-
What profitable dairymen know is that you’ve always got to be expanding to survive. Being progressive requires it. But what do you do when you can’t? Find a way. This issue is full of examples of producers who have done just that.
For example, take t...
-
Heat helps ice cream sales ... just less than expected Northeast milk supplies remain very heavy.
One manager commented that the Fourth of July weekend and aftermath is a hurdle to get over in handling the milk supply in the context of weaker demand.
...
-
Class I demand remains in the summer slump. Retail feature activity is generally limited.
Class II interest (outside of ice cream) is steady to lighter after the recent push for consumer products such as dips, whipped cream and sour cream for the holiday...
-
California milk production is beginning to be affected by the hot conditions. Early indications are that milk is down from 3 to 10 percent at the plant level.
Fluid milk movement remains light. Class I sales are flat and reflective of summertime orders. ...
-
Editor’s note: The following are available market reports and futures data as of July 11, 2008.
Butter The butter price at the Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CMT) Group cash market trended lower. Churning schedules over the past Fourth of July holiday p...
-
WISCONSIN
Groups ask for Senate hearing on farmers’ co-op Organizations are alleging the nation’s largest dairy cooperative has engaged in unfair business practices.
The 25 agriculture and consumer groups are asking the U.S. Senate for immediate p...
-
Yet another challenge to a common dairy practice recently crossed my desk. This time it is a proposal by the USDA under the Animal Welfare Act to regulate how newborn calves are treated from birth to about eight weeks old. Though only a proposed rule, it ...
-
You have most likely heard the expression that bigger isn’t always better. In my conversations, I find that many dairymen tend to disagree with that statement. Economies of scale spread over sound management have allowed producers over the past five yea...
-
One year ago in the May 2007 issue of Progressive Dairyman, I was asked to write an article on feed price direction. By using basic fundamental analysis, a dose of futuristic forward thinking and some technical analysis on historical price patterns in com...
-
How much genetic improvement do you make in the absence of a pregnancy? None. How much milk will be created without a pregnancy? None. How much money will a dairy make without milk? None.
So, getting cows pregnant is obviously one of the most important f...
-
High temperatures have adverse repercussions on herd health and productivity. Proper management and nutrition strategies are used to minimize the impact of heat stress in dairy cattle, reducing the associated economic losses.
Temperature and humidity are...
-
With input costs on a continual rise, the words feed efficiency are the latest buzzwords. Feed efficiency has long been a cornerstone for the livestock industry, and dairy producers should help feed managers realize the value of the calculation to ensure ...
-
Heat detection always requires some degree of human intervention. This is because our only indication of estrus is the cow’s abnormal behavior. Consider these facts:
1. The average cow is in heat 10 of 504 hours of her estrus cycle (10 hours out of eve...
-
As a holistic veterinarian, I am gratified that many of the trends affecting the dairy industry today appear to be moving the industry toward a more holistic approach to animal husbandry and away from some of the “factory farm” concepts that have gain...
-
It used to be that milk was “just white stuff” that got traded under some archaic system where the price was determined by the distance you were from Wisconsin (or the power of Midwest politicians). Now you have choices: conventional milk which has a ...
-
Almost 100 dairy producers and industry representatives participated in the Minnesota Milk Producers’ second annual Summer Bus Tour, held in mid-June. The two-day tour covered five dairies in western Wisconsin and was sponsored in part by the University...
-
Thirty years of standing over an air-hammer breaking out perfectly good dairy barn floors because the top eighth of an inch on the surface is wrong gives someone a lot of time to think, “There has to be a better way!”
Is it possible to install a floo...
-
With milk prices having reached near record highs just a year ago and the outlook for international demand for U.S. dairy products remaining strong, it is understandable for dairy producers to be looking at future expansion plans. However, these plans sh...
-
Building a new milking facility is a stressful time for everyone involved, especially the cows. In the midst of stress, it’s absolutely critical that you focus on the cows – their performance and health ultimately dictate the profitability of the new ...
-
Maurie and Rita Young, owners of Emerald Spring Dairy in Plainview, Minnesota, saw an opportunity in November 2005 to expand their 500-cow operation. Heijwood Dairy, a neighboring farm located directly across the highway from their farm, went up for sale....
Re: purebred guernseys
Posted on Saturday, 08 June 2013 by Ron.Hello! Brooke I am an old retired beef cattle rancher living in...
Re: Les Hansen on crossbreeding: Video footage from 2013 World Ag Expo
Posted on Thursday, 30 May 2013 by Howard Whitmore.Les, Excellant data and explanation. It was the toughest decision I...
Re: HERd management: Tackling the tough questions
Posted on Tuesday, 28 May 2013 by Alison T.I appreciate this sane and thoughtful information. I've got a...