Dairy Digest
Edited by Dr. Jud Heinrichs, Professor of Dairy and Animal Science, Dairy Digest features articles by Penn State's experts in dairy management, engineering, herd health, and related areas. Dairy Digest has been published by the Department of Dairy and Animal Science and Penn State Cooperative Extension since 1963.
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.
