After a brief period of excellent milk prices and reasonable feed prices, the dairy industry is once again slipping back toward a break-even mode of production. Hopefully, that won’t be long-lived.

Milk pricing for most dairy farmers in the U.S. is based on the pounds of milk components shipped.

Peak milk is not only the highest point in the lactation curve, but it is also a direct result of your dedication to proper prefresh and fresh cow management.

Feed efficiency (FE) can be defined as pounds of 3.5 percent FCM (fat-corrected milk) produced per pound of dry matter (DM) consumed.

When Heinz Held’s great-grandfather, then age 12, arrived in Chile from Germany in the 1850s he paid a minimal sum for a large tract of heavily forested land.

It is in all milk producers’ interests to continually drive for greater efficiency in their businesses.

As corn prices hovered near $3.50 per bushel, feed cost per cow per day increased over 80 cents per 100 pounds, while record milk prices occurred in July 2007. In 2007-2008, milk price will need to increase $1 per hundredweight to cover higher corn grain, hay, cottonseed and silage costs.

Water is one of the most basic, yet important things we can supply for our cows. Despite the central role that water plays in mammalian physiology, we tend to take it for granted.

The science behind building a ration that optimizes milk production and improves herd health is highly coveted. To formulate a performance-focused diet, nutritionists depend on quality feed ingredients as the basis for ration development.

Do extra vitamins help? Today there are fewer cows producing more milk. Cows have become more efficient.