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Milk Fat Is a Good Thing!
As you enjoy your thanksgiving and you are consuming all those calories, don’t worry about the butter and the milkfat. The amount of positive information coming out about milkfat is very exciting. It turns out we knew very little about fat and how it positively...
Tight with the Buck Leads to Profits
I recently read an article in the “Hoard’s Dairyman” that I think is interesting so I thought I would share some of the highlights with you. Even in years when low milk price makes it more difficult for the average dairy farm to stay ahead of the bills, there always...
Times Change
When I was a kid growing up, I didn’t know what yogurt was. Times change and so do people’s eating habits. According to Hoard’s Dairyman, “in the past decade, one food has risen to the top, experiencing the most growth in the American diet:YOGURT!” The NPD Group’s...
Somatic Cell Counts, The Global Market, And Reduction Strategies
As somatic cell count (SCC) standards are tightening, Arizona DHIA is receiving many inquiries from proactive managers and producers. Although we defer all herd health recommendations to dairy veterinary practitioners, Arizona DHIA provides all the necessary tools to...
IS MAINTAINING A SOMATIC CELL COUNT OF LESS THAN 200,000 WORTH IT?
As milk quality continues to tighten up and milk prices are not as favorable as they have been, cutting corners is a hot topic. So where should your somatic cell count be? This is a great question. Answering a question like this effectively will take a dollar...
Have you Heard About A1 and A2 Milk?
It was introduced several years ago and is now being marketed in California. To further promote the consumption of milk worldwide, A2 milk will be labeled and sold in California beginning this month. This premium milk comes from cows that produce this special type of...
Mycoplasma Q&A
If you have not had problems with Mycoplasma, chances are good that you will. There are many questions about Mycoplasma and this will help answer some of those questions. Mycoplasma bovine mastitis is a highly contagious disease that results in milk loss and culling...
DO YOUR CALVES GET WHAT THEY NEED?
A recent article in The Hoard’s Dairyman, states that newborn calves require full nutrients if they are going to reach their full potential as mature cows. From birth, calves have a maintenance requirement. Once this requirement is met, growth can take place. This...
Built With Chocolate Milk
You won’t believe what the latest thing is in working out, CHOCOLATE MILK. I always thought that chocolate milk was a drink that I needed to stay away from. But after much research, it appears that reduced-fat, chocolate milk is more nutritious than Gator Aid and...
Do you Speak Their Language?
DO YOU SPEAK THEIR LANGUAGE? Milk quality in today’s world market is of utmost importance. When a milking crew is applying and practicing the "how’s" of maintaining high milk quality in a barn, it is very important for them to know the "why’s" of what they are doing....
Sex-Biased Milk Production
Did you know that cows that produce a daughter rather than a son produce more milk? It’s true! Researchers from Kansas State and Harvard investigated sex-biased milk production using lactation records from 1995 to 1999. Data from this time period were chosen to...
THE VALUE OF A PENNY
The poor, lowly penny, often ignored, forgotten, and discarded, but when present in numbers, they have surprising power, even on dairies. At current Class III prices, a penny’s worth of milk is about 1.6 tablespoons. That sounds like nothing (it’s less than an ounce),...
WHY DO BUTTERFAT RESULTS VARY?
Much responsibly needs to be taken when testing for butterfat content. When I am asked why the results vary so much, I feel that we owe producers a reason. Arizona DHIA has its “butterfat machines” audited every year in November. Not only are the machines gone...
A QUICK HISTORY ON MILK QUALITY CONTROL
Cows today are producing twice the amount of milk they did back in 1960. More amazing than the milk yield, but less talked about, is the improvement in milk quality that took place during just the last decade. Somatic cell count (SCC) has served as a convenient...
WHAT IS YOUR TARGET SCC GOAL?
What is your target SCC goal? Your goal should be 200,000 cells/mL or less according to a recent article inHoard’s Dairyman. SCC goal-setting was also one of the featured presentations at the recent 2013 meeting of the National Mastitis Council. 200,000 cells/mL is...
ARE YOU LEAVING MONEY ON THE TABLE?
Hoard’s Dairyman says to never give up high milk production. High producing dairy cows convert 1 pound of dry matter to 2 to 2.5 pounds of milk. According to the August edition of Hoard’s, a pound of dry matter costs 13 to 16 cents. Two pounds of milk at 20 cents a...
