Today, the global business environment demands that we, as a dairy community, work harder than ever to adapt to changing consumer preferences, marketplace dynamics and climate urgencies, while remaining focused on providing the nutrient-rich, great [Read More …]
A Class III price of $20.00 per cwt is a likely possibility during the 2020 calendar year, according to Dr. Mark Stephenson, director of dairy policy analysis in the UW-Madison College of Ag. Positive factors [Read More …]
Dairy farmers across the United States have been leaving the business at a rapid rate the past five years. When a dairy farmer quits, a valuable business is lost, and collateral damage spreads throughout their [Read More …]
John Ellsworth Following my last article, I was asked by several producers what they could use as a measuring device for reaching their objective of achieving greater profitability. After reminding them about what my Business [Read More …]
Starting May 1, 2019, the pricing formula for Class I milk was changed. It had been in discussion for over a year and was officially implemented May 1, 2019. The proposed change was reviewed in [Read More …]
“If you mow the grass, and you find a car, you might be a redneck.” That’s one of my favorite redneck sayings from comedian Jeff Foxworthy, as it demonstrates how not getting something done [Read More …]
The following interview was put together by staff at Belmont Partners, the public relations agency working with Midwest Dairy, the check-off dairy promotion organization representing some 6500 families in ten Midwest states. Tell us about [Read More …]
Congress recently passed—and the President signed into law—the SECURE Act, landmark legislation that may affect how you plan for your retirement. Many of the provisions go into effect in 2020, which means now is the [Read More …]
Double cropping corn silage acres with a small grain is a strategy that provides additional forage inventory and maintains cover on fields. Production perspective: Double cropping corn silage acres with a small grain is a [Read More …]
Robotic milking dairies have been increasing since the first commercial dairy installed an Automatic Milking System (AMS) in 1992, and there are not any signs that would suggest the increased adoption of this technology will [Read More …]
At meetings held Jan. 6 – 8 in Chino, Tulare, Turlock and Petaluma, Dr. Marin Bozic and Matt Gould – the two economists (the TEAM) hired by the industry to guide the search for a [Read More …]
As a farmer, the investments by Governor Newsom in the proposed budget to our rural communities, the food and agricultural sector and for climate resilience is a strong step forward for a “California for All.” [Read More …]
Fecon introduces a new low-flow mulcher head which is ideal for use with most standard skid steer loaders, Avant-type wheel loaders, and others carriers that are able to provide 17-27 gpm of hydraulic flow, have [Read More …]
The new ESCG-48 (Electric Sub-Compact Grapple) will be on display at Booth #8843 at the National Farm Machinery Show from February 12-15, 2020 in Louisville, KY. Designed for sub-compact tractors (up to 32-hp) equipped with [Read More …]
Rhian Price,Livestock editor, Farmers Weekly Dairy farming in the US has become synonymous with the words “mega-dairy”. While the scale of US dairy farms bears little resemblance to UK operations, there are some striking similarities [Read More …]
As part of the Vision 20/20: Global Markets Outlook, the Dairy Outlook 20/20 track will offer attendees insights into emerging trends within the industry, along with strategies to protect profits and enable growth in the [Read More …]
John Ellsworth I was recently reminded of an old episode in the Star Wars movie entitled The Empire Strikes Back, where the famous character Yoda encourages young Luke Skywalker to use his mind to accomplish [Read More …]
Controlling the 4C’s: crops, cows, cash and conservation. Production perspective: In today’s economic climate profitable farms target management practices on crops, cows, cash and conservation or the 4C’s. People often ask if there are commonalities [Read More …]
Most Americans engaging online about climate change are mired in the debate as to whether it exists. However, the focus of the conversation will shift dramatically in the next two years, according to new research [Read More …]
As if 2019’s moisture-laden growing and harvest conditions weren’t enough, the very soil that farmers everywhere depend on may also suffer long-term effects of this challenging year. Recent plant analysis data is showcasing a new [Read More …]
Fortifying waste milk provides essential vitamins and trace minerals to growing calves. Imagine if waste milk came with a product label that listed nutrient values and fat, protein and lactose concentrations. You’d know exactly what [Read More …]
Cattle exposed to pinkeye are at risk of lower calf-growth rates, potential blindness and permanent damage if left untreated.1 It’s estimated that this highly contagious disease causes annual losses of more than $150 million in [Read More …]
The California dairy community has long been dedicated to improving groundwater protection, and this commitment will only grow in the new year. By participating in the Central Valley Salinity Coalition, and working closely with regional [Read More …]
Imagine. You’re ready to group calves and go to automatic feeding. Now you need to get the feeding system, design the calf feeding room, create all the hookups, hire a contractor to install and commission [Read More …]
“Resilience” could be the word of the year for America’s dairy farm families in 2019. While on-farm prices have rebounded, farmers tell us that business is still challenging, but the overwhelming message has been that [Read More …]
Human Resource Management is a strategic approach to managing people, and it’s becoming more and more of a hot topic. A lot of us are working on improving HR on the farm, not only because [Read More …]
As frequent readers know, I am a reader of leadership books. I believe the ideas in my latest read can greatly contribute to workforce engagement and retention. My goal in this article is to share [Read More …]
There are important long-term shifts happening in the nonfat dry milk and butter markets. Estimated inventories of skim milk powder in Europe are dropping quickly which is tightening up the global supply and demand balance [Read More …]
In 2018, U.S. Holstein cows in the Dairy Herd Improvement (DHI) program remained in the milking herd for an average of 28.4 months. Looking back to those born in 1975, they stayed an average of [Read More …]
I was recently reading a review of the comments offered by U.S. Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue while he was visiting World Dairy Expo in Madison, Wisconsin. I wasn’t there, so I am not defending his [Read More …]
Copyright 2020 DairyBusiness, LLC. All Rights Reserved.