Reporting from Bagram Air Field, Afghanistan …

Back in the late 1980s, Wendy’s hamburger chain ran a series of commercials which featured three old ladies contemplating big buns and little meat patties. The catchphrase that swept the country became, ‘Where’s the beef?’ What’s funny is it’s probably more applicable today as we look at the latest monthly milk production reports from the USDA.

With the World Dairy Expo just a month away, I spent some time with the folks at World Dairy Expo to see what would be happening with this year’s 40th anniversary show. In particular, I was able to ask Tom McKittrick, the expo’s general manager, a few questions about himself and what we can expect this year. The following is a summary of the questions I posed to him.

Garbage disposal on dairies is an issue that doesn’t usually receive much attention, having sometimes unseen negative impacts on business productivity and image.

As a person who’s been at both the end of a halter and as a judge in the center of the show ring, I’ve been exposed to many showing “techniques.” Many of these don’t fool the judge, but have become common practice.

Cows like to eat high-moisture feeds. Remember the cow grazing? There are high-moisture byproduct feedstuffs we can feed our cows. How much do high-moisture feeds really cost? Are they a good buy compared to the alternative? Here is how you can make that decision.

In the National Mastitis Council’s February 1997 newsletter, Washington State University researchers concluded one of the following three practices were necessary to successfully clean a dairy’s cloth prep towels. Performing two of the three would add an extra margin of safety to ensure sanitized towels:

Because of costs associated with the construction and maintenance of freestall barns, dairy farmers may limit the number of feeding and resting places available for cows in order to maximize utilization of facilities. Facility design, such as whether there are two or three rows of stalls per feedline, may also influence the number of cows that have to share a particular resource. However, the impact of overcrowding on cow behavior, welfare and productivity should be considered.

Taurus adds a new Powerhouse Taurus Service, Inc., announces the debut of 76HO0437 Windy Knoll View Powerhouse EX-93. This Outside son of Stardust Peggy x Pala exhibits an impressive type profile without a single negative in his proof. He is +2.54PTAT +2.09 UDC +2.02 F&L. Powerhouse is siring daughters with extreme size and strength with a deep, open rib structure. He also scores 2.93 Strong for fore udder attachment and 2.79 High in rear udder height. A breed leader at +3.5 PL and low SCS (2.90), along with having positive values for milk, fat and protein pounds and percent, Powerhouse is the new bull to consider with +1568 TPI.

First celebrated in 2000, World School Milk Day is an international, annual event held on the last Wednesday in September. Established by the Food and Agriculture Organization, the day provides an opportunity for the international community to focus on the importance of school milk and its health benefits for growing children.