When Jackson Williams left for New Zealand after college, his parents Darryl and Lucinda were a little worried he might never come back to their dairy. After all, if he came back, he’d be the thirteenth generation to farm that land.

In an article earlier this year (“Fiber site map: Something to hang your hat on”), I outlined the general system of the modern fiber analysis and described two main values from that analysis: neutral detergent fiber (NDF) and non-fiber carbohydrates.

Cover crops are often planted to benefit the soil, but they can also have forage value for your herd. Jim Paulson, University of Minnesota extension educator, says there are many functions of cover crops, including erosion control, water infiltration, soil health, building organic matter, nitrogen uptake, nitrogen production and mineral movement in the soil.

For the past five decades, World Dairy Expo has brought world-class seminars to the place where the dairy industry meets – in Madison, Wisconsin.

For over 15 years, the World Dairy Expo virtual farm tours have been bringing the best dairy operations in North America to attendees at the Alliant Energy Center.

Over five days, 16 judges will place more than 2,000 head of cattle during World Dairy Expo’s fiftieth anniversary show. Don’t miss your chance to watch cows and heifers of your favorite breeds battle it out on the colored shavings. All shows will take place in the Coliseum.

Join World Dairy Expo to ‘Celebrate 50’ 2016 marks the 50th anniversary of World Dairy Expo – a celebration of the journey from a small World Food Expo in 1967 to the internationally renowned show of today.

Not surprisingly, producers milking in robotic environments – or planning to – select differently for their genetics. There are traits that become increasingly important to these producers, and a number of companies have highlighted the sires best suited for producing cows for robotic milk machines.

Whether commodity prices are high or low, it’s always a good time to lower your operating costs. While feed and labor costs can be difficult to reduce, dairy farms often have opportunities to reduce utility costs by 10 to 35 percent. In our experience, this savings equates to anywhere from 2 to 30 cents per hundredweight in avoided costs.