Skid-steer loaders have become an essential piece of equipment on modern dairy farms. Today’s skid-steer loaders are fast, powerful and, most importantly, versatile – helping you tackle all the tasks at hand on any given workday on the farm.

A common malady we encounter when owning and operating farm trucks and equipment is fluid leaks. Today’s trucks and equipment are more sophisticated and complex than ever before.

Heat stress is a major concern for calves. Research has proven calves suffer from heat stress in much the same way cows do. A calf’s temperature threshold can be easily reached during summer months.

Is your farm energy-efficient? How can you tell? If you add up all of your electricity use for a year that is used for milk harvesting or cow housing and divide by the number of milking cows, you will likely be in the range of 800 to 1,200 kilowatt-hours per cow per year.

What are the most important aspects to keeping cows comfortable? How can dairy farmers realistically improve cow comfort? Why is comfort such a focus today?

The first annual Indiana Dairy Forum, held in historic French Lick on Feb. 1-2, kicked off with an interactive, hands-on presentation to improve parlor function and milk quality featuring a milking system simulation, “Understanding Your Parlor’s Function,” by Dr. Roger Thomson from Battle Creek, Michigan.

Providing a comfortable environment for the animals under our care is fundamental to what it means to be a good dairy farmer and is something we take pride in as an industry. This is one reason why cow comfort features prominently in dairy industry standards, including the Farmers Assuring Responsible Management (FARM) Program.

When mowing hay, numerous management decisions contribute to total yield, forage quality and stand longevity.

“Sixty-five percent of today’s students will be involved in jobs that don’t exist yet.” Sounds crazy, right? But the 2013 U.S. Department of Labor report that made this claim is likely closer to the truth than many of us can imagine.

Parlor efficiency is critical to the profitability of all dairies regardless of size. A recent study showed the pounds of milk harvested per parlor stall per hour is one of the three most important factors influencing a dairy’s profitability. If a dairy can milk one additional parlor side per hour, the financial impact is huge, and labor costs and capital costs remain the same.