The Herd and Feed Blog

One of the hardest obstacles to overcome when changing the labor environment on a dairy is people’s perceptions. Here is an example using a phone call I received this week.

I am a big believer in not housing hospital and fresh cows together. I also like separating lame cows into a designated lame cow pen whenever possible because the pen walking surface and water trough should differ for these groups.

One of my family’s favorite stories is of one brother who would disappear when work needed to be done. One of these stories took place on a cold winter day when the stalls needed to be cleaned. He took the time to clean a few stalls… then he bedded...

I have a problem at my farm. One of my herdspeople has an incredibly tender heart and truly loves animals. The upside of this is that we’ve saved a lot of calves by putting them on IV treatments and nursing them back to health. The downside,...

Gunk by definition is an unpleasant sticky or messy substance. It is not only unpleasant to humans, but it also reduces dry matter intake, spreads molds and yeasts, and can cause disease in our cows. To discover it, you must be visually aware and be...

Most financial statements identify feed followed by labor as the items that cost the most on a dairy. Taxes, wages, and benefits are included in the financial definition for labor; however, I rarely see training and training time included.

Shrink is a fancy word that only means the difference between what was fed… and what was actually measured going into the feed center. It is a huge economical drain for most dairies. It is an interesting problem that results from the lack of...

Every time a cow leaves the hospital pen, it’s a chance to reflect. What does a successful treatment really mean in the dairy industry? How should we evaluate the cure rate in cows?

The Art of Feeding is techniques that require a person to observe or to act. This is what moves an average feeding department to excellence.

Vaccination plays a key role in maintaining herd health and protecting cattle from disease. In the dairy industry, we deal with high-risk groups every day—cows that have just calved and newborn calves less than 75 days of age. While vaccines can be...

If you are like most producers, at one point or another you toy with the idea of re-designing your feed center. Today there are lots of good examples of indoor feed centers and it yields the question, do I need a fancy feed center? If I take the...

I am not a big fan of amusement parks. I especially dislike the large roller coasters. I think it is my queasy stomach and the feeling of lack of control of my situation. I feel the same way about milk pricing as once again we are on a wild ride....