Latest News From Maureen Hanson

After posting the largest numbers in decades earlier this year, the total U.S. dairy herd size has been on a steady downward trajectory since June 2021.

Grooming brushes have become facility staples on many dairies, thanks to their popularity among the cows. But until now, they haven’t been used much with younger animals. Here's why that might change.

The incidence of transition-cow diseases has budged little, and these maladies – mastitis, metritis, retained placenta, and poor fertility – continue to make up about 75% of all mature dairy cow diseases.

Teamwork – on a dairy or anywhere else – requires trust, so every team member feels valued and compelled to contribute their best effort.

Herrington Farms, Inc. of Troy, NY was named the overall winner of the 2021 World Forage Analysis Superbowl at the 2021 World Dairy Expo in Madison, Wis.

Harvesting and storing high-moisture corn can help producers get a jump on harvest; avoid drying costs; and put up a highly palatable, digestible, nutritious feedstuff.

Drought in the Midwest and crop damage from the remnants of Hurricane Ida had created dampened optimism this summer about the size of this year’s U.S. corn crop.

Crafting effective lactating rations when the “ideal” ingredients are in short supply is challenging, but possible.

The evolution of dairy production and the industry’s future will be the focus of many presentations on the agenda of the 2021 Dairy Cattle Reproduction Council (DCRC) Annual Meeting.

The national average price for replacement Holstein dairy heifers continues to hover at about $1,100 per head, well below the cost of production.

Raising healthy, well-grown replacement heifers that turn into profitable, reliable cows does not have to be complicated, but it does have to be consistent.

Growing the ideal heifer is an ever-changing goal. A research team from Penn State University and the University of Florida recently explored the impact of bodyweight at first calving on milk yield and herd longevity.

A team of Brazilian researchers studied the thermoregulation capacity of calves fed various levels of colostrum, then determined which of the animals were best able to keep themselves warm.

The onset of fall marks the return of nuisance birds to dairy farms and feedlots in cooler climates.

Anticipated tight supply and higher prices for vitamin E may require dairy managers and their nutritionists to dial back vitamin E inclusion rates in rations, or seek alternative options.

Round-the-clock TMR availability may not be necessary to keep lactating cows on an even plane of digestion.

There are plenty of alternatives and imitators lined up next to real ice cream in your grocer’s freezer. But there’s a new one that can claim to be 100% “dairy.”

While using medically important antimicrobials in food-animal production has been curtailed and more highly regulated in the U.S. and much of Europe, not all countries globally have modified their policies or practices.

Only about 5% of U.S. dairy herd managers regularly assess body condition scores (BCS) in their herds, even though the value of routine body condition scoring has been well-documented.

It’s a buyer’s market for dairy replacement heifers, with soft Holstein springer values a common theme throughout most of the country over the past month.

Want to keep disease out of your calf barn? If so, it might be prudent to take a page from the biosecurity measures of our pig-and-poultry-raising kin, and set up a “Danish entry.”

World Dairy Expo is back, and the 2021 event will provide plenty of seminars and quick-hitting presentations addressing a variety of dairy industry and management topics.

The true cost of raising a dairy heifer from birth to freshening is surprisingly high. Raising replacements remains a capital-intensive portion of a dairy enterprise that often is overlooked.

As awareness of animal welfare grows, new methods of detecting and evaluating stress and pain in calves are being evaluated. Researchers are exploring heart rate variability as an accurate, non-invasive assessment tool.

It’s currently a seller’s market for qualified ruminant nutritionists, especially in the dairy industry.

Leaders who effectively cultivate a culture of connection are more successful at building strong and loyal work teams.

It’s not too late to double-crop a cool-season forage seeding onto available land to capture some more feed tonnage and/or establish a winter cover crop.

Dairy cow numbers in the United States continue to climb, with the national dairy herd currently comprised of about 9.505 million milk cows.

Silage-making season is upon us. It’s a harried time of year with all hands – and sometimes even extra hands – on deck.

The 2021 climate of high feed costs and tepid milk prices are creating a tenuous financial scenario for most U.S. dairy farms.

Holstein springer prices were all over the board in the past month.

One of the American Dairy Science Association’s in-depth “Discover” conferences is planned for late October 2021.

If you have heifers bunching in pastures or barns, they are coping with some kind of stress. An Iowa State University agricultural engineer shares possible causes and solutions.

They’re a danger to milk cows, to be sure. But mycotoxins in feedstuffs also can be damaging to the health and development of calves and heifers.

It’s an old and frustrating disease that is not easily controlled. But Johne’s disease may soon be tamed by a new vaccine under development.

Despite climbing feed costs and a huge national dairy herd size, Holstein springer values were steady to rising in three of four reported markets.

Moving to 100% polled genetics is an air-tight method of dispelling consumer concerns about dehorning pain. But the wheels of genetic progress turn relatively slowly in cattle.

Just as most of us are shedding our post-pandemic face coverings, there’s a new mask hitting the market. But this one is for cows.

If you sell your bull calves shortly after birth, it’s tempting to send them down the road with no colostrum. But those animals will be far better served if you take the time to get them the colostrum they need.

Even healthy calves can suffer dehydration in extremely hot weather.

As the dairy industry continues to embrace new technologies, the 2021 Precision Dairy Conference promises to be an engaging source of new information and collaboration.

If you watch carefully, you can tell a lot about a cow by reading her face. Know the telltale facial expressions of cows in the early stages of pain and sickness.

The start of summer has seen Holstein springer values stagnate or drop in all reported markets nationwide.

New research studies suggest there are health and developmental benefits to feeding calves colostrum or transition milk well beyond the first day of life.

Bovine tuberculosis is beginning to pop up again, and its effects could be devastating to dairy herds and the workers who care for them.

Reproduction clicks along like a well-oiled machine at Schanbacher Acres near Atkins, Iowa, thanks in part to the farm’s routine use of blood pregnancy tests for the past 17 years.

There’s currently a nationwide deficit of both long-haul and short-run truck drivers, and it will impact the transit of feed, fuel, bulk milk and processed dairy products – if it hasn’t already.

Beef-on-dairy breeding is a growing phenomenon, not just in the U.S., but worldwide.

Researchers are exploring whether cattle would benefit from pain management associated with calving.

Farming is among the most dangerous occupations in the United States, and dairy farming presents even more hazards than crop farming due to animals, feed and on-farm chemicals that are handled daily.