Inbreeding continues to receive increasing attention on progressive dairy operations – and appropriately so. As profit margins continue to narrow, dairy producers are looking for alternative ways to sustain maximum profits while minimizing their inputs.

Neonatal calf loss within 48 hours of calving is re-emerging as a major issue for producers. Recent studies show an increase in calf losses, particularly in heifers, in dairy industries internationally. The problem is particularly important in Holsteins as they are the most widely used dairy breed globally.

Cow comfort plays a critical role in your herd’s reproductive management. Comfortable cows are less stressed, making them healthier, which drives up pregnancy rates. That’s why when you focus on cow comfort, your returns are more than just happier cows … Comfortable cows are profitable cows. Your herd grouping strategy can have an influence on reproductive performance, with transition cow strategies rightfully getting the most attention. These cows are your herd’s most important group. A good transition cow grouping strategy should promote dry matter intake (DMI) and reduce stress as much as possible.

Once again the gold, scarlet and orange leaves flutter to the ground, leaving the trees stark and bare against the blue sky. The dates on the calendar fly as quickly as the hour changes on a digital clock.

Machines – no farm or ranch can function without them. They save valuable time and are essential to agricultural productivity. They also represent an ever-present danger to the people who operate them. Machines are designed to use power, torque, motion and energy to perform work. They may be powered by power take-off drivelines, hydraulic oil pressure, electrical motors, internal combustion engines or ground traction. Regardless of how machines are powered, they present a number of hazards to those working around them.

Another day comes to an end. Dinner with our boys was eventful, as always, sharing the new adventures of kindergarten and preschool while trying to catch up with the day’s events with my husband all at once.

“[Extrapolation] is similar to interpolation, which produces estimates between known observations, but extrapolation is subject to … a higher risk of producing meaningless results.” —Wikipedia article on Extrapolation

It was a late Saturday afternoon when Donelle glanced out the front window and saw a cow, one lone cow, standing on her front porch. She did not look docile or friendly like some cows do. This one had a wild look in her eye. Donelle was pretty sure the cow came from a bunch that Mr. Mark had unloaded into a nearby pasture near the Mariposa County fairgrounds several weeks ago.

I was talking to Okie. He’s the farm dog. He doesn’t care to go out on the range with the cow dogs. His job is mostly guarding, barking and putting up a big front. He does it well. I found him under one of the trucks. He’d dug a little bed in the dirt. It was in the shade. He seemed to be pondering. “So,” I asked, “what are ya thinking?” “School,” he said, “maybe goin’ to college.”

I flew my Mooney aircraft to the southeast corner of Nebraska, landing in Beatrice. While visiting a good friend there, I found myself embedded in the farm communities quite different than ours in Michigan. Let me describe my visit. Center pivot irrigation is king. And this year, especially so. Most crop fields are irrigated – and those that are not really suffered with the dry year. The dryland corn yielded 40 to 60 bushel corn, and the irrigated corn, while not yet harvested, is expected to be just under normal.