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Adverse weather conditions like drought present the dairy producer with some major challenges. The largest problem is having enough forage available to feed all animal groups. The second significant problem is forage quality. The obvious questions to ask during drought situations are:
No one has to tell dairy producers and their advisers we are facing some very challenging times. Managing dairies in good times is tough; managing dairies in these economic conditions is extremely trying. Producers and their advisers who can best implement strategies that maximize efficiencies (feed and management) will be best prepared to weather the current economic storm. However, we must keep in mind that the things we do today can have an effect down the road and we must consider any negative effects those changes might have on future production and profitability.
Putting up high-quality forage is essential to a profitable dairy operation. The high protein potential, and savings, you can gain from producing high-quality alfalfa forages make it well worth the extra effort to do it right.
In this article, we discuss the intricate relationships between milk production, dry matter (DM) intake and bodyweight, and how your animals’ nutritional needs are determined by stage of lactation and level of production. The first part of the article will describe the lactation cycle, followed by an example of how feeding your animals properly will keep your animals healthy and keep money in your pocket.
(Click here to listen to the podcast of this column.)
Last November, my niece, Annette, lost her son in an unforeseen accident. He went to bed one night and choked on a piece of candy. A shock like that is hard to get over. One day, he is alive full of mischief and teenage emotion, and the next day he is gone.
As the weather warms up, flies return to dairy farms with a vengeance, much to the annoyance of cattle and humans alike. Young dairy calves are especially vulnerable because their hutches or pens can be breeding grounds for flies. When calves are bothered by flies, they’re not eating. And if they’re not eating, they’re not growing.
Irritation and disease
Flies are responsible for carrying and transmitting bacterial and viral agents by flying from calf to calf. Pinkeye is one of the infections that calves can develop as a result. This irritating infection negatively can impact the production and overall health of dairy animals, especially vulnerable calves.
Dairy graziers and dairy grazing enthusiasts from several states will be gathering in October to share and increase their knowledge about pasture-based and organic dairy production systems. The eighth Mid-Atlantic Dairy Grazing Conference and Organic Dairy Field Day is based in Wytheville in southwestern Virginia where Interstates 77 and 81 meet. The event begins at the Wytheville Meeting Center on Monday, Oct. 11 at 3 p.m. and concludes on Wednesday, Oct. 13 at 2:15 p.m.
Has anyone ever asked you why sows are in gestation stalls; why egg layers are in cages; or other questions about the way we raise livestock today? The 2010 Farm Tour, a two-day trip starting in Wabash, Indiana, will allow you to experience modern farrow-to-finish, dairy, egg-laying and aquaculture operations first hand. You will get an in-depth look at what techniques are being used on modern livestock farms. The goal of the farm tours is that you come away with a better understanding of the livestock industry and be able to share what you learn with others. Space is limited, register soon!
Just like the song, rain is a good thing, especially for dried out fields, farmers and Maryland & Virginia’s Young Cooperator (YC) Program. Rain showers followed the cooperative’s annual YC Summer Break event in Franklin, Tennesse, in early July. The weather didn’t affect the record attendance of nearly 100 YCs from several states as they toured four dairy farms and capped the evening with a cook-out and hay ride.
The 400 kWh CHP system will be installed in Lynden, Washington, about 95 miles north of Seattle. It is scheduled to be installed in late 2010. Lynden-based DARITECH Inc. will build the anaerobic digester, and the Van Dyk Dairy Farm owns and operates the biogas plant.
The plant is expected to produce 4706 MW of thermal energy and 3320 MW of electricity per year, with any excess power sold to the grid. The combined heat and power plant uses the 2G agenitor, a thermodynamically optimized MAN cogeneration gas engine coupled with the patented 2G-Drive technology, especially developed for biogas operations. Benefits over conventional MAN, or any other gas engine, include much higher efficiencies, extended life and less maintenance cost.
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