HD Notebook

Tomorrow, USDA will release its Crop Production report which will shed some light on just how much corn might be harvested in this country this fall after all is said and done. It is an anxiously awaited release due out at 8:30 a.m. Eastern. Read more

This week, October 3 through 9, marks National 4-H Week — a week to celebrate what 4-H contributes to our family, our community, our country, and our world. At first thought, 4-H may have seemed like a social activity as a youngster and a reason to be at the fair every day. But 4-H really did yield more than summer softball games or project meetings. Read more

World Dairy Expo 2010 has come to a close. In a matter of a just a week, shows, sales, and contests were all held in Madison, Wis. Read more

With any great event comes tradition and there are certain things that have become tradition during World Dairy Expo. Many regular visitors have their favorite eating establishments, of which the Prime Quarter is a perfect example. This cook-your-own steakhouse is one of the most popular restaurants in Madison during Expo. Read more

Cattle will start rolling into World Dairy Expo today. And, as they arrive on the grounds, all trailers must go through the Rimrock Road gate and stop by the Arena Building to not only receive stalling locations, but present the health and registration papers for all animals on the trailer. If everything checks out, the check-in team will escort cattle to stalling locations. Read more

The Class III roller-coaster cycle we’ve come to hate will eventually swing back to $20. Count on it. Every down has been followed by an up, so it’s important to plan for the inevitable recovery that’s coming; otherwise you may miss the opportunity it brings. Here are five possibilities to consider:

Pay back debt. Read more

The results are in, and all gasses are accounted for. Yes, today, the industry-supported group, Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy, has officially announced the completion of an unprecedented life cycle assessment study that measured all greenhouse gas emissions associated with one gallon of milk. Read more

Last week, I received a newsletter from my local bank giving parents financial tips for their college students. Some of the items were common sense, but, if their children have never had to handle a budget, balance a checkbook, or hold a job, those students could be in for a huge shock. Read more

Despite the higher-than-normal temperatures experienced in many areas, U.S. milk production in August shot up 2.7 percent over a year ago. During August, there was a 2.9 percent rise in milk per cow over last year. That more than offset a 24,000-head (0.26 percent) drop in cow numbers. There was a 9,000-head drop in cow numbers from July. Read more

Rotary milking parlors were invented in the 1920s. The first industrial robot went into operation at a General Motors auto assembly plant in 1961. The microprocessor was invented by Intel in 1971. Robotic milking stalls first appeared on dairies in the early 1990s. Read more