When it comes to input costs, we are all aware of the rising price tag on fuel and labor. It’s no surprise that you will also likely see an increase in any custom services you hire out, such as manure hauling and harvesting.

With a sea of technology options available, there have never been more tools to improve the way your dairy operates. But sometimes deciding which technologies to invest in and implement on your dairy can seem overwhelming.

Progress is often driven by technology and innovation. With the help of constant evolution, efficiency reduces error and the need for manual operation. Total Farm Automation (TFA) can leverage technology to simplify your farm operations.

Maximizing the value of automated calf feeders goes far beyond putting together a feeding plan and pushing calves to the feeder.   Autofeeders can provide helpful insight into daily calf management as well as overall trends of the calf feeding program. 

The way nutrients are applied to cropland has changed significantly over time, with adoption of various precision agricultural practices such as nutrient management planning, grid soil sampling and variable rate application technology. However, the way we handle manure nutrients has undergone little change.

Organic dairy producers must follow many rules that seem to heighten the struggles every dairy faces. One of these regulations requires all organic dairy cattle to spend a minimum of 120 days each year on pasture, which in some areas can be the entire grazing season.

There are many nutrition and management factors, such as social dominance behaviors and feeding patterns, that can impact rumen pH, both positively and negatively. 

My own struggles with internet began during the pandemic. We live in a rural area in Idaho. Our county is the No. 20 dairy county in the U.S. and cows outnumber people 6 to 1 where I live.