February 1st, 2012 by Anna Agnew
If you are a dairy producer, industry professional or just interested in agriculture, you may want to check out these top industry events taking place in February.
Click on the link for more information about each event.
Penn State Extension Conference Call: Forage Quality, Feed Costs and Financials
When: Feb. 1
Where: Conference Call
Pennsylvania Dairy Summit
When: Feb. 8-9
Where: Lancaster Host Resort in Lancaster, Penn.
Great Lakes Regional Dairy Conference
When: Feb. 9-11
Where: Soaring Eagle Casino and Resort in Mount Pleasant, Mich.
Wisconsin Cattleman’s Winter Conference
When: Feb. 10-11
Where: Wintergreen Resort Conference Center in Wisconsin Dells, Wis.
Best Milking Practices Workshop
When: Feb. 14, 16, 21, 28
Where: Various locations throughout Pennsylvania
Penn State Extension Conference Call: Loaning Money to Farms
When: Feb. 15
Where: Conference Call
Dairy Business Association 7th Annual Expansion Symposium
When: Feb. 21
Where: KI Convention Center in Green Bay, Wis.
Heifer Management Workshop
When: Feb. 23 and 28
Where: Franklin County Penn State Extension Office in Chambersburg, Penn. and The Park at Morrisons Cove in Martinsburg, Penn.
New York Farm Show
When: Feb. 23-25
Where: New York State Fairgrounds in Syracuse, N.Y.
Tags: Great Lakes Regional Dairy Conference, New York Farm Show, Penn State Extension, Pennsylvania Dairy Summit
Posted in Dairy, General, Upcoming Events | No Comments
January 17th, 2012 by Anna Agnew
Herd healthy issues such as mastitis can have a big impact on milk production. While bacteriological cultures have been used on dairies for decades as part of a successful mastitis control program, simple mistakes in collecting samples can produce counterproductive results.
Damian Lettieri, veterinarian for Udder Health Systems, recently wrote an article for Progressive Dairyman about how improper supervision and lack of training can compromise an otherwise effective mastitis control program.
Lettieri offers some tips for improving the integrity of collected cultures:
- When collecting samples, ensure the milkers are wearing gloves and have clean hands
- Samples should be collected from each quarter in one vial to create a composite sample from the cow
- Change gloves or wash hands between sampling each fresh cow
- Disinfect the teats prior to sampling a fresh cow or new cows with mastitis to prevent sample contamination
To read the full article and learn more helpful tips, click here.
Tags: cultures, Damian Lettieri, herd health, mastitis, Progressive Dairyman, Udder Health Systems
Posted in Dairy | No Comments
January 11th, 2012 by Courtney Beck
As you’re planning for 2012, here are a few handy calculators to help you keep track of expenses and streamline production costs.
Determine the cost of production per acre with AgWeb’s Corn Margin Calculator. With this tool, you can determine the expected per bushel corn yield to determine your breakeven selling price and what optimizations you can make to improve your bottom line.
Speaking of bottom line, little changes in feed efficiency can have a big impact. Try out the NutriDense Silage Calculator to learn how much a 6 percent improvement in feed efficiency can save in feed costs.
What tools do you use to track expenses and keep costs down?
Tags: 2012 planning, AgWeb, calculator, corn, corn silage
Posted in Dairy, Silage | No Comments
January 6th, 2012 by Anna Agnew
What’s new in social media? In this blog feature, we’re rounding up the latest social media news that’s impacting the agriculture industry.
Neighbors Up North: Ted McMeekin, the newly appointed minister of agriculture, food and rural affairs for Canada, recently spoke about the important connection between agriculture and social media at the recent Southwest Agricultural Conference in Canada.
Online Dairy Advocacy: Check out this webinar from Dairy Management Inc. and myDairytoolkit about utilizing social media in agriculture and presenting your farming operation in a positive light.
New Editor’s Blog: The editor of Progressive Forage Grower recently started a new blog, and she’s looking for help with a name! Follow along to interact with her on forage news, and submit your idea for a name by Jan. 14.
Cream of the Crop: Progressive Farmer Magazine recently announced its “2012 Best Young Farmers and Ranchers” awards, and Monsanto was proud to claim four out of the five winners on the list as their customers.
