With summer and hay season already upon us, it’s too late for most producers to consider going through their balers with a fine-toothed comb, which is best done during off-season servicing.

Every milking parlor is unique in its configuration (i.e., herringbone, parallel, rotary or other variations), staffing levels, milking routine, shift duration, milking equipment and tools (i.e., cluster design, dip cup or spray, etc.), and other characteristics.

Equipment manufacturers often offer product support kits that make it easy to order everything needed to successfully upgrade, maintain and repair equipment.

More and more, it is becoming likely that the farmer sitting next to you at the local association meeting is “wired-in” to the virtual world. To be sure, as some of you read that first sentence your retort was, “I will never do that!”

Dairy farmer Kip Law of Sherburne, New York, has experienced some impressive changes after transitioning from an old tiestall facility into a new freestall barn. While this meant adjusting his management practices, the positive effects on herd health and productivity were almost immediate.

This guide is a climate specific extension of the summary article “Dairy Cooling: The Benefits and Strategies” (PDF, 478KB), which describes heat stress, its costs and consequences, and strategies for its mitigation.

In 2000, the first automatic milking system was installed in the U.S. Slow, then rapid, growth had robots popping up across the Midwest and Northeast; however, the technology wasn’t moving West – until now.

It’s the hottest thing in haymaking. For years, hay producers have obsessed over weather forecasts, watching with worried eyes as red digital rain clouds swept in their direction.

As owner of W D Farms, a manure application and trucking company, we’ve been hauling manure and other organic byproducts for land application since 1987.

The need for portable fuel transfer has always been an issue for farmers, but today with expanding farm operations, the need for safe and efficient fuel transfer is greater than ever.