The dairy industry’s three big issues – milk pricing, food safety and immigration – will be front and center during the Dairy Policy Summit on Wednesday, Nov. 9, in Madison, Wisconsin. The first session addressing milk price reform will include Dr. Mark Stephenson facilitating an industry panel. The panel includes: Jaime Castaneda, senior vice president, National Milk Producers Federation; Robin Berg, National Dairy Producers Association and president of the Dairy Pricing Association; and Alan Kozak, Dairy Policy Action Committee. Panelists will share their insight and legislation being proposed and how each proposal could affect the dairy business.

When the builder finishes a new dairy facility and cows enter the new barn, both the producer and the lender have to live with the consequences. Poor facilities lead to poor results, and that can put the cow in harm’s way and the producer at risk of not servicing his/her loan. The Dairyland Initiative, developed by veterinarians Drs. Nigel Cook and Ken Nordlund at the School of Veterinary Medicine, and coordinated by Dr. Becky Brotzman, combines the most relevant research in dairy cattle health, production and behavior with years of field experience in housing design into a web-based information center and building plan assessment program.

Over the last 30 years, people have searched for alternatives to traditional observation of cows to detect estrus. Injections to synchronize estrus/ovulation have replaced observations and are now a common tool in many dairy farms.

Every day is Food Day to America's farmers and ranchers, says Miss America 2011 Teresa Scanlan. The high-profile agriculture advocate is joining the Animal Agriculture Alliance to announce the launch of www.realfarmersrealfood.com with a call to action for Americans to celebrate the hard work of our nation’s farmers and ranchers.

H.J. Baker & Bro., Inc. released results of a 30-cow University of Georgia trial that showed MetaboLys BY-PASS LYSINE is digestible in the small intestine, but resists degradation by ruminal microorganisms. The result is a 3.13-kilogram (6.9-pound) increase in milk production per day per cow.

Wisconsin is looking for a county or counties to host the Alice in Dairyland finals for 2013. The finals rotate every year to a different county. The event includes a two-day briefing and three-day selection process.

Observing cows is nothing new in the dairy business – we all do it every day. But taking some time to critically review a few fundamental cow behaviors on your own operation can have great effects on cow health, performance and the overall attitude of employees within your business. Here are some good areas to watch during your next walk among your cows. Flight zones When you or your employees walk into a pen of cows, how do the cows react to your presence? Do they notice you and head to the opposite end of the pen, or can you walk from one end to the other without a cow taking a step?

Over time the knowledge and ability to get cows bred has taken tremendous strides towards greater on-farm success. Reproductive success takes effort from every angle of the dairy and starts with an understanding of pregnancy rate and the factors which impact it most.

Sound reproductive programs are one of the keys to dairy profitability. Perhaps no other area of dairy management has as many influencing factors as reproduction. A herd’s incidence and severity of metabolic and infectious disease, lameness and heat stress, the level of milk production, heat detection accuracy and efficiency, conception rate and a variety of other cow, management and nutritional considerations, all can and do influence reproductive success to varying degrees.