The dairy industry is in uncharted waters with the rollercoaster feed and milk prices over the last 15 months. Given the high feed prices and sudden decrease in the milk price, farmers may be tempted to cut corners or cheapen their feeding programs to save money.

Have you ever thought of yourself as a navigator? The Webster’s Dictionary definition I will use for navigator is, “To operate or control the course of” (i.e., your dairy). The waters rise and fall with the tide, so how safe is your boat to sail in low tide?

Good help is hard to find and often painful to lose. Hispanic workers have proven to be a much-wanted source of hardworking, dependable labor for employers. Under the shadow of increased immigration enforcement, accessing this labor and retaining it have become a matter of increased priority.

From diaryeditor's BLOG • May 2, 2009

The following comments were made in testimony before the U.S. House of Representatives Subcommittee on General Farm Commodities and Risk Management.

After visiting and analyzing data from thousands of dairies in her career, Pamela Ruegg, DVM, MPVM, Dipl. ABVP (Dairy Practice), can attest that there is no better way to deal with mastitis than through accurate records of detection and treatment.

Today’s milk price environment has everyone looking to reduce expenditures and improve efficiency. We’re constantly challenged to offer suggestions for calf and heifer nutrition programs.

Over the past few months I’ve heard producers asking, “Where can I make cuts in the parlor to lower my cost of production?”

Feed cost evaluation is an important part of managing your dairy business, especially in these economic times of low milk prices and high input costs. Of these input costs, feed expenditures represent the single greatest expense, accounting for approximately 45 percent of the total cost of milk production.

The answer to the question “Why artificially inseminate heifers?” is quite simple: to increase the number of genetically superior heifers available for herd replacement and sale.