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Our regular goin’-to-the-pasture rig, a one-ton, four-wheel-drive ’97 GMC diesel with 256,439 miles, was in the shop. So we brought out the ol’ standby: a 1969 Ford F-250 ¾-ton four-speed with split rims and a manual choke. It has a B&W turnover gooseneck ball made during the Civil War, I think.
Although the technology of sexed semen has been around for a while, many still question if it’s worth the investment. After all, the price of sexed semen for many producers is significantly higher than the cost of conventional semen.
It came as a surprise to me that there is a brisk hedgehog business in the country. It shouldn’t have. Earlier entrepreneurial promoters had done well with Chia Pets, pet rocks, longhorn cattle, ostriches and Humvees.
Hedgehogs (HH) are about the size of an orange with a pointy nose and spiny back. They bring to mind a cross between a pocket-porcupine and a scorpion fish.
As I enter my second year here in Washington, D.C., the topic of training arrived in my inbox. As Department of State Civilian Response Corps active members, we are required to complete eight weeks of training each year, so I glance at the schedule and list of courses.
One of the major factors determining dairy herd efficiency is the amount milk sold per cow per day of life. Several factors contribute to pounds of milk sold per day of life, but reproductive performance is a major contributor.
The two main reproduction influences on lifetime milk production are age at first calving and percentage of time a cow spends in the first months of lactation.
Active children need to be watered with milk. It's a more effective way of countering dehydration than a sports drink or water itself, say researchers at McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.
That's particularly important during hot summer weather, says Brian Timmons, research director of the Child Health and Exercise Medicine Program at McMaster and principal investigator of the study.
The July heat took its toll on both the value and the condition of America’s dwindling commercial cattle supply. All-time record heat waves swept through the parts of the country that have the highest concentrations of cattle on pasture and in confinement facilities. Not only was the average temperature in July of 88.9 degrees the hottest on record for Oklahoma, but it was the hottest average monthly temperature ever for any month in any state.
Hometown: Born in Luxembourg and grew up in Gustine, Texas.
My dairy background: I have three brothers, Benjamin, Andrew and Daniel, and my parents are Frank and Annette. My family has been in the dairy business for at least four generations. My family moved to Texas in 1993 from Luxembourg where we had a small dairy; we now milk approximately 3,300 cows in a 72-stall rotary.
Year in school and area of study: Senior at Texas A&M University studying agribusiness and ag economics as a double major with a certificate in dairy science.
Hometown: Everson, Washington.
My dairy background: My three siblings and I were born the fifth generation of American dairy farmers. We were raised on our family farm of 650 Holstein cows. Recently, our farm made the transition to our current herd of 150 Jersey cows. I raise and show Guernseys that are intermixed with my family’s herd. Working with multiple breeds has been a beneficial learning experience.
Year in school and area of study: Junior with an agricultural education major and animal science minor.
Hometown: Three Oaks, Michigan
My dairy background: I was born and raised on my family’s dairy and grain farm where we strive to breed all-around solid production cows with a niche for show animals. We milk about 130 Holsteins and Jerseys, and the farm has been in the Koebel name for four generations.
Year in school and area of study: I am entering my third year at MSU where I study agribusiness management.
If I wasn’t studying agriculture/dairy, I would be ... playing basketball in the WNBA (haha)
