Jim Dickrell

Jim Dickrell is the editor Dairy Herd Management and is based in Monticello, Minn. He has 27 years of publication experience, and also operated his family’s Wisconsin family dairy farm for three years following graduation from the University of Wisconsin—River Falls. He also holds a Masters Degree from Hamline University, St. Paul, Minn.

Latest Stories
Don’t forget about safety when sampling silage.
Higher make allowance would allow for building more processing capacity, but they also would likely lower farmer pay prices.
‘Proprietary handlers establishing new forward contracts on or after October 1, 2018 will not be exempt from paying minimum Federal order prices.’ --USDA
But they will improve animal well-being, and possibly your bottom line.
A fluids-only approach works well for this dairy.
The report contains few surprises, but illustrates areas where management could be improved.
“Most [drug residue] violations are caused by treated cows that had no identifying information at the time of milking to indicate that their milk was to be withheld from the bulk tank.” –Norbert Nigon, Minnesota Department of Agriculture
High milk production plus even moderate temperatures (think 70°s) equal the beginning of heat stress.
The key to finding sick calves is to observe calves several times each day.
A medida que más productores manejan a las becerras en forma grupal, se torna mas difícil identificar a las becerras que están enfermas.
Pasteurizing waste milk and vaccination help control Johne’s disease.
Two dunks are better than one, and three are better yet. That’s why Nigel Cook, a University of Wisconsin veterinarian and humane cow care specialist, is recommending that footbaths be at least 10' in length. Twelve-foot baths are even better.
No more herd buyouts; sole focus on exports
Both the National Milk and Holstein Dairy Plan would reduce price volatility.
The dairy industry—Dairy Management Inc. (DMI), the National Milk Producers Federation, the International Dairy Foods Association, MilkPEP and the U.S. Dairy Export Federation--have teamed up to provide science-based information that is already available and can be updated as new information becomes available during crisis management events.