February 7, 2025

February 7, 2025 Progressive Dairy digital magazine

February 7, 2025

The latest issue of Progressive Dairy magazine is available. To view, make sure you're logged into your agproud.com account. If you do not have access, click "Subscribe" in the top-right corner of agproud.com to add permission to view.

World Ag Expo: Know before you go

Join other agricultural producers and enthusiasts for three days of learning and networking at the 2025 World Ag Expo.

January 21, 2025

Kimmi Devaney

World Ag Expo will be held Feb. 11 through 13 at the International Agri-Center in Tulare, California, and will feature more than 1,200 exhibitors, numerous seminars, demonstrations, farm tours and more.

3 Open Minutes with Kelli Cull, Budjon Farms

Tom and Kelli Cull of Budjon Farms have developed many elite cattle over the years. Dedication and attention to detail are secrets to their success.

January 28, 2025

Creating and developing elite cattle has been the focus of Tom and Kelli Cull of Budjon Farms since taking over the operation in 2000. Established by Tom’s parents, John and Mary, the Pewaukee, Wisconsin, dairy specializes in breeding and boarding some of the finest registered cattle in North America.

Engaging in Excellence: Hand in hand with the next generation of dairy

January 24, 2025

For those of us in dairy, it’s hard to imagine not knowing where your milk comes from. But as younger generations become more removed from agriculture, most kids think milk and dairy foods come from a refrigerator and have no idea the care and commitment dairy farm families and others in the value chain put into bringing them to the marketplace.

Lifelong Learning: Lessons from Alan Koepke's legacy

January 21, 2025

Alan Koepke’s life, legacy and career in dairy farming set the standard and serve as a testament to the impact of continuous education on personal growth, business success and community development.

You are one of a kind, or at least one of four kinds

Exit plans are not one-size-fits-all. There are four types of owners, which are characterized by prioritizing getting the most money, continuing to work, growing the business to sell later for a higher value and ready to leave now.

January 28, 2025

Mark Sherin

We are going to discuss step three of our six-step exit planning process, which is to identify the type of exiting owner you most resemble. Why does this matter? Because all succession and exit plans do not follow the same path, and appropriately so.

Dairies big and small are likely to return to profitability in 2025

While commercial dairy farms of nearly all sizes are expected to return to profitability in 2025, the correlation between farm size and profitability has never been clearer.

December 18, 2024

Aidan Connolly

The latest Zisk report projects profitability on dairy farms for 2025. It shows that U.S. dairy producers are expecting a profitable next 12 months, but as with previous reports, the picture isn’t equally as rosy for all producers.

Building the best team for dairy production performance goals

Running a successful dairy comes with its own unique challenges. A sharp focus on finance backed by the support of an engaged and invested team is key to success.

January 14, 2025

Abbie Rose

A strong profit team can be the key to taking control of your farm’s success, no matter the size. With the right people at the table and a clear plan in place, you’ll be well on your way to achieving your business goals.

AI and dairy farming

For dairy farmers seeking to enhance efficiency and productivity, AI offers a wealth of opportunities. From optimizing herd management to streamlining operations, AI is reshaping the landscape of modern dairy farming.

January 15, 2025

Dan Veeneman

The dairy industry is undergoing a significant transformation, with artificial intelligence (AI) at the forefront of this revolution. For dairy farmers seeking to enhance efficiency and productivity, AI offers a wealth of opportunities. From optimizing herd management to streamlining operations, AI is reshaping the landscape of modern dairy farming.

Managing metritis in dairy cows

Metritis in dairy cows, caused by bacterial infections, impacts milk yield and fertility. It requires timely antibiotic treatment and ongoing research to refine protocols for better outcomes and reduced economic losses.

January 17, 2025

Stephen LeBlanc

Most dairy cows have potentially disease-causing bacteria in their reproductive tract in low abundance. Cows develop uterine infection and disease when the pathogens overgrow and become dominant. Cows need to have a rapid, robust and well-regulated inflammatory response in the uterus during and immediately after calving to detach the placenta, keep bacterial pathogens in check and start uterine repair.

When and how much muscle do cows lose and gain throughout lactation?

Understanding how and when muscle depletion occurs – and how nutrition can impact this process – is important for improving cow welfare and maximizing milk yields.

January 8, 2025

Jackie Boerman

Skeletal muscle plays a crucial role in dairy cows’ health and productivity, but it’s also a very dynamic tissue. It can be mobilized to support milk production during periods of negative energy balance, but recovery of lost muscle is much slower.

Selective breeding could help farmers lower enteric methane emissions in dairy cows

Preliminary research indicates positive findings for reducing dairy cow enteric methane emissions through selective breeding.

December 24, 2024

A. Schafer

Francisco Peñagaricano, with the University of Wisconsin – Madison, believes selective breeding could provide practical and effective options for dairy farmers seeking to mitigate emissions from their future herds.

Beyond hooves: The human element in tackling lameness

A key element to reducing lameness on farms is the human interaction. By recognizing and addressing the needs and barriers faced by the hoof health team, farms may be able to better address lameness and impact animal welfare on a broader spectrum.

January 27, 2025

Laura Solano and Demetrio Bautista Ortiz

Lameness is an issue that impacts every part of the supply chain – not just the welfare and health of cows but also the farmers and their teams working to maintain herd productivity, as well as the dairy processors and retailers seeking to build trust in their brand.

6 steps to early BRD identification and treatment

January 30, 2025

Juan Rodriguez

Bovine respiratory disease (BRD) is one of the leading health concerns impacting heifer calves, even on the best-managed dairies. These calves are the future of a dairy operation, and well-prepared farm care teams can ensure BRD is managed effectively for long-term success.

Triple bottom line guides dairy sustainability journey

In the age of urgency with climate concerns growing and the value chain’s approach to addressing sustainability challenges, people, planet and profit guide the path.

January 20, 2025

Lori Captain

Since the turn of the century, sustainability has been integrated into business strategies, giving birth to the triple bottom line – people, planet and profit. This has expanded how people think about sustainability. It is more than environment and includes economic and social or societal dimensions.

Camel dairies offer intriguing alternative to cattle dairies

Three U.S. dairy farmers are filling a niche market by milking camels.

February 5, 2025

Steve Pastis

The high prices of camel milk may make operating a camel dairy seem like a great way to make money. However, the business has challenges beyond those experienced by cattle dairy owners.

Three ways animal monitoring systems unlock hidden value in your reproduction program

Animal monitoring systems are a proven solution for more accurate heat detection. They can also unlock hidden values, like employee empowerment, adding dollars to your bottom line.

January 15, 2025

Don Gilberg

Animal monitoring systems are a time-tested and proven solution. Plus, they hold the key to unlocking other hidden values that bring more dollars to your bottom line.

‘Moo juice’ helps fuel California dairy’s success

October 28, 2024

Emily Meccage

As a researcher, I spend all day, every day working alongside people in the forage industry to develop solutions for farmers to overcome the countless challenges facing their operations.

Making the most of your beef-on-dairy genetics with proper nutrition

A calf's environment heavily influences growth. Adequate nutrition and management will foster growth of beef-on-dairy calves.

January 22, 2025

Olivia Genther-Schroeder and Tom Earleywine

As cattle producers explore avenues for boosting productivity, the spotlight often shines on genetics. For crossbred beef-on-dairy calves, maximizing genetic potential goes beyond selecting the right genes – it is also about creating the right environment to allow those genes to fully express.

Embryos and male-sexed beef semen: Tools to maximize profitability

Planning ahead can ensure an adequate return-on-investment for beef-on-dairy calves.

January 23, 2025

Adrianne Trennepohl

When you are contemplating the gender ratio of your calf crop, you must answer the question, “Do you need a pregnancy aimed at future herd genetics or short-term profitability?”

Have your digester and copper too

Consider the use of copper in a footbath and its implications with anaerobic digester management. What do dairy producers need to be aware of when using a copper-based solution for hoof health and the correlation that solution may have with digester management and nutrient load?

February 3, 2025

Bryan Franks

There seems to be a lot of confusion in the dairy industry about the ability to benefit from an anaerobic digester and still use copper in a hoof care program.

Calf management – beef vs. dairy

Modern dairies and cow-calf operations may look extremely different, but should they? While many current practices are there for good reason, some might benefit from a reassessment.

January 27, 2025

Robert James

Seeing beef cow-calf pairs on pasture caused me to consider how we have raised dairy calves. Granted, most of our commercial dairy management systems don’t allow this kind of environment for the cow and her newborn calf, but what can be done to make our systems better?

A veterinarian’s perspective on the safety of precalving scour vaccines

For years scours vaccines have been the gold standard for prevention. However, research shows that antibody products might now be a better option.

January 9, 2025

Raffael Lichdi

Scour-prevention vaccines have been a staple in veterinary medicine for what feels like forever. I was taught they are integral to any vaccination protocol – something I accepted without much question. While you occasionally hear about vaccine site reactions or even cases of anaphylaxis, these are often brushed off and considered part of the process. But now there are advancements in concentrated antibody products that give me confidence to challenge the status quo.

Milk feeding programs' effects on dairy calf growth: Increased allowances of milk in early life matters

Heifer replacement costs rank high on a dairy’s list of expenses. Developing a strategy based on the dairy’s goals can help balance heifer performance benefits with raising costs.

February 4, 2025

Joao H. C. Costa and Tadeu Eder da Silva, PhD

Raising dairy calf replacements represents a significant cost on dairy farms. Feeding, especially milk or milk replacer, is the major primary expense during this phase, followed by labor and management. In this regard, planning and implementing an optimized on-farm calf milk feeding program becomes key.

Using feed efficiency as a cost-control measure and monitor

Measuring feed efficiency and income over feed costs for the individual cow can elevate profitability.

February 6, 2025

Veronica Shabtai

The ability to identify individual cow feed efficiency has the potential to have significant, far-reaching impacts on herd management related to feeding costs, culling and breeding. Not only could unprofitable cows be culled from the herd earlier, highly feed-efficient cows could be targeted for breeding to leverage the heritability of efficiency.

California dairy innovates with automated indoor feed mill

River Ranch Farms LLC leads sustainable dairy farming with an automated indoor feed mill producing sprouted grain fodder, reducing water use and enhancing operational efficiency.

February 7, 2025

Audrey Schmitz

Known for its forward-thinking approach, River Ranch Farms LLC has embraced numerous innovations, from a biogas hub and solar fields to the recent development of an automated indoor feed mill. At the forefront is Forever Feed Technologies, a company that dairy producer Jack de Jong helped establish to explore the possibilities of sprouted grain feeding systems.

Faber's Food for Thought: Dehorning and French maids

February 7, 2025

Dwayne Faber

When contemplating what the worst job on the dairy is, we have several contenders. There is tarping the feed pile as we dodge rat- and silage water-filled tires; there is dealing with retained placentas that chose a later date of exit than the calf that filled it. Dealing with abscesses or backward calves, and the one thing I was dealing with this morning that seemed like great article fodder: dehorning calves.

My hardest ‘yes’: Accepting help

January 28, 2025

Brittany Olson

When I was growing up as the oldest daughter in a single-parent household, I knew that I probably wasn't going to get the help I needed. Whether it was with my homework or around the house, I just powered through and put a lot of pressure on myself to do it well so I wouldn't need help in the future.

Just Dropping By: Love is a watered garden behind a wall

February 7, 2025

Yevet Crandell Tenney

When I was a child, I walked through my mother’s garden with a sense of awe and wonder. The velvet emerald grass spread under the Chinese elm trees and lilac bushes.

Life on the Family Farm: The rebuild

February 7, 2025

Tom Heck

We had an old silo that we used to store high-moisture corn for many years. Over time, because of freezing, thawing and age, many of the cement staves in the top half of the silo started to crack and break. It got to the point where we could see it was getting dangerous to keep using it in that condition.

The Milk House: Father Ted’s bad day

February 7, 2025

Ryan Dennis

This morning, as I write, Politico has pointed out that anti-immigrant sentiment has been on the rise the last decade in both the U.S. and Europe, something that surprises few citizens of either continent. The Dublin riots was a resounding indicator that Ireland hasn’t escaped this trend.

Lessons in grit, grace and change from Katie Coyne

January 31, 2025

Michele Payn

Stress often accompanies change because humans aren’t naturally adept at it. Since change is constant in our business (and lives), it is wise to identify how you can control your reaction to it. Katie Coyne knows this all too well. She is a well-known showmanship judge, owner of Mill Wheel Show Clinics and former Progressive Dairy editor.

The Kingston quilt

February 7, 2025

Jenn Coyne

I’ve spent the better half of a decade telling dairy farming families’ stories – the ones of humble beginnings and great accomplishments, even those so tragic we wish for them to be untrue.

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