Mastitis Control: Reducing Somatic Cell Counts

Mastitis is the most costly disease of dairy cattle. The primary economic loss associated with mastitis is lost production due to subclinical mastitis. This loss accounts for nearly two-thirds the costs associated with mastitis or about $126 per cow per year. The remaining one-third of the dollar or about$62 per cow per year are costs associated with discarded milk, drug therapy, veterinarian costs, and culling

Estimating the Dollar Value of Hay

This is a question being asked more and more due to more dairies buying hay, volatile grain markets, and adverse weather conditions. Hay is an important contributor of protein, energy, fiber and other nutrients to the rations of dairy cattle, from claves to lactating cows. As such, its dollar and feeding value can not be overlooked, especially when trying to maximize income over feed costs to enhance the overall profitability of a farm operation

Pandemic Flu Preparation: The Workplace and the Community

Yes, we can expect our lives to be “touched” by an avian influenza pandemic. Our diets and daily routines will be altered, and the concern of all of us will be to protect ourselves and our families. Since we don’t know how serious the pandemic may be in our communities, it only pays to prepare. Advance planning can make our homes safe and comfortable. It’s not an overwhelming task, and there are many guidelines to help. Look at it this way: The better we are prepared, the better we will respond and rebound, and when it’s all over, the better and stronger will be our families, community, and state

Top 10 Recommendations to Consider When Feed Quality/Quantity/Costs are Compromised

This article provides ten recommendations that ranchers should consider when their feed quality, quanity, and costs are compromised

Percent Contribution to the Bulk Tank -- A DHIA Tool to Aid in the Control of Somatic Cell Count

Heart of America DHIA lab services now provides a “hot list” of the 20 highest somatic cell count cows, noting not only the somatic cell count, but milk production, percent contribution to the bulk tank, and bulk tank count estimates with the cows removed consecutively from the tank. This valuable new tool from DHIA can be most useful to producers trying to manage bulk tank counts while addressing mastitis control issues in their herd

Pandemic Flu Preparation: Food and Water Supplies and Storage

Yes, we can expect our lives to be “touched” by an avian influenza pandemic. Our diets and daily routines will be altered, and the concern of all of us will be to protect ourselves and our families. Since we don’t know how serious the pandemic may be in our communities, it only pays to prepare. Advance planning can make our homes safe and comfortable. It’s not an overwhelming task, and there are many guidelines to help. Look at it this way: The better we are prepared, the better we will respond and rebound, and when it’s all over, the better and stronger will be our families, community, and state

Using Non-Protein Nitrogen to Control Feed Costs

What is non-protein nitrogen? All proteins contain nitrogen, but not all nitrogen is contained in proteins. For example, urea and anhydrous ammonia are two compounds which contain significant amounts of nitrogen, but neither is a protein. Instead, they are called nonprotein nitrogen (NPN) compounds

Pandemic Flu Preparation: If we don’t have utilities, how do we cook, keep things clean?

Yes, we can expect our lives to be “touched” by an avian influenza pandemic. Our diets and daily routines will be altered, and the concern of all of us will be to protect ourselves and our families. Since we don’t know how serious the pandemic may be in our communities, it only pays to prepare. Advance planning can make our homes safe and comfortable. It’s not an overwhelming task, and there are many guidelines to help. Look at it this way: The better we are prepared, the better we will respond and rebound, and when it’s all over, the better and stronger will be our families, community, and state

Emergency Preparedness: Saving Up for an Emergency

Having an emergency savings fund is an important part of emergency preparedness. A disaster is hard enough to endure without creating serious financial hardship too. How would you pay your bills if the income earners in your family were unable to work for an extended time because they could not get to work or their business closed down? Having an emergency savings fund will allow you to cover expenses in case of an emergency, and it will also give you some peace of mind

Health Risks of Drinking Raw (Unpasterurized) Milk

Why be concerned about drinking raw milk? All milk and milk products have the potential to transmit pathogenic (disease-causing) organisms to humans. All the nutritional components that make milk and milk products an important part of the human diet also support the growth of these pathogenic organisms. People who prefer, for whatever reason, to drink raw milk face the greatest risk of contact with these pathogens. Dairy producers selling or giving raw milk to friends and relatives put them at risk for foodborne illness