A groundbreaking agreement has been reached between the UK, U.S. and Canada, which will shape the future of dairy cattle breeding in these three countries. Through a three-way collaboration, genomic information for many thousands of bulls will be shared, which will benefit the farming and cattle breeding industries in each participating country.

One does need to ask where the grass is. The snow still covers the ground,

Jim Glassford, AgriLabs VP of Marketing, announced the availability of the newest in AgriLabs line of cattle biological products. "MpB Guard provides producers with a safe, efficacious, two-dose vaccine that aids in the prevention of respiratory disease and the potential loss caused by Mycolpasma bovis,” he said. "Vaccinating calves at 45 days of age with a mixture of M. bovis isolates, their soluble antigens and the Life-II adjuvant system, will help protect these young, susceptible calves early in life.”

What a pleasure I had attending the Western Canadian Dairy Seminars in Red Deer, Alberta, this spring. While there was still plenty of snow and freezing temperatures, the great company and brewing coffee kept a soul warm.

More milk and components from each kilogram of feed is the basis for the feed efficiency equation. In countries where production caps have not been set, this idea resonates well since maximized production most often translates to additional revenue for the dairy.

In connection with the Alltech 27th Annual International Animal Health and Nutrition Symposium being held in Lexington, Kentucky from May 22-25, 2011, Alltech is launching the first Farming Film Festival. The Farming Film Festival tasks budding videographers to tell a farmer’s game changing story. Following the theme of Alltech’s Symposium, The Game Changers, video submissions should focus on an idea or technology that helps farmers meet the tough challenges in their career.

The American Association of Bovine Practitioners condemns willful acts of animal abuse such as those videotaped on the calf ranch in Hart, Texas. The AABP represents 5,000 beef and dairy cattle veterinarians from the United States, Canada and numerous other countries distributed around the world. Humane care and handling of all animals is a key commitment made by the veterinary profession. Veterinarians have an ethical obligation to treat animals humanely.

With rising commodity costs, it is increasingly important to protect and preserve feed quality from harvest to feedout. The period prior to spring planting provides an opportunity for producers to evaluate current silage management practices and explore options to improve this year’s crop storage.

The following article was submitted to Progressive Forage Grower from Damon Carson, who offers innovative ideas on reusing what some may consider to be "junk" materials. Look for future articles from this author, and be sure to submit your own repurpose ideas to editor@progressiveforage.com.

Old crop corn prices declined sharply in the first half of March as it appeared that high prices had sufficiently slowed the rate of consumption.  However, a continued high rate of ethanol production, a resurgence of export sales, and larger livestock inventories provided evidence that consumption had not slowed.