Tags: advocacy, Progressive Farmer, Progressive Forage Grower, Social Media
Posted in Ag News Roundup, BASF Plant Science, Social Media | No Comments
January 3rd, 2012 by Anna Agnew
If you are a dairy producer, industry professional or just interested in agriculture, you may want to check out these top industry events taking place in January.
Click on the link for more information about each event.
Keystone Farm Show
When: Jan. 3-5
Where: York Fairgrounds in York, Penn.
Penn State Extension Webinar: Feed and Water System Design and Management
When: Jan. 10
Where: Online
Northern Illinois Farm Show
When: Jan. 11-12
Where: Northern Illinois University Convocation Center in DeKalb, Ill.
Penn State Extension Conference Call: Strategies for Dairy Farm Profitability
When: Jan. 18 and 19
Where: Conference Call
Calf Health and Management Workshop
When: Jan. 24 and 31
Where: Penn Valley Christian Retreat in McVeytown, Penn. and The Park at Morrisons Cove in Martinsburg, Penn.
Heifer Management Workshop
When: Jan. 27
Where: Westmoreland County Penn State Cooperative Extension Office in Greensburg, Penn.
Tags: Dairy, dairy nutrition, farm show, Penn State Extension
Posted in Dairy, General, Upcoming Events | No Comments
December 24th, 2011 by Courtney Beck
From all of us at NutriDense, a big thank you for connecting with us this year on The Corn Feed. We look forward to providing you with more nutrition tips, industry news and event postings in 2012. In the meantime, we wish you and yours a happy and safe holiday season!
Tags: 2011, 2012, NutriDense, Nutrition
Posted in General | No Comments
December 23rd, 2011 by Anna Agnew
What’s new in social media? In this blog feature, we’re rounding up the latest social media news that’s impacting the agriculture industry.
#AgChat – Day Job, Farm Job: #AgChat recently discussed ways to stay true to your ag roots while working a day job that might not relate to ag, adjusting to leaving a farm job for a day job or vice versa, and incorporating family members who may have a day job into farm life.
Social Networking Lessons from 2011: Entrepreneur Magazine gives four lessons on social networking from 2011 – applying to businesses and organizations across many sectors including ag.
Social Media to Reach China: The USDA is using social media to build relationships with Chinese consumers to increase confidence in U.S. biotechnology, particularly corn.
Wheat and Technology: Monsanto’s latest blog post tackles the need for more technological investments to ensure the long-term sustainability of wheat.
Tags: #agchat, Biotechnology, China, Social Media, USDA
Posted in Ag News Roundup, BASF Plant Science, Social Media | No Comments
December 19th, 2011 by Courtney Beck
With the New Year rapidly approaching, all of us here at The Corn Feed are reflecting on what we’ve learned this year in preparation for a successful 2012. We hope you enjoy the look back through our year!
Here are a few of our favorite topics from 2011:
1. Even with bigger cows and a 59 percent increase in milk production, the carbon footprint for each gallon of milk continues to decrease. Read more here.
2. Dr. Fred Below from the University of Illinois presented the seven most influential factors on corn production. Check out the full list here.
3. A lactating dairy cow drinks approximately 30 to 50 gallons of water daily, accounting for over 85 percent of its nutrients. To learn more, check out both Part I and Part II of our Nutrient Management Practices posts.
4. Milk yield loss begins at the Temperature Humidity Index of 68. For more information about the index and heat’s effect on the herd, click here.
5. Locomotion scoring is recommended when trying to reduce lameness throughout a herd. Learn more about what that can mean for herd management practices here.
Tags: 2011, Milk Production, Nutrition, University of Illinois
Posted in BASF Plant Science, Dairy, Milk Production, Nutrition, Silage, Yield | No Comments
December 13th, 2011 by Anna Agnew
The world’s population will triple between 1970 and 2050, yet the amount of farmland will remain about the same during that time. BASF took to the streets to ask consumers about the growing demand for food and how they feel current farmland will suffice. Then we visited growers all over the United States so consumers can hear directly from the source how agriculture has evolved to protect farmland and natural resources while meeting the increasing demand for food and fiber production.
Click below to view this new video and begin your conservation conversation.
Tags: agriculture, BASF Plant Science, conservation, farmland
Posted in BASF Plant Science, Biotechnology, General | No Comments
