Late summer means the fall planting season is upon us. In the coming weeks, hundreds of thousands of acres will be planted. Here are some key considerations to help ensure your plantings are successful and cost-effective.

DuPont and The Dow Chemical Company announced in December 2015 that their boards of directors unanimously approved a definitive agreement under which the companies will combine in an all-stock merger of equals.

On Sept. 1, 2016, Syngenta will transfer sales and distribution of alfalfa seed to the Nexgrow branded business that is part of Forage Genetics International (FGI).

Steve Osborne
Sales Representative
Brodie Ag & Industrial Inc.
Guelph, Ontario

Dannon has begun marketing yogurt made with non-genetically modified ingredients. Increasing global demand for pizza cheese is good news for the U.S. dairy industry. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is allowing milk processors to add more vitamin D. This and other U.S. dairy industry news can be found here.

Meet Katie Sowers. She is a junior at Greenwood High School in Millerstown, Pennsylvania. Or should I say, she is a very busy junior in high school. She’s involved with many activities, including FFA, serving as historian in her local 4-H Club, showing Ayrshires and Holsteins, and participating in Pennsylvania Junior Holstein activities.

Mastitis is the most common disease and the leading cause for antibiotic use on dairy farms. Due to consumer demand, antibiotic use is becoming more scrutinized in animal agriculture. This year at the National Mastitis Council meeting, Dr. Pamela Ruegg from the University of Wisconsin – Madison discussed how treatment practices could lower antibiotic use on farms and save money. Ruegg listed five steps and considerations for making optimum mastitis treatment decisions.

The Bateman family’s history of dairy farming in Utah spans 150 years. With nine members of the next generation considering dairy farming, its future is already taking shape.

It’s estimated that cows, along with the process of milking, produce 20 gallons of manure and 10 gallons of water per cow per day. Add this up and consider the need for six months of storage plus extra storage for a 25-year, 24-hour storm event. When you multiply this across the herd, it’s easy to see where the need for larger lagoons comes in.