With economies of scale driving profitability, the trend toward larger but fewer U.S. dairy herds isn’t going away soon, according to a new report from the Rabobank Food & Agribusiness Research and Advisory group.

Sales volume was down, but lower raw milk prices continued to boost Dean Foods’ income, according to the company’s quarterly investor call held this week.

Mornings at my house are crazy busy! My farmer hubby milks his fresh cows and sick cows first thing in the morning, so he’s out the door super early.

Have you ever had to deal with conflict on your farm? Do you have a preparedness plan in place the next time a crisis hits? Or do you just feel like going somewhere that doesn’t have snow in the middle of January?

“Think global, act local.” This advice has again become popular in the dairy industry as exports have grown in importance to the U.S. market. The goal of this article is to provide actionable and usable takeaways to help you think about growing your business in an increasingly global environment.

The quality of colostrum – the nutrient-rich milk newborn dairy calves first drink from their mothers – can be predicted by the mother’s previous lactation performance and weather, according to new research from the New Hampshire Agricultural Experiment Station at the University of New Hampshire (UNH).

Editor’s note: The following article is the final article in a series from the author after a recent trip to observe China’s dairy industry. China was a significant importer of milk powder, accounting for 20 percent of the total global trading volume in 2013, importing more than 850,000 metric tonnes.

When faced with the facts, it’s hard to argue that production agriculture is not a dangerous line of work. Recently, I read a Forbes article that ranked farming and ranching as the fourth most deadly occupation in America.

With the growing costs of utilities, more dairy owners across the nation are turning to renewable energy alternatives. There are many benefits to using renewable energy, such as the long-term savings, less maintenance, decreasing your carbon footprint and even saving money on your taxes.

Producers nationwide know well the California Mastitis Test and the California Net Energy System. These now-commonplace industry tools began as research at the University of California, says Deanne Meyer, one of the university’s cooperative extension dairy specialists.