Entering the Dairy Beef Market - Is It For You?

Entering the Dairy Beef Market - Is It For You?  By Jaclyn Krymowski. Changes in the economy and milk market lead many dairy producers to seek additional streams of income within their operations. Raising unwanted bull calves on farm as dairy beef feeders and finished steers certainly isn’t a new idea...

Getting Started with Dairy Goats

Getting Started with Dairy Goats. By Heather Smith Thomas. Goats are fun and many people (and families with children) get a few goats to raise and enjoy, and some decide to milk goats for their own household use (for milk and cheese or other goat milk products) and may eventually milk goats commercially....

APHIS Seeks Public Comment on Transition to RFID Official Identification Tags

APHIS Seeks Public Comment on Transition to RFID Official Identification Tags. Article courtesy of Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS). The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) is seeking public comment on a proposal where APHIS would...

Control Pests to Improve Production

 Control Pests to Improve Production Article courtesy of Justin Talley - Oklahoma State University Arthropod pests limit production in the goat industry in many ways. External parasites feed on body tissue such as blood, skin and hair. The wounds and skin irritation produced by these parasites result in...

Battling Flies

 Battling Flies By Heather Smith Thomas Flies are a continual problem during warm weather, but there are several ways to reduce these pests.  Different flies have different habits and behavior, so a combination of tactics is most effective if you are trying to control several types of flies. ...

Maintaining A Tight Ship: Management Considerations with Increasing Milk Price

 Maintaining A Tight Ship: Management Considerations with Increasing Milk Price  By Michael Cox After a prolonged period of low milk prices and often below breakeven cashflow months for many dairies, the milk market tides finally turned towards more positive prices in late 2019. While better prices will...

Calving Management

 Calving Management By Jonathan StathamDystocia is expected to occur in ~10%–15% of first-calf heifers and in 3%–5% of mature cattle. Although dystocia cannot be eliminated from a herd, the incidence can be greatly reduced by management decisions made before the breeding season and during...

ZISK App Helps Dairy Producers Unlock the Future

 ZISK App Helps Dairy Producers Unlock the Future  By Steve Weisman Ever wished you had a crystal ball that could unlock the future? You know, to show whether you’ll make money in the next year and how much? Are you monitoring the day-to-day volatility of feed prices? Are you responding to these...