In this episode of the Progressive Dairy Podcast, Editor Jenn Coyne visits with Alice Crothers of Long Green Farms in Maryland. Crothers is a member of the Holstein Foundation’s Young Dairy Leaders Institute Class 12 where she spent the last two years welcoming opportunities that allowed for personal and professional growth.

Feed cost, labor cost and availability, equipment cost and availability, calf marketing strategy, herd genetics, forage availability and cow age are all factors to consider when deciding to creep feed.

In a graduate-level nutrition class, I had an exchange with a professor that I still remember.

As breeding season approaches, it is worth reminding that timely supplementation to first-calf heifers may be warranted. 

When the weather is right and hayfields are mowed, there will be many farmers looking over the fence at pastures as an opportunity to make more bales. While it is important to get hay reserves built back up on your farm, I would caution producers against baling pastures.

While picking out the next herd sire is important, knowing how to adapt and manage a new herd sire is paramount to its success.

The decision to invest in your operation may be a difficult one this year. Here are a few areas of the farm and ranch to pay special attention to as you evaluate your operation needs and return on your investment.