Taking a world view of your operation’s production of quality milk is a critical factor in sustaining long-term profits. Think globally and you’ll have a better chance at sustained profits in a business environment where it’s never easy to predict just how, when and why new challenges – and new opportunities – may come.

Dairy calf feeds are normally low in functional fatty acids (butyric acid, medium-chain fatty acids, and linolenic acid – see Table 1) known to influence metabolism and immunity – and calves respond to their supplementation. Additionally, calf feeds are normally high in linoleic acid and, if it is increased in the diet, calf performance is often decreased.

Why do cows – rather rumens – behave differently on the same diet? We know that animal differences (i.e. age, parity, DIM, genetic potential) and management factors (i.e. crowding, time budgets, facilities) greatly affect production and animal health.

There was a time when dairy farming in the U.S. consisted primarily of the neighborhood dairy farm milking a handful of cows, requiring a few acres for hay and pasture, producing just a few gallons of milk per cow per day. If you would have told a dairy farmer at the turn of the 20th century that in 100 years a cow would be producing over 15 gallons of milk after she freshened, he would have looked at you like you were daft. About as ridiculous as a man flying in the sky with the birds. Well, today we have a behemoth industry in which the average dairy cow produces over 20,000 lbs of milk per lactation. We have better management, better genetics and better nutrition to thank for all that milk.

It is common knowledge that texting while driving a car increases your risk of an accident – even talking with a hands-free device requires the brain to multitask and can be risky behavior. The same goes for driving a tractor or using other heavy equipment. Today’s tech tools – like cell phones, music devices or tablets – are “tractor distractors” and are unsafe to use while operating heavy equipment.

The puck was two caps from teat dip drums joined together, but the black electrical tape that covered it lent it a feeling of authenticity. The sticks were sections of stiff plastic piping we tapped on cows’ thurls to head them towards the parlor. When the last cow on either side of us had a milker on, my father and I squared off in the middle of the pit.

There always seem to be folks who need to say something good, even at the worst of times. Like Mrs. Custer. She might have said, “Well, on the bright side, at least he was wearing clean undies.” Last spring on a gather we set out to find an evasive 300-lb steer; we’ll call him Rompy. We made a big circle and never found him but we did discover a leak in the water line. Just luck, maybe – but on the bright side, it made the ride worth it.

Olive pulp (also called olive pomace or olive cake) is what remains after olives are crushed and the olive oil is extracted. Olive pulp contains the pulp, skins, stones and water. The California Olive Oil Council reported that in September 2011 there were approximately 30,000 acres of olives for oil production in California and that there will be 5,000 new acres planted each year through 2020. The amount of olive pulp available as a byproduct feedstuff for ruminants will increase in the future.

Back in Timber’s youth he got a job helpin’ gather wild cattle out of the fields of an Arizona cotton farmer. He and his partner, Jessie, tried roping them but were unsuccessful. One, the cows only came into the field at night along with the native deer. Two, the horses were not nocturnally trained and wouldn’t get within a rope’s length of the stealthy beasts. Plan Two involved the use of a tranquilizer gun. The second night our boys arrived ‘loaded for bear,’ as they say, and began stalking their prey.