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.
Editor’s note: The author submitted this opinion piece after original publication in Farm and Dairy and subsequent compliments for “sticking out” his neck.
All-natural eggs. Naturally raised chickens. Natural tofu. If “natural” is so good, then why doesn’t Ford claim a natural pickup, or Apple an all-natural iPhone?
Maybe it’s because there is nothing natural about a Ford pickup or an iPhone; yet they are amongst some of the best things ever made for humankind (although some Chevy owners might disagree with the Ford pickup claim … ).
Trending topic article: Herd Health
Originally published: September 22, 2011
This popular article was our cover story in September 2011. to jump to the article.
Progressive Dairyman Editor Walt Cooley interviewed several industry contacts about rumen monitoring boluses, including Dr. Ed Harness (pictured to the right), a veterinarian who cares for more than 40,000 animals.
What if you could predict the potential a heifer may have for reduced milk production due to calf-hood respiratory challenges long before she ever freshened?
Dr. Elizabeth Adams, a consulting veterinarian in California, hopes her research will make it possible someday.
Can paper be miraculous? Can paper get wet and not fall apart? Paper made by a Tacoma, Washington-based company with experience in the logging industry can. That company, Rite in the Rain, is now bringing its unique paper to the dairy industry.
Judy Wolford was one of the first to purchase and use the new paper for her dairy. She found it after a friend told her to look for the special paper at World Dairy Expo in 2010.
The following is the first in a series of articles about different activity monitoring systems currently being used on dairy operations.
The use of activity monitoring systems on dairies across the globe has broadened over the past 25 years, beginning with the use of pedometers and gradually expanding to allow the introduction of systems that focus solely on heat detection in dairy cattle.
Dairy production in the U.S. is coming under closer scrutiny because of concerns about the environmental quality impacts from all phases of the production system.
There are multiple phases of a dairy production system that range from forage or grain production, facilities for feeding, housing and milking cows, manure management and potentially pastures for animal grazing.
Almost three years ago, I started this column with a basic CIP (clean-in-place) process overview.
Since that first article, I’ve lectured repeatedly about the basics of milking equipment cleanliness and proper functionality.
Yet, during the past three years, I continue to see the same CIP challenges, over and over again.
In light of the most recent crash in the stock market and exaggerated volatility, there is no better time than the present to start developing or fine-tuning your risk management plan.
Since 1994, we have experienced a consistent three-year cycle in milk pricing.
We are in what the experts are calling year three of that three-year cycle.
With high grain prices, brown mid-rib (BMR) corn hybrids are receiving attention from dairy producers who want to feed more highly digestible forages and less grain in the ration.
Like any technology, successful use of BMR corn silage comes with a learning curve, requiring attention to management and an understanding of how BMR differs from conventional corn silage.
RSS
