With genomics becoming a tool that many producers across the country are using, a new concern is now emerging – increased inbreeding depression. A webinar in early April discussed this topic as well as the launch of a new program designed to help provide a solution to this concern. After nearly four years of development, Select Sires Inc. launched StrataGEN, a program focused on providing an easy-to-use solution to help producers obtain optimal genetic progression while minimizing inbreeding within their herds.

Cow cooling, a topic not taken lightly by producers across the Southwest, was the topic of the noon dairy seminar on February 16 at World Ag Expo. John F. Smith, dairy extension specialist and professor at the University of Arizona, presented this topic, updating producers on current cow cooling research.

On March 5, Todd Bilby, associate professor and extension dairy specialist with Texas AgriLife Research and Extension, presented a webinar on a topic that affects dairy cattle across the country during the summer – heat stress. The webinar titled “Strategies to Improve Reproduction During Heat Stress in Dairy Cattle” was the first in a series of four webinars relating to heat stress made possible by an Agriculture and Food Research Initiative competitive grant from the USDA.

Dairy producers and industry professionals gathered in Amarillo, Texas, for the 2012 High Plains Dairy Conference on March 7-8. The conference was held at the Ambassador Hotel. Todd Bilby, associate professor and extension dairy specialist, said that this year’s conference reached 275 attendees, a 10 percent increase from last time the conference was held. “We had a phenomenal conference,” Bilby says. “A lot of the presentations were on how we can improve different efficiencies on our dairies and adapting new technologies to become more efficient in a global market.”

Several dairy producers in the Midwest recently saw an opportunity to improve their feed storage capacity and feed quality with a new pull-behind tractor implement. The Impact Silage Packer follows a very simple concept – using weight to pack down feed. The packer is basically an implement consisting of rollers that each weigh 650 pounds and are designed to increase feed compaction on forage piles and bunkers.

HOW WE MET: I sat next to Gary on a recent flight from Phoenix to Minneapolis. We struck up a conversation talking about what each other did for a living. I told him I was a dairy magazine editor. I found out he is a consultant in energy efficiency and sustainability projects. Gary’s main focus includes designing efficient hot water systems for homes and businesses. As we talked, we discussed how the projects he worked on also applied to dairies across the country.

This article was #15 of the Top 25 most well-read articles on www.progressivedairy.com in 2012. to jump to the article. It was published in the January 21, 2012 issue. Click here for the full list of the Top 25. In the fall of 2010, the University of Wisconsin – Madison School of Veterinary Medicine launched The Dairyland Initiative program. This article discussed the information that producers could expect to find on the program’s website. Whether producers are looking to build new or remodel existing facilities, they are able to access a variety of useful tools and resources on the website.

For the past several issues, Progressive Dairyman has been individually reviewing commercially available activity monitoring systems. In the following article, we ask users of these systems to describe and rate how the systems have changed their reproductive management. Select Detect Craig Goeser, a producer from Plymouth, Wisconsin, has had the Select Detect heat detection system on his farm for more than a year. He uses the system to monitor the heat activity of his cows as well monitoring those cows that are potentially sick or have foot problems.