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 »
September 16th, 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 – Harvest: This week’s #AgChat focused on the challenges and rewards farmers deal with during harvest time, including best practices, safety, time management, economic effects, labor laws, projected yields and buyer expectations.
Farm Computer Usage: The U.S. Department of Agriculture released a report stating that 62 percent of farms now have internet access and more than 70 percent of production farms use the Internet for farm business, among other finds. Read the full report here or check out Progressive Dairyman’s coverage here.
Animals and Ag: Browse the National Institute for Animal Agriculture’s (NIAA) website for hot topics in the animal ag industry including animal care, disease protocol and identification regulations. Stay up-to-date by liking them on Facebook or following them on Twitter.
The Voice of Rural America: Listen in to @agritalk’s weekday radio show at 10:06 CDT to hear discussions on drought, animal disease, federal regulation reviews, ethanol and more. Miss an episode? Subscribe to their podcasts on iTunes or visit their archives to get caught up!
Tags: #agchat, AgriTalk, harvest, Progressive Dairyman, radio, U.S. Department of Agriculture
Posted in Ag News Roundup, Social Media | No Comments »
July 25th, 2011 by Courtney Beck
With corn prices sky high, when was the last time you calculated your savings?
Check out the Dairy page to see the calculator our team developed that determines how much NutriDense Silage could save a dairy producer each year.
The calculator was created using data from a Cornell University study, which determined that lactating dairy cows fed NutriDense Silage showed a six to eight percent improvement in feed efficiency.
What are you waiting for? See how much you can save today!
To read more about the Cornell University study, check out the following posts:
Tags: calculator, Cornell University, Dairy, Dr. Larry Chase, NutriDense Silage, Progressive Dairyman
Posted in Dairy, Milk Production, Silage | No Comments »
June 16th, 2011 by Courtney Beck
With the official arrival of summer on June 21, the temperatures start to climb, and cows can feel the effect quickly.
An updated Temperature Humidity Index (THI) developed by the University of Arizona states that the new THI stress threshold – a number reached after charting both air temperatures and relative humidity on the THI – is 68. This new data came from a study using both controlled trials and large-herd field studies.
At the THI stress threshold of 68, milk yield loss begins to occur as the respiration rate (RR) surpasses 60 breaths per minute (BPM). Mild to moderate stress occurs between THI levels of 72 and 79, and severe stress occurs when THI levels fall between 80 and 89.
To read the full article from Hoard’s Dairyman, click here.
Check out these articles with additional tips on how to care for dairy herds during the summertime months:
Tags: Dairy Herd Management, Hoard's Dairyman, Progressive Dairyman, summer, THI, University of Arizona
Posted in Dairy | No Comments »
March 17th, 2011 by Courtney Beck
This year, the Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy released its first-ever Sustainability Progress Report, a detailed review of the industry’s work to reduce its carbon footprint. The report provides an update on key challenges in the efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and energy impacts of the dairy industry since the 2007 launch of the U.S. Sustainability Commitment.
Progressive Dairyman interviewed Erin Fitzgerald, the Center’s vice president of sustainability, on some of the highlights of the report. Check out the interview here.
For another look at environmental sustainability and the Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy, watch the video, “Ag Report: Dairy’s Carbon Footprint and Sustainability,” a report examining the entire dairy process from start to finish.
Tags: Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy, Progressive Dairyman, sustainability
Posted in Dairy | No Comments »
December 22nd, 2010 by Courtney Beck
It’s official – Tuesday marked the first day of winter, despite the cold temperatures we’ve seen across the country for the last few weeks. Although cows enjoy cooler weather, the cold brings its own concerns for dairy producers.
Here are a few links from dairy publications and university programs to get through the season:
Tags: Cornell University, Dairy Herd Management, Hoard's Dairyman, Progressive Dairyman
Posted in Dairy, General | No Comments »
October 21st, 2010 by Courtney Beck
We had a great time connecting with the folks from Progressive Dairyman at the World Dairy Expo a few weeks ago. We were also excited to watch a post-show video wrap-up its team put together. It’s a great compilation of statistics on everything from show visitors to show winners.
