Read the latest from several genetics companies and the changes to their genetic offerings and current lineups of dairy sires, following the release of the April genetic evaluations. Visit each company’s websites for complete listings of their sire lineups. Select a link below to jump directly to a specific section:

Cooling your cows when temperatures start climbing is not a novel idea, but it’s also not an idea to simply discard altogether. Although we are still a ways from reaching those scorching summertime temperatures, now is the time to think about cow cooling.

This article was #10 of the Top 25 most well-read articles on www.progressivedairy.com in 2013. It was published in the Jan. 30, 2013 Extra e-newsletter. Click here for the full list of the Top 25. In late 2012, dairy producers were introduced to milk-based pregnancy testing, a new method to determine whether cows are bred or open. Maine-based IDEXX Laboratories partnered with Antel Bio Systems to bring the IDEXX Milk Pregnancy Test to the market, while Animal Profiling International, Inc. (API) of Portland, Oregon, launched EasyPreg. Both of these tests determine pregnancy based on the concentration of pregnancy-associated glycoproteins (PAGs), and they do so with a high level of accuracy when samples are taken at 35 days or more after breeding.

Have you considered the potential impact genomics could have on your herd? This is a topic that has probably crossed most dairy producers’ minds. On January 14, 2013, Dr. Chad Dechow, associate professor of dairy cattle genetics at Penn State University, led a webinar focusing on the “potentials” and “pitfalls” of genomic selection. Dechow began by pointing out that everyone has a different perspective on genomics as well as the right and wrong areas in which to use genomics.

On December 11, 2012, Jeffrey Bewley and Joseph Taraba from the University of Kentucky led a webinar on the topic of compost bedded pack barns. Throughout the hour-and-a-half long presentation, the presenters covered different areas relating to this type of system, such as the benefits, design considerations and costs. “It’s important to recognize upfront that the management of the system is the most important part to its success,” Bewley, assistant professor in the Department of Animal and Food Sciences, says.

Although the dairy industry has struggled for several years, there are still those who pursue a life on the farm and try to find a balance in running a successful dairy business. Seth and Kaia Darling are no different. They currently raise 575 dairy heifers on their farm near Round Lake, Minnesota.