It pays to get the most out of farm meetings because animal well-being and productivity are usually involved. Whether discussing nutrition plans, health protocols, farm management strategies and more, our experiences point to one overarching factor that maximizes meeting time: preparation.

With multiple data sources collected in a single platform, dairy producer Allan Kutz is able to see more information in less time. In particular, he is better able to see how his fresh cows are performing by days in milk (DIM).

Are you excited for Halloween but tired of handing out the same types of candy year after year? If this seems familiar to you, I have several ideas to make this Halloween season unique and healthy. 

Here’s Progressive Dairy’s monthly review of September 2024 FMMO data to provide some additional transparency to your milk check.

Although managing starch digestibility may feel like uncovering the center in a never-ending set of nesting dolls, there are many tools available to help us start to break this down. Doing so can help ensure that rations meet expected values and help farmers make the most out of purchased and homegrown feeds. It can also shed light on opportunities to improve starch digestion and ensure we aren’t missing out on valuable energy.

The best robot cows combine four factors – milk production, milkability, milking speed and trips to the robot. Each of these factors can be measured, and the measurements can be combined to rank the best robot cows.

Dairy farmers are reaping the benefits of current high prices for dairy-beef crossbred calves thanks to historically lower cattle replacements and strong beef demand. Opportunities for beef-on-dairy strategies remain strong, especially beef embryo-based programs. Feeders and packers seek uniformity between animals and efficient growth. They are willing to reward dairies for these efforts, at least while the national beef herd rebuilds following years of drought, wildfires and economic hardships. Simplot’s Jeremy Howard and Select Sires Lauren Kimble discuss the market outlook and how it might affect your beef-on-dairy programs.

Efficiency is the key to success in the dairy industry. There are never enough hours in the day to do everything you want to do, so maximizing those hours, minutes and even seconds is the hallmark of a good operation.