LEDs have come a long way in the past decade and have established themselves as mainstream lighting technology. Early LED lights could be unreliable and expensive, and some dairies were skeptical about the new lighting’s effect on herd health and milk production.

It is now common to find butyrate in commercial milk replacers and solid feeds for calves. However, the impact it has on the calf varies depending on the delivery method and the source of dietary butyrate being used. Let’s have a closer look at why butyrate is a valuable feed additive, how it can be supplemented and how its use in feeds affects calf performance.

Raising healthy calves is crucial to the success of a dairy operation, as heifers are the future of the milking herd. There are several important aspects related to pre-weaned calf management, including maternity pen management, colostrum management, nutrition and housing.

Yahara Pride Farms held its annual watershed-wide conference on March 2 to share information and research on the different steps being taken to decrease the amount of phosphorus in the Yahara watershed in Wisconsin and to celebrate the group’s successes.

“When most people think of technology in Washington, they’re thinking Microsoft or Amazon, but I want them to start thinking about dairy,” says Michelle Schilter, third-generation dairy farmer from Chehalis, Washington.

The 13th biennial Western Dairy Management Conference was held Feb. 28 to March 2 in Reno, Nevada. Catch some insights and observations from Progressive Dairyman editors Dave Natzke and Walt Cooley, who attended the event. The interesting facts, lessons and observations they gleaned are highlighted below.

The National Milk Producers Federation (NMPF) board of directors today unanimously approved a series of recommended changes to the dairy Margin Protection Program (MPP) that will restore several key elements first proposed by NMPF during development of the 2014 Farm Bill. These changes to the MPP will ensure an effective safety net for the nation’s dairy farmers – if the recommendations are adopted by Congress.

I have argued with myself over the refugee and immigration issue. On the one hand, as Christians, we need to help our brothers and sisters in their time of crisis. That is what Christ would do – but on the other hand, will my Christian beliefs and freedom be swallowed up in the new customs and traditions they bring to our country?

One phrase is repeated over and over again to describe the outlook for dairy producers in 2017: “cautiously optimistic.” Here’s Progressive Dairyman’s regional “State of Dairy” report.

Research continues to show feeding more nutrition can help calves reach their full potential. And, while the dairy industry has moved away from the old standard of feeding calves 2 quarts of milk or milk replacer twice a day, misconceptions remain. Below are six common calf nutrition myths: