HD Notebook

Yesterday, the U.S. Senate approved (81 to 19) the big tax package that extends Bush-era tax rates and includes a number of other measures. One of those measures would extend the Volumetric Ethanol Excise Tax Credit (VEETC) for one year at the same 45 cent-a-gallon rate. Read more

Years ago, bunkers were only known as a military hide-out. Those bunkers were safe. The bunkers on our dairy farms can be anything but. Deaths can and do occur because of poor face management, accidental slips when pulling back plastic or tires, and poor silage compaction. Based on a market study completed by our magazine, it was estimated that over 30 percent of dairy farms in the U.S. Read more

Winter is here. . . and so is the cold and snow that can be harmful to those of us who work outdoors with livestock. “Bundle up, dress in layers, put on your hat” are familiar sounds to many children who grew up in cold weather climates. But, those wise words apply to people of all ages. Read more

World Ag Expo’s first permanent exhibit building, the Dairy Center, turns 20 this year and has been upgraded for 2011 in two very exciting ways: The dirt floor is now concrete, and the one remaining wall of canvas curtains has been replaced with sheet metal. Read more

The December sire evaluations are ready for your review. We have created lists for all seven breeds. In the Holsteins, the Top 100 bulls for Net Merit are listed. All bulls must be in the top 40 percentile for Net Merit to be listed in the top lists for Fluid Merit, Cheese Merit, udders, feet and legs, productive life, somatic cell score, pregnancy rate, conception rate, and sire calving ease. Read more

Chinese milk production will reach 67 billion pounds in 2011, up 5 percent from 2010. This is among the forecasts of a USDA Foreign Ag Service GAIN report (Global Agricultural Information Network). Read more

One way that we at Hoard's Dairyman stay up to date on the newest research and tools is to subscribe to extension, research, and producer group newsletters. We gladly pass these newsletters around our editorial office to learn about the latest in dairy research. Just recently, we received the current newsletter from the Northeast Dairy Producers Association. Read more

It is December 7 and sire summary information has been released. It used to be a really exciting time when there were only two sire summaries per year, as the momentum would build in January and July. In my youth, several A.I. representatives were in the yard with their new information and full of enthusiasm soon after the information became official. Read more

As a group, the Hoard Guernsey herd had outstanding feet and leg scores, averaging 81.86 points on 342 cows at the most recent classification. There are a number of reasons for their solid feet and legs: some is genetic, some is the facilities, but a lion’s share can be attributed to a diligent hoof-trimming program and the steady use of footbaths by the Hoard Farm crew headed up by Jason Yurs. Read more

An $860,000 donation from a husband and wife has created a new Dairy Center and dairy professorship in the Food Science and Technology Department at Oregon State University. Read more