World trends to watch through 2050
Wed, 02/22/2012

Johanna Nesseth Tuttle

We hear time and again that we’ll need to feed 9 billion people in 2050. But what else will change in the next 38 years?

Steady milk production growth continued in 2011
Tue, 02/21/2012

milk production

For back-to-back years, U.S. milk output rose by a remarkably uniform 1.8 percent.

Echoes of ‘09 at World Ag Expo 2012
Mon, 02/20/2012

Economic reverberations took a toll on big outdoor equipment displays.

Mud, sun, warmth, cold, crowds, and fun were all part of the familiar mix at World Ag Expo last week in Tulare, Calif. But it’s what was not there that was the show’s biggest dairy story.

Ag Warrior Program Officially Launched
Thu, 02/16/2012

Unique program synergizes veterans, education, and agriculture.

Social media overload
Wed, 02/15/2012

Still learning Facebook, Twitter, Google+, and LinkedIn? Pinterest has come to take its own space on the web.

Facebook and Twitter have virtually taken over the world as text-based ways to communicate with the world. LinkedIn is like Facebook for professionals. Google+ (Google “plus”) has worked to make sharing pictures, video, and other media easy, but the crowd hasn’t followed.

Hoard’s Dairyman Farm Jerseys excel in 2011
Tue, 02/14/2012

Nationally, the breed set new production averages.

Based on a record of 91,028 lactations, the Jersey breed set new category records for pounds of milk, fat, and protein. In 2011, the breed averaged 18,633 pounds of milk, 889 pounds of fat, and 676 pounds of protein. Average yield on a Cheddar cheese equivalent basis was record-setting, as well, at 2,294 pounds.

Genetic groups begin to share public comments. However, more still needed.
Mon, 02/13/2012

There are now two options on the table for a new structure to carry out genetic evaluations.

Many dairy producers still hesitant about risk management
Fri, 02/10/2012

Cost and complexity cause many to simply take their chances with risk.

You can explain risk management and its potential benefits to milk producers all day long, but if they go away thinking it’s too expensive or too complicated, then they probably won’t try it.

Corn versus ethanol: continuing the debate
Thu, 02/09/2012

China needs it. Ethanol plants need it. And so do American’s dairy producers. With a smaller-than-anticipated corn crop, how do we balance domestic, global, and industry needs for corn?

Why on earth would you own dairy cattle?
Wed, 02/08/2012

Hoard’s Dairyman columnist, Gary Sipiorski, reminds us why milking cows is still a worthwhile endeavor. And yes, we’re talking economics.

Gary Sipiorski