While we were there, we saw many people sporting “Proud to Dairy” hats they received at the publication’s booth after marking their location on the “Proud to Dairy” map. The “Proud to Dairy” site, which is run by the magazine and features a compilation of dairy blog posts, videos and photos, has given away nearly 500 hats – but producers can still get one of their own:
- Create a “Proud to Dairy” account or sign into an existing account.
- Post a 50-word blog or your own YouTube video explaining why you’re “Proud to Dairy.”
Visit the “Proud to Dairy” site or e-mail Emily at emily@progresssivedairy.com for more information.
Tags: corn silage, Dairy, Emily Caldwell, NutriDense Silage, Progressive Dairyman, Proud to Dairy, World Dairy Expo
Posted in Dairy, General, Silage, Social Media | No Comments »
August 11th, 2010 by Greg Jones
With the dairy industry facing economic constraints, producers are looking for ways to cut costs without sacrificing milk production. One place to look is feed — when feed efficiency increases, producers are able to get the same milk with less feed.
The results of a recent feed efficiency study performed by Dr. Larry Chase, professor and dairy nutrition extension specialist at Cornell University, were featured in the July 1 issue of Progressive Dairyman in an article titled “Improve feed efficiency, increase profitability by selecting high-quality corn silage hybrids.” Dr. Chase revealed results that found NutriDense Silage to be six to eight percent better in feed efficacy, or converting feed to milk, than other high-quality corn silage in the study.
Click here to learn more about the study and how NutriDense stacked up against other hybrids.
Greg Jones is the NutriDense Silage product manager for BASF Plant Science. You can contact him at gregory.jones@basf.com.
Tags: corn silage, Cornell University, dairy feed, dairy nutrition, Dr. Larry Chase, Greg Jones, NutriDense Silage, Progressive Dairyman
Posted in BASF Plant Science, Dairy, Milk Production, Silage, Yield, eNewsletter | No Comments »
July 21st, 2010 by Courtney Beck
With the dairy industry facing economic constraints, producers are looking for ways to cut costs without sacrificing milk production. One place to look is feed — when feed efficiency increases, producers are able to get the same milk with less feed.
That’s why NutriDense was excited to see the results of a recent feed efficiency study performed by Dr. Larry Chase, professor and dairy nutrition extension specialist at Cornell University. Dr. Chase revealed results that found NutriDense Silage to be six to eight percent better in feed efficiency, or converting feed to milk, than other high-quality corn silage in the study.
These findings were featured in a recent Progressive Dairyman article titled “Improve feed efficiency, increase profitability by selecting high-quality corn silage hybrids.” To learn more about the study and how NutriDense stacked up against other hybrids, check out the findings in the magazine’s July 1 edition or online.
Tags: corn silage, Cornell University, dairy feed, dairy nutrition, Dr. Larry Chase, feed efficiency, NutriDense, Progressive Dairyman, Silage
Posted in Dairy, Milk Production, Research, Silage | No Comments »
July 6th, 2010 by Karlie Justus
When it comes to dairy agvocacy, Barbara Martin – perhaps better known as the “Dairy Goddess” blogger behind her popular blog – is a “moo-ver” and a shaker. The California dairy producer shared her top five must-have tools required to get the job done with Progressive Dairyman, including a desktop computer, Flip video camera, Internet, Blackberry and, of course, ideas, creativity and emotion. Martin and many others in the industry use tools such as these to spread the word about industry facts, figures and events such as National Dairy Month.
Even though the June holiday is over, the online dairy community still has four days left to enter our Web Moo.0 Contest. Tell us how you use social media to promote the dairy industry by submitting a YouTube video, Flickr slideshow, blog post or short essay over on the contest website.
With the help of the AgChat Foundation, one grand prize winner will be chosen to attend the first AgChat Foundation’s Agvocacy 2.0 Conference (including the $350 registration fee and travel and hotel expenses valued up to $1,000), held August 30-31. The exclusive conference, which only has 50 open spots, will focus on ways agriculturalists can take their social media efforts to the next level. In addition, second and third-place winners will receive Flip Cameras.
We’ve gotten some great entries – enter now to submit your story!
Tags: #agchat, AgChat Foundation, Barbara Martin, corn silage, dairy feed, Dairy Goddess, dairy nutrition, NutriDense, NutriDense Silage Web Moo.0 Contest, Progressive Dairyman, Silage, Web Moo.0 Contest
Posted in Dairy, Silage, Social Media | No Comments »
