Animal Antibiotics, Resistance and Human Health

Amanda NolzAnimal Health, Animal Welfare, Production, Research

Adam Anson, from TheDairySite, recently wrote an interesting article on use of antibiotics in animals, antibiotic resistance and how it relates to human health. This thorough report deals with both sides of the issue in an educational platform that reminds all of us just how far the agriculture industry has come. Antibiotics are a vital component to rearing healthy livestock, … Read More

Where were the Video Cameras?

News EditorAnimal Welfare, Education, Industry News

Since tomorrow is Earth Day, I think it’s appropriate for our blog readers to be reminded of the dedication and commitment all farms demonstrate when it comes to caring for the land, the environment, and their animals. Read on to learn more about one farmer’s demonstration of this commitment! I was happy to spend this past week-end at home after … Read More

BQA on Trailer Protocol

Amanda NolzAnimal Health, Animal Welfare, Training

When you’re loading the trailer full of cows or calves, do you ever think about how it could impact the quality of the end product, beef? Overloading a trailer can cause internal and external injuries, the most common being muscle bruising. The Beef Quality Assurance Program passes out friendly reminders for proper trailer protocol when moving livestock, and I was … Read More

Dairy Beef Quality Assurance

Amanda NolzAnimal Health, Animal Welfare

While at the Central Plains Dairy Expo last week, I was walking around the trade show and ran across a booth that was reminding producers about the Dairy Beef Quality Assurance Program. Sponsored by the Midwest Dairy Beef Quality Assurance Center and the Minnesota Beef Council and funded by America’s beef producer checkoff dollars, this booth reminded dairy producers that … Read More

Join the Big Discussion at AgWired!

Amanda NolzAnimal Welfare

Yesterday, I posted a call to action on AgWired, and the blog post was titled, “A Special Cause: Vote for ACMA Entertainer of the Year.” The HSUS is trying to slip one past country music fans by getting its members to secretly head on over and vote Carrie Underwood in as Entertainer of the Year. Underwood is a fan of … Read More

Consumers want to know: conventional vs organic dairy?

Amanda NolzAnimal Welfare, General

Christopher Peake interviews a conventional and organic dairy farmer to debate the differences between the two dairy production methods. His article is titled, “Communicate Green: Conventional vs organic dairy.” In an article aiming to address consumer questions about dairy, Peake writes, As the debate between conventional and organic milk consumers gets louder, we spoke with two local dairy farmers and … Read More

Welcome to the Scoop

Amanda NolzAnimal Welfare, Dairy Group

I thought I would highlight another great dairy blog for you to check out this weekend. It’s called, The Scoop, and it’s written by Ashley Messing, a senior dairy management and animal science student at Michigan State University. The Scoop is a blog that describes Ashley’s life in the dairy industry. Ashley started this blog in 2007, and I had … Read More

National Dairy FARM Program Announced

News EditorAnimal Health, Animal Welfare, Dairy Checkoff, Industry News

The National Milk Producers Federation (NMPF) and Dairy Management Inc.™ (DMI) have announced the introduction of the National Dairy FARM Program: Farmers Assuring Responsible Management. A joint effort of the two organizations, Dairy FARM has been formed to bolster consumer trust and confidence in the U.S. dairy industry and demonstrate the industry’s commitment to the highest levels of animal care … Read More

Share Your Story to Build Confidence

News EditorAnimal Welfare, Dairy Checkoff, Education, Industry News, Media

Dairy producers have a strong, positive story to tell about how they care for their animals, the land and the environment. It is important for producers to share that story with their neighbors, their friends and the public to maintain and build consumer confidence in our product and our practices. Because, remember, if you don’t tell your story, someone else … Read More

Dairy Animal Well-Being Initiative Guidelines Announced

Chuck ZimmermanAnimal Welfare, Audio, World Dairy Expo

At last year’s World Dairy Expo we heard about the announcement of the National Dairy Animal Well-Being Initiative. This morning they released the official principles and guidelines. The facilitator for the Initiative is Charlie Arnot. He described the process that got us to this point and says that now it’s time for the Initiative to move to the next step. … Read More