One of my friends Tim called in April of last year. “Marc,” he said, “One of my dairy clients, might be interested in working with us over the summer on a reproduction project – would you like to help?”

The milking parlor – its cleanliness, maintenance and operation – is a significant component in udder health, says Dr. Earl Aalseth, DVM, of Lake Stevens, Washington.

Laying the groundwork is an important part of any successful project. For growing young calves, the groundwork involves proper growth and development of the rumen. And no other feedstuff plays a larger role in rumen development than calf starter.

The economics and profit margins in today’s modern dairies are certainly tighter than in the past. Since feed is a large part of the cost of production, now’s the time to identify feed practices that will help you optimize your dairy’s nutritional program.

My son, Paul, did a research paper for his English class. As I discussed the principles with him and helped him understand the concepts of capital punishment, it gave me a chance to really look at my own feelings about the subject.

Feeding and management practices for early lactation dairy cows, especially fresh cows, can have a substantial impact on a cow’s health, well-being, future milk production and reproductive performance.

If there’s anything baseball has taught us lately, it’s that the general population doesn’t condone performance-enhancing drugs.

Precision feeding improves feed efficiency by eliminating excess nutrients while maintaining or improving milk production.

Healthy, productive, low maintenance cows that breed back quickly are the cows that generate the most return on investment. One key to developing these cows begins before they enter or re-enter the milking herd with proper calving management.

In most parts of the country, the heat index is now well into its upward climb, and that can spell trouble for dairy producers.