Progressive Dairy

Rethinking chromium: From transition tool to full-lactation asset for dairy cows

Chromium supplementation improves intake, energy efficiency and resilience, with research and on-farm results showing benefits extend beyond fresh cows to support performance throughout lactation.

October 8, 2025

Rick Brown

Chromium has become a useful addition to transition diets. Supplementing with 6 to 8 milligrams per cow daily has been shown to significantly boost dry matter intake, energy efficiency and cow resilience. New data shows that these benefits go beyond fresh cows, supporting chromium supplementation throughout the entire lactation.

Engaging in Excellence: Adopt a Cow Program sparks connections with student teachers, ag therapy program, prison systems and beyond

October 8, 2025

How about encouraging a classroom in your community to adopt a 1,500-pound dairy cow as their mascot this school year? The Discover Dairy Adopt a Cow program is an exciting, year-long experience for classrooms across the nation.

[Podcast] Maureen Lemos: Connecting with consumers through farm tours, children’s books and a milk drive

October 7, 2025

Tune into this episode of the Progressive Dairy Podcast to hear from California dairy farmer Maureen Lemos as she chats with host Kimmi Devaney about her family’s milk drive, the two children’s books she wrote, farm tours, farmers markets and the other ways she connects with her community to put a face on the dairy industry.

Cultivating stronger business relationships with your neighbors

Dairy producers interested in expanding their operation should consider how to secure more feed and how to manage manure application, whether that be through leasing additional land, partnering with neighbors or other options.

October 7, 2025

Steve Schwoerer

A crucial aspect demanding significant attention when planning a dairy expansion is securing feed for the additional cows and managing the increased manure production.

Cool things we saw at World Dairy Expo 2025

World Dairy Expo has traditionally been a space for new and exciting advancements in the dairy industry to be unveiled. This year was no different, as Progressive Dairy editors found an assortment of cool things at the 2025 show.

October 6, 2025

World Dairy Expo 2025 was buzzing with excitement as companies and organizations showcased their newest advancements for the dairy industry.

Legislation introduced to reform immigration for year-round agricultural workforce

A press conference at World Dairy Expo addressed dairy's labor shortage and the need to reform foreign worker programs.

October 6, 2025

Karen Lee

Dairy farms across the country have been asking for a solution to the looming labor crisis.

Linking early-lactation systems to peak milk performance

Common challenges to achieving higher peak milk and how to approach them from a systems-level perspective before and during early lactation.

October 6, 2025

Jay Giesy and Cesar Matamoros

How a dairy achieves their next increase in peak milk production is unique to their operation. We have many keys in our proverbial keychains that might unlock the door to greater peak milk, but it’s not always easy to know which key to use.

Grouping cows, cutting methane: The next step in precision feeding

New research shows how grouping cows by energy needs can lower emissions and improve efficiency.

October 3, 2025

Victor E. Cabrera and Chiung-Lun Huang

What goes into the bunk doesn’t just affect milk production, it also impacts the farm’s bottom line and its environmental footprint. Our team explored a simple but powerful strategy to address this challenge: nutritional grouping. The results showed promise.

Are PI calves undermining your herd?

A PI calf can wreak havoc on a herd due to its own poor immune system and regular shedding of bovine viral diarrhea virus. BVDV PI calf prevention begins with effective biosecurity and targeted vaccination.

October 3, 2025

Jennifer Roberts

Persistently infected (PI) calves shed bovine viral diarrhea virus (BVDV) with every breath and drop of saliva. They don’t just live with the virus – they spread it, continuously and invisibly, exposing every animal around them to the disease, which can impact overall herd health and performance.

Class IV milk prices drop again in September

Market pressure pushed Federal Milk Marketing Order uniform milk prices further down for the second straight month in Classes II and IV as recorded in the most recent Class and Component Prices report.

October 2, 2025

Jenn Coyne

Following the announcement of the federal government shutdown, Federal Milk Marketing Orders (FMMOs) released their individual reports on September FMMO Class and Component Prices Oct. 1. The reports indicated another month of sinking prices in Class II and Class IV with the latter taking the biggest hit, down $2.33 per hundredweight (cwt) from August at $16.17 per cwt.