“Cow comfort is very important to milk production, milk quality, reproductive efficiency, and health of dairy cows. There are economic consequences to poor cow comfort. “A comfortable cow is a cash cow”. However, one reason that should make cow comfort a priority is that it is the right thing to do. We domesticated cows about […]
“The DMC is a voluntary risk management program that offers protection to dairy producers when the difference between the all-milk price and the average feed price falls below a certain dollar amount selected by the producer. More than 23,000 dairy farming operations enrolled in DMC in 2019, and more than 13,000 enrolled in 2020. To […]
“Milk pricing in federal marketing orders is complicated under normal circumstances, but many dairy farmers have been bewildered by milk checks that didn’t reflect the soaring Class III prices they expected in their pool’s blend price. Negative PPDs — producer price differentials — have consumed the industry’s collective psyche for months, but they don’t necessarily […]
“From dumping milk to higher prices, it has been a wild year for the dairy industry. But can those higher prices continue into the new year? Farm Journal’s Tyne Morgan dives into the markets in today’s analysis with Scott Brown from the University of Missouri. Dairy markets have experienced a rollercoaster ride throughout the year. […]
“Despite the rollercoaster when it comes to prices because of the pandemic, fewer dairy farms appear to be closing up shop, at least in a couple of states. With a focus on the bottom line, a growing trend in the dairy industry is adding beef genetics to the calf crop. That was one of the […]
“This year has been a market roller coaster for the dairy industry, and the Dairy Margin Coverage program is a valuable tool dairy producer can use to manage risk,” said Bill Northey, USDA’s Under Secretary for Farm Production and Conservation, during a roundtable at a dairy in Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin. “We were excited to roll […]
This virtual learning opportunity will be offered as a two-day event in English on Tuesday, November 3rd and Thursday, November 5th from 1pm – 2:30pm. The same information will be presented in Spanish on Tuesday, November 10th and Thursday, November 12th from 1pm – 2:30pm. Registration is required ahead of time by visiting https://tinyurl.com/y6bqfjyq. Thanks to generous sponsors, registration fees […]
“Preweaned calves in the first three weeks of life receive essentially all of their nutrients in liquid form. They also are the dairy animals most susceptible to cold stress because of their high surface-area-to-body-mass ratio. When the mercury drops, those calves expend more energy to maintain their body temperature. That draws nutrients away from immune […]
“Feed costs typically are the largest expense on a dairy operation and managing those costs contribute to a dairy’s ability to be profitable. These costs include purchased feed, but also the true costs to produce crops raised on the farm. Home-raised feeds vary in type, quality, and quantity, but more importantly, the cost to produce […]
“Dairy producers can count on only one thing over the next 12 months: volatility. This past spring and summer, market behavior embodied a wide range of emotions that veered from panic lows to euphoric highs. The pandemic has disrupted supply chains and upended consumer habits, which could lead to more wild swings in the milk […]
