Latest News From Livestock

The NMPF plan takes the leap: letting the market set prices, eliminating dairy price supports and make allowances, offering a limited safety net of margin insurance.

After months of planning, Jerry Kozak, president and CEO of the National Milk Producers Federation (NMPF), has finally started to detail his organization's proposal to revitalize U.S. dairy policy for the 21st century.

In proposed rules governing which food products can and cannot be advertised to kids ages 2 to 17, logic and science have apparently been left behind.

Dairy Today has covered numerous U.S. dairy digester and cap-and-trade projects in recent years. These producers tell what they've learned since we first featured them.

The dairy industry was addressing global warming long before that was cool. We're producing 59% more milk with 64% fewer cows than in 1944. We use 77% less feed, 65% less water, 90% less land, produce 76% less manure and have a 63% smaller carbon footprint per gallon of milk produced than we did 66 years ago.

After months of depressed milk prices and high feed costs, most dairies have cut costs beyond what they ever thought was possible. Going forward, however, it may be time to re-evaluate some of these changes, or even consider adding some components back to the inputs to improve efficiency.

After months of depressed milk prices and high feed costs, most dairies have cut costs beyond what they ever thought was possible. Going forward, however, it may be time to re-evaluate some of these changes, or even consider adding some components back to the inputs to improve efficiency.

Since Elanco acquired Posilac from Monsanto in 2008, it has made re-education about the dairy production technology a priority. The Indiana-based company has reached out to the entire dairy food chain to promote Posilac's safety and its role in affordability and sustainability, says Dennis Erpelding, director of corporate affairs for Elanco's international business division.

In Florida, the old joke is that farmers measure corn silage yields in tons per acre and forage sorghum yields in board feet. But new, highly digestible brown midrib (BMR) varieties of forage sorghum change all that.

Scarred from the volatility that has trampled the world dairy markets in the last three-and-a-half years, traders have grabbed onto Fonterra's monthly commodity auction as a new global benchmark.

Dutch veterinarian Joep Driessen gives producers a pretty straightforward formula for correcting common cow management bottlenecks: •Look at cows closely to detect problems. •Think about what's causing those problems. •Act to correct them.

Metritis, a common reproductive disease, occurs in 10% to 30% of dairy herds. Typically diagnosed during the first 10 days in milk, metritis is associated with other transition and fresh cow challenges.

Under the changes announced by the Labor Dept. in the rule to be published in today's Federal Register, companies that seek H2A visas for ag workers will have to provide documented evidence that they have looked for qualified U.S. citizens to fill the jobs.

A comfortable cow is a happy, productive cow.

A comfortable cow is a happy, productive cow.

It's almost accepted as gospel that a high somatic cell count (SCC) cow in a small herd can throw off the entire bulk tank even if the rest of the herd is doing well. When it comes to large herds, the conventional wisdom is that a few high-count cows can get diluted by their herdmates.

A three-year, $1.6 million project on six Wisconsin dairy operations is shedding light on management practices that control odors and emissions—and those that don't.

With tightening margins, higher feed cost and more attention to environmental consequences, there are opportunities to refocus on just how much or how little protein is needed to sustain high production and returns to the herd.

Key finding: Increasing population is key to increasing tonnage. In addition, narrow-row silage production increased tonnage without compromising quality as measured in milk tons per acre.

The 60-day public comment period for the draft environmental impact statement (EIS) on Roundup Ready (RR) alfalfa ends on Feb. 16. Even so, there's still some uncertainty about when USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) will finally give the go-ahead to put the genetically engineered crop back on the market.

Milk prices will be better in 2010, but how high will we go, and will it be enough?

When cows are not in the milking parlor, they should be eating or lying down, so the popular thinking goes. Unfortunately, no one has explained that to the cows, say Marina von Keyserlingk and Dan Weary, professors and researchers in the Animal Welfare Program at the University of British Columbia.

With milk prices looking to recover this year after a disas-trous 2009, now is the time for dairy producers to craft a plan for recovery and dealing with the next downcycle

Balance sheets that you submit to your lenders need to be extremely accurate with no hidden surprises, says Jim Kastanek, a dairy business consultant and owner of Total Agri-Business Services, Albany, Minn.

Helping new agricultural employees get quickly grounded in their new community is the idea behind a publication available through South Dakota Extension.

Bonus content: English checklist Spanish checklist

With balance sheets in tatters and equity levels at record lows, crop insurance has renewed importance this year.

"Genomics is a big step forward, but we still need daughter information,” says says Kent Weigel, University of Wisconsin dairy geneticist. "We're not yet at the stage where we can identify the next sires of sons without using conventional genetics tools.”

If cows come into the dry period overconditioned, which is likely if they took longer to get pregnant, they're already preconditioned to breeding delays in their next lactation.

Neil Michael, director of technical services for ABS Global, says many herds consistently achieve pregnancy rates of 20% to 25%, with many commercial dairies already exceeding 35% to 40%. He lists eight influencers of reproductive success that every dairy should monitor.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently stepped up its surveillance of tissue residues in dairy animals. The agency has also begun publishing a list on its Web site of dairies and drug residues found.

The question before the dairy industry and USDA's Dairy Industry Advisory Committee is where we go from here.

"Uncertainty about the future is creating consternation among producers,” says Tony Mendes, who milks 1,400 cows near Riverdale, Calif. "We're preoccupied with survival.”

Wages paid to dairy farm workers remain essentially unchanged from three years ago

Alfalfa breeders are looking to improve fiber digestibility and slow down the rate of protein digestibility in the cow's rumen

Do neighbors grumble about your farming practices when you're out of earshot? Those who had a chance to anonymously register their complaints recently in a New York State survey didn't—much.

Evidence is mounting that cows housed in deep-bedded sand freestalls are outperforming cows on mattresses.

There may be no greater legacy from 2009 than the decimation of the California dairy industry.

The challenge is to utilize wet corn correctly in your dairy rations

Bonus content: Spanish translation More detail on wage survey Wages paid to dairy farm workers remain essentially unchanged from three years ago

Through social media like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and his own Web site, Dino Giacomazzi communicates regularly with friends, family and business colleagues. Giacomazzi uses social networking sites to advocate on issues he believes are critical to dairy's survival.

Crisis management drill hones ability to respond to emergencies.

After 2009's crippling losses and the continued price volatility that experts foresee, protecting profit margins has become "the name of the game,”

Commodity prices will trend higher, but will likely cycle more violently with the global recovery

Shrinking U.S. milk production and fewer cow numbers should also create a more bullish year for dairy producers. Even so, economists forecast a fragile recovery ahead.

Employers, rather than employees, are the primary work-site targets of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.