He wanted to know whether to remain with the current system of farming, move to 100% autumn calving, sell the best weaned cattle live for export or to sell all weaned cattle live. Identifying markets and minimising fixed costs are two key reasons why gross outputs are 37% higher on Talbot Farm than the average similar sized Irish suckler herd (see table) But with parameters continuously changing for the export market, it is important to understand target specification and whether our...

Got milk? No, But we got chaos in the dairy industry as the government tries so hard to micromanage the price of milk and the state of the dairy business that it ends up making a shambles of everything. Where is Bill Galvin when you need him? Galvin is the secretary of state who, four years ago, filed legislation that would limit how much a market could charge for milk. Anyone who does the family shopping may have noticed that milk prices have been going through the roof in recent months....

Using modern plant-breeding methods to find new diets for cows that make them belch less is a way to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, scientists reported this week. It also requires farmers to balance cows' legume intake with other food and to develop different species of grass that are also more digestible, he added. He noted the average dairy cow belches out about 100 to 200 litres of methane each day, making diet changes a key potential factor in reducing this greenhouse gas. The key is...

These may be tricks of the trade, but the trade is not so popular anymore in Western Washington, where dairy farms are dying and cattle ranches are scant. They yell, they coax, they make kissing noises to the 11 cows, trying to move them, in numerical order, from one pen to another. The challenge is to get as many cattle in numerical order into the pen as possible before a minute is up. As the sun burned low in the sky, Larry Salverson sat quietly on the horse he calls Rooster, waiting his...

Dairy Herd Management Magazine - Industry News. The agenda features presentations covering the latest news and research in dairy cattle fertility and reproduction technology. Last year we achieved our goal of creating a healthy start for the organization and establishing a forum to deliver relevant, leading-edge information, says Jos Santos, DCRC president and associate professor at the University of California-Davis. This year we take another important step by providing dairy producers,...