2009 Archives

I have had the privilege to visit numerous dairy herds which consistently achieve high milk production and excellent reproductive performance. This article lists the major common characteristics among these herds.

Although this may not be a fun thing to do in a year like this, NOT knowing how bad it was is worse than knowing.

We are all aware of the recent passage of Proposition 2 which banned the use of veal crates, battery cages, and gestation crates in California. Tie-stalls for dairy cows may not be far behind if the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) has its way.

Researchers from the United Kingdom recently studied the impact of milk replacer feeding rate and protein concentration on animal performance through the second lactation.

Providing a dry comfortable resting area for dairy cattle is essential to their health.

See the Specht Report at http://dasweb.psu.edu/bullrank.

Dr. Michael O’Connor’s retirement at the end of December will mark the conclusion of a career that has significantly impacted Pennsylvania dairy producers.

As an old saying goes, “without some sense of direction, you can wind up anywhere.”

It doesn’t take a lot of cows to make biogas from manure. The real question is how does the capital and management cost of a digester fit into your farm business and management situation?

Nutrition has many effects on the health of the calf and improvements must be considered to reduce the high incidence of morbidity and mortality as found on dairy farms around the world.

Shrink is defined by Kansas State Extension Specialist Michael Brouk as the amount of feed delivered or grown on a farm that is never consumed. Brouk estimated that shrink may account for 5 to 30 percent of feed purchased.

The opportunity exists to improve reproductive performance as measured by days to last breeding, calving interval, and 21-day pregnancy rate.

Research published in the July issue of the Journal of Dairy Science (Moore et al.) investigated the use of a Brix refractometer to manage total solids in nonsaleable milk fed to calves.

The dairy industry is struggling more than ever with low milk prices and high operating expenses.

Our students excelled in a variety of areas, including earning first place overall in the Outstanding Chapter competition for the third consecutive year.

Four individuals from Penn State's Department of Dairy and Animal Science received recognition at the annual American Dairy Science Association (ADSA) meeting in Montreal, Quebec.

A discouraging feature of recent visits to digester projects in Pennsylvania and neighboring states is that we are still seeing many of the “same olde mistakes and problems” on our digester projects.

The debate of organic vs. inorganic bedding and which has better udder health has gone on for some time.

It appears that linolenic acid is deficient in typical calf diets.

Dairy farmers – and other farmers too – should not be paying Pennsylvania sales tax on electricity!

Life is all about choices. Some work out great, some not well at all. The key though is to always have a choice, because the alternative is not pleasant.

There are many different ways that we can reduce our carbon footprint, either on an individual basis, as a farm, an industry or even a country.

Evidence has been accumulating that lactating cow mortality rates have increased more than 2 fold since 1980.

What can the active compounds cinnamaldahyde and eugenol found in essential oils do for your dairy cows?

Dr. Kevin Harvatine was recently hired as an Assistant Professor of Nutritional Physiology by the Department of Dairy and Animal Science.

Progress is be made to understand more about this condition and treatment strategies have improved but diagnosis of the type of cysts is still a challenge. However, culling chronically cystic cows, developing a strategy to avoid over conditioned dry cows and providing balanced transition cow ration will certainly help minimize periparturient problems so that the incidence of cystic ovaries remains low.

Penn State Dairy Extension is offering a new online tool to help dairy producers better manage feed costs during the current economic downturn.

That old saying, “What goes up must come down,” has been proven to be true yet again.

The time is right to review the concerns with ammonia emissions and the particular role of livestock in the global context of anthropogenic air pollution.

Genomic sire evaluations were released for the first time in January. Many people believe this will have the largest impact on genetic improvement programs since the advent of frozen semen.

The energy site has undergone massive reconstruction over the past several months with the new theme of "Coping with High Energy Prices."

Penn State Dairy Alliance is currently forming discussion groups for dairy producers in southcentral and southwestern Pennsylvania who want an opportunity to meet regularly so they may network and learn from each other.