Progressive Dairy

May 7, 2014 issue: Checkoff Watch

May 6, 2014

Click here to download a PDF of the latest Dairy Checkoff in Action provided by Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy. PD

Pennsylvania, Indiana dairy producers meet for day of learning

May 6, 2014

Jam-packed with seven northern Indiana farm visits ranging from 200 to 3,000 cows, the March 2014 Spring Dairy Tour by the Professional Dairy Managers of Pennsylvania (PDMP) gave Northeast producers a look at Midwest dairy farming through the eyes of the owners and managers who touch 40,000 of the Hoosier state’s 178,000 cows.

158 days and counting

May 6, 2014

Karen Lee

As the first shovels of dirt were turned at the groundbreaking ceremony for the New Holland Pavilions at the Alliant Energy Center in Madison, Wisconsin, the countdown also began. From that moment on April 11, there are 158 days for construction crews to complete the new 290,000-square-foot pavilions by mid-September, just in time for World Dairy Expo, Sept. 30 through Oct. 4.

Relationship between milk price, several economic indicators

May 6, 2014

Katie Krupa

With the high level of volatility in milk prices in recent years and even recent months, many people look to other economic indicators and indexes to see if a pattern exists. In order to get an idea of any correlations, I tracked milk prices with the consumer confidence index, crude oil price, gross domestic product and disposable personal income.

How you bring new employees on board matters

May 6, 2014

Stacy Nichols and Matt Wood

Have you ever hired new employees only to have them leave within a few weeks or months? Unfortunately, this is all too common on our dairies these days. Employee turnover costs time in having to train multiple new employees, but it also costs your dairy money due to the reduced productivity of both employees and trainers during the training period.

Dairymen to test-drive new handheld moisture monitor

May 6, 2014

Walt Cooley

Two dairies that will test-drive a new handheld feedstuff moisture monitor as part of Progressive Dairyman’s first-ever peer technology user group say they want to use and evaluate the device to determine its effectiveness on their farms. Jim Winn of Cottonwood Dairy in South Wayne, Wisconsin, and Jack Pirtle of P7 Dairy in Roswell, New Mexico, both recently received a new Moisture Tracker from Wisconsin-based Digi-Star.

It’s official: Soy milk is a valid food name

May 6, 2014

Ryan Miltner

In a court decision issued late last year, a federal judge determined that soy milk and almond milk are not deceptively labeled. In the judge’s opinion, “even the least-discerning consumers” could readily determine that the products do not contain dairy ingredients. In my opinion, that might be a bit of a stretch. I will claim to have known some not-so-discerning customers.

3 Open Minutes with David Loberg & James Moll

May 6, 2014

Walt Cooley

This month a new feature-length cinematic documentary about six young farmers and ranchers from around the country, Farmland, will open in U.S. theaters. The movie was produced by Allentown Productions with financial support from the U.S. Farmers & Ranchers Alliance. Progressive Dairyman Editor Walt Cooley spoke with the film’s director James Moll and one of the movie’s real-life farmers, David Loberg of Carroll, Nebraska.

Mixing it up: Design, selection and use of TMR mixers

May 6, 2014

Brian D. Luck

TMR mixers are utilized for batch mixing feed rations for dairy cows. TMR mixers allow the use of a variety of feeds (dry hay, silage and haylage, grain, etc.) to be blended into a ration that provides the desired nutritional requirements for the animal.

Ag equipment manufacturer talks equipment trends, efficiency

May 6, 2014

Lynn Jaynes

We asked a major ag original equipment manufacturer, Case IH, questions relating to equipment trends, efficiency and new ag machinery laws popping up around the country. Several professionals from their company team had this to say: