Planning for a sustainable future
The state of affairs for the dairy industry is constantly under different influences. The environmental pressures for maintaining soil fertility while minimizing the risk for contamination of waters of...
View ArticleHow to assess herd health using rumination time
As I sit down to write this article on rumination in dairy cows, I am reminded of all the times my mother told me to spit my gum out. Gum is no fun if you can’t chew it, but then chewing outside of...
View ArticleReview feed rations in summer
Although it seemed that we went directly from winter to summer this year, the intensity of the summer heat and humidity just kicked into gear. And, the toll on the cows is certainly being noticed. Feed...
View ArticleUse your five senses to work with cows
The five traditional senses of taste, smell, hearing, sight, and touch are vital for our survival and normal function in life. In addition, they are critical in our working with dairy cattle. You might...
View ArticleBack to the future: Like it or not, strange foods are here to stay
Things certainly do change over time, but some changes can be quite mind-boggling. About 33 years ago (1985), the Back to The Future film was released and the technological aspects portrayed seemed...
View ArticleChecking the list at least twice will help during difficult times
The economy for dairy farmers is certainly not very affirming at the moment and hasn’t been for several months. Well, actually this has been the case for the past three years and immediate improvement...
View ArticleMilk the best, sell the rest
The old adage of “milk the best, sell the rest” still holds true. With the current economic conditions in the dairy industry, the profitability of the farm, and thus the contribution of each cow toward...
View ArticleTell, and retell, the dairy story
Recently, one of the student organizations at Ohio State University invited a speaker from a major agricultural firm to campus. This individual held a unique position of director of communications for...
View ArticleDairy still has nutritional benefits
In a previous article, the importance of continuing to tell ‘our story’ was stressed. This is true for the dairy industry, as well as other aspects in life. The previous article focused on the...
View ArticlePracticing safety around livestock
Usually, several safety articles are published at this time of the year to alert farmers of the risks for injuries during the harvest season. The use of fast-moving equipment, many moving parts on...
View Article‘Hay’ there, it is now time to plan ahead
As I began to write this article on “Hay There,” it occurred to me there was a song with a similar title and so I searched for it. The song Hey There Delilah was released in 2006 by the group Plain...
View ArticleWith cows, know when to hold ’em
In “The Gambler,” by Kenny Rogers, there is the phrase of “You got to know when to hold ‘em …” Even though it a country song, I’m sure he wasn’t talking about cows. Yet, the phrase is very applicable...
View ArticleDairy farmers should brace for a continuation of challenges in 2021
During the past several months, there has been a lot of polling in regards to the presidential race in an attempt to predict who would win the election. After many months of political conjectures, the...
View ArticleFeeding, housing shown to have long-term impact on calves
As we continue to conduct research on improving milk yield and animal health in dairy herds, additional focus in recent years has been on fetal programming aspects in how dry cows are fed and managed...
View ArticleCrossbreeding cattle comes with many considerations
Growing up on a small dairy farm in Kentucky, my father primarily used a herd bull on our dairy farm, but my grandfather had a registered herd, and even though he had a “clean up” bull, he primarily...
View ArticleThe cow days of summer
We are in the midst of the period of the year often referred to as the “dog days of summer.” This period is characterized by high heat and humidity, along with the associated thunderstorms. Although...
View ArticleTime and change: As fall arrives, prepare operations for winter
Summer is coming to an end and the feel of the arrival of fall is in the air and in the scenery with the harvest of crops, picking of pumpkins, apple picking and many other activities announcing the...
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Estimating the time a cow needs in the close-up pen
It is often said that closeness only counts with horseshoes and hand grenades, but I have witnessed it in other aspects of life. For example, many times I’ve experienced a close call on having an...
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Transitions within the dairy herd
We often hear the phrase that “change is just a part of life,” and indeed change is ever-present. “Transition is just a part of life,” however, may be more acceptable to some, as it seems less...
View ArticleStrategic farm management: Planning ahead does pay off
With the recent loss of a parent who was a lifelong farmer, there has been a lot of reflection. Some of it being lessons learned from the parent, the treasured memories, and, of course, how valuable...
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