Latest News From Livestock

Fly control is one of the summer chores we all dread. It is frustrating, time-consuming and dips into our profits. When dealing with flies on cattle, there are essentially two species involved: horn flies located on the backs of cattle and face flies.

DHS recently published a final rule that will afford employers greater flexibility in completing, signing, and storing Forms I-9 electronically.

Once upon a time, all the world’s dairy suppliers wanted to sell to the U.S.

“Is competition healthy enough to protect farmers, and if not, what do we do about it?”

California's Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has vetoed a bill that would have given farmworkers overtime pay after eight hours of work in a day and 40 hours in a week.

Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack has are received a letter signed by 75 Members of Congress urging USDA to allow limited planting of Roundup Ready alfalfa.

California processors require dairies to evaluate animal well-being.

Mark Wustenberg suggests simple places to check for a dairy's source of bacteria problems in milk counts.

The right procedure at the right time helps a dairy maintain low somatic cell counts.

New report shows the worldwide dairy industry’s contribution to global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions is just 2.7%

Where to start when somatic cell counts exceed 400,000.

A growing number of U.S. dairy processors are expanding their exporting efforts to capture emerging opportunities abroad.

The clock starts ticking on the EU somatic cell count limit on July 1.

Mobile dairy classroom educates California kids about milk and cows.

Given the rebound in U.S. milk production and the uncertainty of domestic and global demand, prospects for a major bull-market turnaround continue to dim.

Global trade requirements directly affect U.S. dairies.

USDA reporting increasing numbers of crossbred dairy cattle.

Minnesota dairy farm linked to E. coli outbreak from raw milk.

Four in Minnesota sickened, including children, from E. coli in raw milk.

In turbulent financial times, it is critical to monitor changes in feed efficiency and feed cost as they impact income over feed cost

Robots make calf feeding fun.

A simple check back in your records can give you a pretty good idea of whether your summer cow cooling practices are adequate.

GPS-guided auto-steering has not caught on as fast for dairy farmers as it has for their corn and soybean brethren who farm tabletop-flat prairies. But that's changing, as pioneering dairy producers try to squeeze every advantage out of this constantly evolving technology.

If you and your partners are getting into too many arguments, or simply aren't communicating well, your business might need a specified "code of conduct” that every partner agrees to and carries with him or her.

If you and your partners are getting into too many arguments, or simply aren't communicating well, your business might need a specified "code of conduct” that every partner agrees to and carries with him or her.

Dairy prices trend upward, though reasons elusive.

After three years of well-publicized drought, California has received near-normal precipitation this year.

As more details emerge on the National Milk Producers Federation's 2012 dairy policy proposal, there's a lot to like

In late 2010 or early 2011, any dairy processor exporting to the European Union will need to certify that each farm that supplies milk for those exports is below 400,000 somatic cell count.

Balancing dairy rations for rumen-protected amino acids is often an exercise in confusion. There are few hard and fast rules.

One strategy used by Midwest dairy managers in 2009 when feed prices were high and milk prices were at record lows was feeding more forages.

You can reduce the risk of a hay fire on your farm with these tips

OSHA says that dairies account for a higher incidence of accidents over the general workforce. The most frequent dairy injuries involve hands and fingers, backs, legs and knees. These often result in employees missing work and, ultimately, higher insurance premiums.

At least three major Arizona agricultural groups aren't pleased with the new immigration law the state passed last Friday.

Arizona Governor Jan Brewer signed a controversial new immigration bill today, saying it will help the state solve a crisis that the federal government has refused to fix.

As dairy price support levels become less and less relevant to cost-of-production levels, milk price volatility has brought cash flows from booming highs to crushing lows.

The production dairy industry is full of myths that relate to milk quality. These myths are alive and well, and living in an area near you.

From June 2005 through November 2009, Osterkamp Dairy achieved a milk quality bonus for 52 out of 53 months—a 98% success rate. Those results, says owner Mark Osterkamp, don't happen without teamwork. In fact, getting milkers to buy in to the team concept is key to making everything work, he says.

Three years ago, Tillamook Cooperative Creamery switched to using the Foss Bactoscan for determining bacterial counts of milk samples. We also decided to test every load of milk received rather than testing weekly.

Bonus content: To receive a complete list of “Behavior-based Questions for Agricultural Positions,” send an e-mail to don@dontyler.com . The bleak unemployment numbers rolling out of federal and state government offices month after month are a dark cloud for the overall U.S. economy. But there can be a silver lining for employers looking to fill key positions

Optimum efficiency of nutrient conversion into milk and milk components occurs when both the nutrient requirements of the cow and rumen microbes are met and in synchrony.

Come August, dairy producers and calf raisers will no longer be able to buy milk replacers with Neomycin-Terramycin in the tried-and-true 2:1 ratio formulation.

From birth, provide calves with a clean, comfortable environment with good colostrum management, consistent feeding and management practices and plenty of dietary calories

Many dairy producers and their veterinarians find that using on-label extended therapy, defined as administering intramammary mastitis treatment for up to eight days, offers a better chance for a complete cure.

Kevin Van der Poel, a co-owner of Focal Dairy, began an intensive, pasture-grazing business with a new spin on old dairy traditions. The business is not about producing the most milk. The New Zealander's method is focused on efficiency, management and reduced costs.

The optimism of December failed to materialize. "The worst is over,” we proclaimed. And then April milk futures, which traded above $15.50 just prior to Christmas, fell to $12.35 just three months later.

Large dairy operations, those with 50 or more employees, will now be required to provide health insurance for their employees and possibly for their families as well.

Tail docking of dairy cows was already an uncommon and diminishing practice in California when a state legislator introduced a bill in February 2009 to ban the practice.

Develop a strategic deworming strategy now to reduce potential problems in the future

Overshadowed by the health-care debate, high unemployment and a struggling economy, attempts to overhaul immigration and the guest-worker program have not gone far.