Alfalfa haylage is a staple in the diets of high-producing dairy cows due primarily to its significant contributions of crude protein and physically effective fiber in most TMRs. However, it remains one of the most difficult and challenging forages to ensile properly.

Dairy producers must be efficiency experts at every phase of the game. And while it is “all about the cows,” dairy operations that focus on improving economic efficiencies as they manage their books have a competitive advantage. In the dairy industry’s unique market, streamlining operations goes a long way to ensure long-run viability.

Corn silage and alfalfa haylage are great forage sources for dairy cattle. However, there are other forage alternatives available to dairy producers. Increasing the variety of forages grown on a farm can decrease the impact of diseases, pests and climatic changes on a farm’s forage supply.

Pinch points – every facility has them. They are the areas in your existing operations where efficiencies die. Daydreaming about new robots, innovative irrigation systems or a new rotary parlor can be fun, but in today’s dairy industry, cash reserves and line of credit availability are not as abundant as they have been in the past.

On March 12, 2017, we celebrated my parents’ 75th wedding anniversary. Many people don’t even live that long, let alone be married to someone for that long. Jay and Charlotte Crandell attended the same school in Heber, Arizona, where they met and fell in love.

A 450-cow dairy in Hawley, Minnesota, will be test-driving a body condition scoring camera in 2017 as soon as its remodeled freestall barn and new milking robots are installed early this summer.

Why? Why do consumers choose to buy a particular product? Why do they avoid others? What motivates their food-buying decisions? Where are consumers having conversations about food and who is leading those conversations?

Providing a comfortable environment for the animals under our care is fundamental to what it means to be a good dairy farmer and is something we take pride in as an industry. This is one reason why cow comfort features prominently in dairy industry standards, including the Farmers Assuring Responsible Management (FARM) Program.

When mowing hay, numerous management decisions contribute to total yield, forage quality and stand longevity.

“Sixty-five percent of today’s students will be involved in jobs that don’t exist yet.” Sounds crazy, right? But the 2013 U.S. Department of Labor report that made this claim is likely closer to the truth than many of us can imagine.