National Dairy Board’s 25th
Submitted by shelley on Thu, 05/28/2009 - 11:50am
It’s the silver anniversary of the National Dairy Promotion and Research Program . . . but even its supporters acknowledge these are not golden times for dairy producers.
“I think 90% of the dairy producers in the nation are dipping into their equity to stay afloat right now,” says Joe Lyon, a dairyman from Toledo, Iowa. “At this price per hundred pounds of milk, very, very few, if any, are making any money, paying their feed bills, their vet bills and everything. It’s tough, and it’s part of the whole economy…the dairy industry’s in a crisis right now.”
Replacement Heifers
Submitted by shelley on Thu, 05/28/2009 - 11:38am
For the last five years, production of milk replacement heifers has been on the rebound in the United States. But US born replacements may decline in coming years, for the same reason they’ve been rising, Canada, long prohibited from supplying the US dairy cow market, is back in business. Imports of Canadian breeding cattle were barred on May 20, 2003, the day the Canadian Food Inspection Agency revealed a native-born cow had tested positive for bovine spongiform encephalopathy, better known as mad cow disease.
Scott Auction
Submitted by shelley on Tue, 05/19/2009 - 4:47pm
Scott Auction brings the information on the Coolidge Dairy Liquidation Auction to you. Here at the American Dairymen.
LOADERS - TRACTORS: 2006 Cat TH460B telehandler, cab loaded, 4x4 w/quad steer & leveling syst, out riggers, extra long reach lift in place, 3300 hrs, dirt bucket, pallet forks & Miller Mfg. sq. bale grapple spike offered seperatly), very good, poor tires
2005 Cat 950G articulating loader, Cab, AC/Heat, 9' bucket, 11,500 hrs, good condition
1998 Cat 938G articulating loader, Cab, AC/Heat, 9' bucket, 12,500 hrs, good condition
Surviving High Feed Cost
Submitted by shelley on Fri, 04/24/2009 - 12:26pm
The current economic downturn has presented serious challenges for many Americans. Dairymen have certainly not been exempt. Rising grain prices have inflated the cost of many traditional feeds and spurred the conversion of grasslands to row crop farming. Competition with recreational users for “marginal” land has further reduced pasture availability. More recently, high feed costs have been coupled with lower milk prices, further squeezing producers.
Nutrition in Dairy Reproduction
Submitted by shelley on Fri, 04/24/2009 - 12:22pm
A lot goes into achieving a successful calving rate in your herd-including, of course, what goes into your cows. University of Minnesota Extension dairy nutritionist Noah Litherland says one of the biggest challenges in dairying is getting cows back into positive energy balance after calving; he says strong feeding strategies for both dry and fresh cows are part of the solution, and it's important to ensure there's adequate macro- and micro-minerals in the diet.
The U.S. dairy industry is in the process of figuring out its carbon “Hoofprint”
Submitted by shelley on Fri, 03/27/2009 - 8:57am
Coops and producer groups are teaming up with others up and down the dairy marketing chain, in an effort to gauge the industry’s impact on the generation of greenhouse gases thought to contribute to global warming. Part of the program involves a comprehensive survey being sent to about 8,000 dairy farmers, which asks questions about practices like on-farm energy use, feeding practices, and pasture, manure and water management.
The Farm up on the Hill
Submitted by shelley on Thu, 03/26/2009 - 4:51pm
“You can only manage a business so long and stay on top. You need to change from time to time to keep that edge,” says Gary Boyke, a third generation dairy producer, who with his wife, Rose own a 1350 cow dairy farm in eastern Wisconsin, just three miles southeast of Fond du Lac. “Fond du Lac is a community of nearly 45,000 people, and we’re known as the farm up on the hill overlooking the lake.” That lake is Lake DeNeveu, a 90 foot deep, 80-acre spring-fed lake, one that area residents treasure for its recreational and aesthetic values.
Dairymen’s Directory of Dairy Cows for Sale and Dairy Farms
The American Dairymen Breeder Directory contains over 200 dairy farms in the United States as well as a listing of dairy cattle breeders. Published 12 times a year, American Dairymen contains feature articles on farm equipment, dairy farmers, and the latest information on the dairy industry. Our web site offers back issues of the magazine as well as its extensive data base of dairy farms.
