Does corn silage really need to be that much different for heifers versus cows? According to Dr. Bill Mahanna, coordinator of global nutritional science for Pioneer Hi-Bred, the answer is yes since high fat deposits in growing heifers can cause havoc and production issues down the line. Hear how producers can potentially manage this problem and their crops to reduce … Read More
National FAIR Recognized by USDA
And the news from the Holstein Association USA is also outstanding – the Association is one of the first to be recognized by USDA as an official Animal Tracking Database. A cooperative agreement has been signed between USDA and Holstein Association USA giving National FAIR (Farm Animal Identification and Records) official approval as a compliant Animal Tracking Database under the … Read More
Dairy Animal Well-Being Initiative Announced
Last week at World Dairy Expo a producer-led coalition called the National Dairy Animal Well-Being Initiative was announced. The coalition represents every facet of the dairy industry and wants to protect consumer trust and confidence in the dairy industry’s commitment to animal well-being. The coalition introduced the first draft of proposed principles and guidelines intended to provide a uniform umbrella … Read More
Big Ass Fans Are In Your Face
I couldn’t pass up this picture. If I’m a cow needing a little breeze to cool me down then give me a Big Ass Fan. That’s what I’m talking about. One of these would be very nice over by deck too I’ll bet. Here’s what they say about them on their website: “We don’t know about California, but we’re darn … Read More
Arm & Hammer for Dairy Nutrition
One of the exhibitors here is Arm & Hammer Animal Nutrition Group. They’ve got a new website up so dairy producers have an online destination to learn more about them and their products. I spoke with Scott Morey (pictured on the right) who is their Senior Business Manager. He says they’re focused on dairy nutrition from a product standpoint and … Read More
National Dairy Animal Well-Being Initiative Announced
This morning at World Dairy Expo a producer-led coalition of dairy groups and companies announced the National Dairy Animal Well-Being Initiative. They’re proposing dairy animal well-being guidelines and principles. One of the groups participating in the effort is the National Milk Producers Federation. I spoke with their Senior Vice President of Communications, Chris Galen (not pictured) about what his organization … Read More
Plant Protein Could Fight Mastitis
Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientists are testing a plant-produced, therapeutic protein, which thwarts bacteria that cause inflammatory udder disease in dairy cows. They turned a laboratory-produced plant virus into a delivery vehicle that carries a specific gene. The target gene expresses large quantities of a protein called CD14. When the virus reproduces itself inside plant cells, it generates CD14. The … Read More
New foot and mouth cases confirmed in UK
The third case of foot and mouth disease has been confirmed in the UK. Sheep on a farm in southern England tested positive for foot and mouth disease after being slaughtered on suspicion that they were infected, the British agricultural ministry said. Cattle on the same farm were also slaughtered after they displayed signs of the disease, including lesions, with … Read More
Silage Innoculants
Silage innoculants are discussed in this segment of the Pioneer Forage Forum, with information provided by Bill Rutherford, research coordinator, Pioneer Forage Additive Research Group. In addition to the much talked about L. buchneri, Rutherford provides information on organisms which also have an important role as components of silage inoculants. He explains why it is important to have multiple strains … Read More
RFID Can Reduce Labor Costs
Steven Smith with DHI-Provo demonstrated how the Pocket DHI-Plus works with RFID through a video that showed a dairy producer walking alongside his animals and scanning them. As he did that, you could hear what he was hearing in his ear piece, whether to skip the animal, whether it needed to be preg-checked, or was due for injections, or whatever … Read More