We use cookies to provide you with a better experience. By continuing to browse the site you are agreeing to our use of cookies in accordance with our Cookie Policy.
Rosser Farm Holsteins, named for the nearest village, is a leader in Manitoba’s dairy industry.
Brothers Henry and Tony Holtmann are third-generation dairy farmers in the operation established by their grandfather in 1929.
Grandfather was a cream producer, shipping cans to Winnipeg by train. He had pride in his purebred Holstein herd and showed his cows, even traveling on occasion to Toronto for the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair. In 1961, Dad took over, and the brothers in 1995.
How to effectively cool cows is an ongoing conversation. One option gaining interest is evaporative cooling with the use of cooling cells.
We know cows are most comfortable at temperatures in the range of -5°C to 15°C. However, in summer, it is impossible to get temperatures to this optimum range. What could we gain if we could get it much closer?
“I believe the biggest benefit is any time you can drop the temperature in the barn during the warmer months, let’s say when temps reach above 20°C outside, the cows’ dry matter intake will not drop as much,” says Terry Lebold, Lebold Farms LTD.
Genomics offers new opportunities for female selection. Breed associations, some A.I. companies and other organizations involved in genetic testing now offer programs for the genotyping of females based on the collection of tissue samples such as hair, nasal swabs or blood.
This article was #21 of the Top 25 most well-read articles on www.progressivedairy.com in 2012. to jump to the article and watch the videos. It was published in the February 13, 2012 Extra. Click here for the full list of the Top 25.
Progressive Dairyman Editor Walt Cooley interviewed several dairy extension specialists in February about what they thought would make dairy news in 2012. Topics included price and availability of forage, dairy processing expansion, milk prices and immigration.
Dairy cows are often grouped according to age, days in milk, feed requirements and health status. To create these groupings, cows are often moved to new groups four or more times per lactation.
At each regrouping, cows are mixed with unfamiliar herdmates, resulting in changes in group composition and dynamics.
Weather conditions in regions throughout North America have placed a great deal of pressure on cattle ranchers and dairy farmers, particularly in regards to the cost and availability of hay this winter.
In many areas they are faced with a pressing choice: either stretch existing supplies of hay or supplement with additional hay purchased on the open market at inflated prices due to the shortages.
Poll: Dairy Security Act receives little individual support
The latest poll questioning, “Do you support the Dairy Security Act of 2011?” is one of a handful of polls Progressive Dairyman has done on dairy policy reform since the producer outcry for something to be changed in the midst of 2009.
Yet the results indicate we are still far from reaching a favorable majority consensus in the industry.
The nation’s two largest breed organizations are reporting steady increases in animal registrations, with numbers in 2011 taking an exceptional jump up from 2010.
Once again the American Jersey Cattle Association (AJCA) has broken a number of records, while Holstein Association USA says its all-time registration record set during its centennial celebration in 1981 is within reach.
About three years ago, a visitor to the Michigan State University Extension office in Saint Johns happened to mention a beginner English class taught at his church.
Many of the students were Hispanic dairy workers who wanted to learn English as a second language.
MSU Extension dairy specialist Faith Cullens thought she had the perfect tool for the class: A bilingual magazine called El Lechero, then published as an insert in Progressive Dairyman.
After milking with their parents in two separate stanchion barn dairy operations, Tim and Lisa Evert and Rick and Ronda Lehman joined together to form one dairy – United Dreams Dairy LLC – in North Freedom, Wisconsin.
“We were each farming with our parents at the time and both looking to do something,” Rick Lehman says.
Tim Evert adds, “We were both looking for a lifestyle change and it made a lot of sense for us to pool our equity and work together.”
RSS
