works Partner with a Dozen Dairies An open house on Oct. 25 highlighted California’s first cluster of dairy digesters. A partnership organized by Calgren Renewable Fuels will be processing [Read More …]

Has the formula for dairy farm profit changed?

We are in for a bumpy ride in milk prices for the remainder of 2018 This will be the fourth year in a row that milk prices have not allowed most farms to make enough [Read More …]

“Poking the Box”

I recently finished reading a great book by Seth Godin entitled Poke the Box. I would encourage you to read it as well. It certainly got my thinking going about changes I want to initiate [Read More …]

Class I Milk Crash Accelerates

November 4, 2018 DairyBusiness News Team DP 1

There are lots of headlines in the dairy news that milk production is continuing to grow. There may be fewer cows, but the remaining cows are producing more milk. This post will look at the [Read More …]

Designing a Large Herd Dairy with Robotic Milking Units

Herd management, milk transport, cow walking distances, manure management and ventilation are viewed in a whole new light when designing a barn for a large herd. However, cow comfort and flow, labor efficiency, design flexibility [Read More …]

National Association of Animal Breeders Holds 72nd Annual Convention

The Annual meeting of the National Association of Animal Breeders (NAAB) was held September 18-19, 2018 at the Radisson Hotel and Convention Center in Green Bay, Wisconsin. Meeting agenda included the Business session, election of [Read More …]

Five Secrets to Winter Teat Health

Update your milk quality program now to be ready when winter hits. Frozen teats? Ouch. Elevated somatic cell counts and clinical mastitis? No, thank you. It’s time to prepare your milk quality program for winter. [Read More …]

Avoiding the Dreaded Silage Slump

In “The corn conundrum,” we looked at some of the causes of the dreaded “fall slump.” Now we will look at some of the ways to prevent the slump as well as tools to help [Read More …]

Repeat Breeders: The Challenges And Opportunities

It is well known that approximately 60% of dairy cows during the first 100 days will fail to conceive to the first insemination, and therefore, will be subjected to additional management such as resynchronization and subsequent inseminations. A cow that [Read More …]

Technology Changing Life on the Dairy Farm

Technology is changing the way dairy farmers work, especially when it comes to data. More and more resources are available to collect data on nearly every aspect of a dairy, but with that opportunity comes [Read More …]

CA: What Does President Trump’s Water Memo Mean?