A father related this story to me. A young man hitched a ride out to visit with his daughter. Their home was about 10 miles from Mountain Home, Idaho. After an adequate visit, it turned out that the young man needed a ride home.

Replacement heifers play a vital role in maintaining herd size and replacing older cows. Proper calf nutrition prior to weaning can lead to increased daily gain, reduced age at first calving and increased production during first lactation.

National Dairy FARM Program launches at 2009 World Dairy Expo The National Milk Producers Association (NMPF), with support from Dairy Management, Inc. (DMI), formally launched the National Dairy FARM Program: Farmers Assuring Responsible Management, at a news conference during the 2009 World Dairy Expo in Madison, Wisconsin, unveiling key components of the voluntary, nationwide program designed to bring consistency and uniformity to animal care through education, on-farm evaluations and objective third-party verification.

Greg Jones NutriDense Silage Product Manager at BASF Plant Science in Durham, North Carolina

The phenomenon of backyard animal husbandry is spreading among urban folks with no farm background. They are choosing to raise fowl and small mammals to eat! The economy is the main factor but it apparently appeals to the “homegrown is better” mentality.

As producers, nutritionists and veterinarians, we are used to seeing molds on the farm. Molds are ubiquitous in the environment and it has been well documented that some of these molds have the ability to produce poisons known as mycotoxins.

A “fall slump” in milk production is a common occurrence on many dairy farms. It is characterized by some or all of the following: a moderate to large decrease in milk production, a decrease in intake, loose manure and cycling intakes.

Fertility is defined as the capability to produce offspring. For dairy cattle we make adjustments to the environment, the diet and reproductive protocols, all in hopes of improving our chances of producing offspring. Simply put, fertility is the basis of all reproductive challenges.

Small businesses are confronted by many different types of risk: production, marketing, financial, legal and human. Managers generally spend most of their time dealing with production, marketing, financial and legal risks and give little consideration to human resource risk and how the absence of key personnel can affect their business. This is a serious oversight because people are the key component in many risk management strategies.

There are some skilled people that I envy; good ropers, flat top guitar pickers and songwriters, to start with. I’ve always prided myself on my ability to build a good fence. But when I’m ridin’ the fenceline with a major domo wire wrangler and see him use fencing pliers with the dexterity of a surgeon tying knots, I realize my shortcomings.