As the calving season wraps up, breeding season is just around the corner. While the focus is on getting cows bred, it’s also an important time to review the causes of pregnancy loss.

Progressive Dairy interviewed Will Loux, senior vice president of global economic affairs at National Milk Producers Federation (NMPF), along with Paul Bleiberg, executive vice president of government relations at NMPF, to learn more about the economic outlook for the dairy industry in the coming year. 

What’s normal for beef cattle? The pastoral scene is common in many beef cattle systems in the eastern U.S. Calving occurs outdoors, where the air is fresh and the environment is clean. What is the message for dairy, and can we do better? What are the focus areas we should consider?

The point of this whole story is that my mom is downsizing. Downsizing is an unemotional word that actually means “ripping your heart out.” Downsizing is emptying your life out of closets and boxes and drawers and arranging it onto the floor in piles. Downsizing is deciding which pieces of your past should be donated, sold or thrown away.

Selecting cattle that match the forage resources and environment of an operation is essential for long-term success. But how can producers identify and select animals that will maintain body condition throughout the grazing season?

When the words “precision feeding” come up, dairy producers usually have one of two very distinct reactions: excitement or hesitation. There are three easy precision feeding technologies outlined in this article that could help dairy farms maximize their current operations.