As summer comes to an end, we must remember to keep our cool when it comes to heat abatement for our dairy herds. We may be enjoying some cooler weather, but for our high-producing dairy cows, the temperature is still running plenty warm for peak production. Days warmer than 10°C still can create problems in the holding pens and milking parlours where your cows are crowded together.

Lallemand Animal Nutrition (LAN), in partnership with the William H. Miner Agricultural Research Institute, has developed the Forage Center of Excellence in Chazy, New York, representing a significant investment in forage fermentation and microbiology research.

The Dairy Farmers of America’s Board of Directors has issued $29.6 million in patronage earnings to members of the cooperative. The allocation, which equals 7.5 cents per hundredweight, was made to members who marketed their milk through DFA in 2012.

The lack of federal government data collection has already impacted livestock markets. The impacts will grow exponentially if the situation persists for many more days. The most significant initial impacts are on business arrangements that base beef and cattle transactions on USDA price reports. 

A record number of aspiring and current agronomy professionals made a commitment to agronomy by taking their first step towards becoming a Certified Crop Adviser (CCA) in 2013. More than 2,200 individuals took the local board and international exams.

Purina Animal Nutrition’s new Accuration Block (AB), a balanced supplement for beef cows, is formulated to help cows maintain ideal body condition scores (BCS) by providing the nutrients cattle need to complement available forage.

Reports from South Dakota this week say blizzards that hit the state over the weekend have led to tens of thousands of dead cattle strewn across the prairie.

Digi-Star recently unveiled its new brand logo at World Dairy Expo. Built on the tagline “Precisely,” the refreshed look represents the company’s continued goal of providing customers with data that helps them make profitable management decisions.

Global agriculture firm H.J. Baker & Bro. Inc. (HJBB) says that all of its North American poultry and dairy feed additive manufacturing facilities recently earned the prestigious “Safe Feed/Safe Food” certification.

More than 22,300 students joined the National FFA Organization during the 2012-13 school year, according to the organization. FFA especially saw an explosion in membership throughout the U.S., Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands in the past year, with membership today standing at 579,678 students in grades 7-12. The number of new, local FFA chapters throughout the country has grown to 7,570.