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As the age of farm operators increases, transferring the ownership and management of the family business to the next generation will become one of the most important issues farm families will face. While many farmers dream of seeing their legacy passed on...
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Research and practical on-farm experience over the years has shown us that grouping cows according to age, nutritional needs and milk production at specific stages of the lactation can provide an economic benefit to many dairy farms. The dairy farmer who...
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The following is the first of a two-part series discussing design specifications for feed and water spaces in freestall barns.
Two basic ingredients in the production of milk are feed and water. Therefore, careful attention must be given to the design a...
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Ethanol production in the United States totaled almost five billion gallons in 2006, about one billion gallons more than in 2005. While this was a significant increase, further expansion in the industry is continuing, with production expected to exceed 10...
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“Hey, Doc, my cows are eating dirt. Waddya got for that?”
A few years ago, I posed this question at several dairy seminars in the Midwest: “Do your animals chew on wood or eat dirt if they have the chance?” A few said their cows would chew on woo...
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Both conventional and organic dairies rely on vaccination programs to help prevent infectious diseases in cattle. However, it could be argued that maximizing every bit of benefit from a vaccination program is even more crucial in organic dairies, since tr...
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“Promising” is often not the word used to describe the Farm Bill process. Frustrating, maybe. Controversial, frequently. Disappointing, sometimes. But promising? Seldom!
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Large dairies often make easy targets for protestors and activists. Similarly, organic dairies often come under fire. So what about a large dairy that’s also organic? While most people don’t normally think of “large” and “organic” in the same ...
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Nutritionist Terry Dvorachek is in expansion mode. That’s because his clients are, too. Within a few weeks, Mountain View Dairy in Luxemburg, Wisconsin, will open a new freestall barn and expand its herd from 600 to 1,100 cows. To prepare for the expans...
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Molds and yeasts are found in silage, grain or hay fed to dairy cattle. Under the right conditions, some of the molds and yeasts produce toxins that affect the performance of dairy cattle in a negative manner. Some producers may be faced with the challeng...
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Feed cost is the biggest concern for today’s dairy producers. The price of commodities such as cottonseed and soybeans, continues to drive up the cost of dairy rations. Today, nutritionists have to be able to identify the real feeding cost and help dair...
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In almost all biological systems, it is important that pH not deviate much from a fixed value. For example, for blood to carry oxygen from the lungs to tissue, pH must be maintained very close to 7.4. When rumen pH is either too high or too low, microbial...
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After several years of relatively cheap grain prices, corn and soybean prices have increased significantly. The increase is primarily due to greater demand for corn and soybeans to produce ethanol and biodiesel. Most economists suggest that these higher p...
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Once upon a time there was a Grasshopper. He loved to dance and sing. All day in the summer he danced and sang to his heart’s content. He watched the ants carrying bits of grain and corn into their tunnels. He laughed at their labors.
One ant warned hi...
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Fee-for-environmental services organization created to meet dairy industry challenges
Faced with a rising tide of water quality regulations that threaten to swamp its members’ livelihoods, Western United Dairymen (WUD) has created a fee-for-service or...
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Grassland Oregon announces new high-sugar grass mix for overseeding
Grassland Oregon announces the introduction of Pasture Sweet’ner, a SucraSEED mix created specifically for overseeding existing pastures.
The new product is specifically formulated f...
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A big debate rages about the five-year $286 billion Farm Bill being considered by Congress. Its supporters on congressional ag committees are mostly from farm states, which is to be expected.
At the same time:
• The percent of unionized laborers in th...
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Well, it’s official; I’m an adult. I know this, not because I’m married and have two kids or because my hair is thinning. I know this because I’m starting to think like my dad. Or at least I’m starting to understand what he meant when he’d say...
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Dairy producers from Idaho are invited to attend the 2007 United Dairymen of Idaho Annual Meeting to be held at the Boise Centre on the Grove October 24-26.
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Cows cool themselves primarily by evaporating water from their body surface and their respiratory tract during hot weather. The body evaporation process in cattle is in a vapor form emanating from pore-like structures. The cow can sweat only to a limited ...
Re: Two dairymen are making profits with sprout fodder systems
Posted on Friday, 22 March 2013 by Kyle.This is the future of feed!
Re: Why conserve nutrients?
Posted on Friday, 22 March 2013 by Jan Sloot.good and informative article. Crops need the nutrients available and on...
Re: Two dairymen are making profits with sprout fodder systems
Posted on Thursday, 21 March 2013 by Rebecca.What about the water it took to produce the barley seed? Balancing a...