A hoof trimmer from Illinois calls a client in Missouri, who calls a friend in Indiana, who calls the dairy farmers closest to exit 57 on Interstate 64 where a breakdown has occurred. No, this isn’t one of those “a fireman, a policeman and a doctor walk into a bar” type of jokes; this is a situation that occurred around 10 p.m. on a weekend following the North American Livestock Expo.

Dairy owners might be able to add more to their bottom line if they introduce a beef bull into their breeding program for some of the producing cows in their herd, a Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service specialist said.

The postpartum dairy cow is at high risk of disease and requires ample access to feed and rest. Despite this, a newly fresh cow faces many management and housing changes after calving. In a study we recently conducted at Aarhus University’s cattle facility in Foulum, Denmark, we asked if keeping the group size small in the fresh pen reduces competition for feed and freestalls, and improves dairy cow welfare during this sensitive time.

When making culling decisions on a dairy, four things should be considered: animal welfare, food safety, public perception and economics. With each individual situation, one of these items may slightly outweigh another, but all four are important before deciding to treat, cull from the herd or humanely euthanize an animal. Treatment and animal care protocols and records are crucial to make informed, responsible decisions.

The challenging times brought about by depressed milk prices have been felt by all in the dairy industry. While it may affect farm owners most directly, the results have their way of trickling down through the farm. If they haven’t already, your employees are likely to be affected by these lean times as well.

Digest Highlights: New Zealand culling herds with Mycoplasma bovis. More cottonseed should be available. Florida FMMO surcharge approved to cover hurricane costs. Find a summary of this and other news here.

With the lagging depressed prices in the U.S. dairy industry, the Wisconsin Farmers Union decided to host five meetings across the state in March to bring farmers together to speak about potential opportunities to stabilize dairy prices.

The USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) will hold open enrollment for the 2018 Margin Protection Program for Dairy (MPP-Dairy), April 9 through June 1.

The fate of a proposed Federal Milk Marketing Order (FMMO) in California is now in the hands of the state’s dairy farmers. The USDA published a Federal Register notice advancing the proposed FMMO to a producer referendum, April 2 through May 5.

Editor's note: USDA announced the sign-up period for the 2018 Margin Protection Program for Dairy will be open from April 9 to June 1. On the back of falling milk prices and increasing feed costs, February 2018’s Margin Protection Program for Dairy (MPP-Dairy) national average margin fell to the lowest level since June 2016, at $6.88 per hundredweight (cwt).