For many, farm work means long days in the field. Whether harvesting, planting, plowing, sowing, moving livestock, spreading manure or fixing fencing, farmworkers tend to spend time outdoors, no matter the weather. Weather with elevated temperatures or humidity levels can cause illness and death to ...

It’s not just a trendy phrase among those concerned about the environment. “Sustainable agriculture” also represents a good business model. Dr. Jude Capper, a livestock sustainability consultant in the UK, recently presented a webinar on the topic for AMTS as part of the organization’s “The Nutritio...

Cattlemen who expect a dewormer to work this year, next year and five years from now should develop a management program that includes judicious use of anthelmintics. Dr. Bill Epperson, veterinarian and professor of pathobiology and population medicine at Mississippi State University, said it isn’t ...

As the sweet locust blossoms of June attract the bees to their fragrant nectar, so too does the flashing neon cone sign entice folks to “all scream for ice cream.” Licking the frozen dairy treat is like “happiness condensed.” Ice cream has origins as far back as 400 BCE, when the Persian people woul...

Waste not, want not – that’s what we’re taught. And that’s the sentiment behind a nascent movement for brewers who are playing with leftover whey. Whey, the byproduct of cheesemaking and yogurt creation, often has no other use and is dumped or otherwise disposed of. (One pound of cheese generates ni...

Mastitis changes milk quality, but it is not always caused by the same bugs. Treatment and management decisions should reflect these differences. Most farms have zero tolerance for contagious bugs. Some pathogens like mycoplasma don’t respond to antibiotics, leaving farms no treatment options. This ...

Consumers receive mixed messages about consuming fat from animal products, often from sources they deem credible. Dr. Jana Kraft, associate professor in the department of animal and veterinary sciences at the University of Vermont, conducts research on dairy fat and fatty acids in the context of hum...

Changing cow diets changes the amount of fatty acids in their milk. Fatty acids found in cow milk, which are thought to play an important role in human health, include linoleic and alpha-linoleic (ALA) – or omega 6 and omega 3 – as well as conjugated linoleic acid (CLA). All cow milk, no matter what...

UV light is presenting farmers with new opportunities for controlling diseases as a complement to or replacement for pesticides. The germicidal effects of UV-C have been widely known for a century, explained Nick Skinner, a research specialist at the Lighting Research Center (LRC), part of Rensselae...

If a soybean crop isn’t performing as expected, or if yields have decreased over the years, the problem might be a plant parasite nematode (PPN). In many cases, the culprit is soybean cyst nematode (SCN). This pest was formerly a southern issue, but it’s been moving northward and impacting crops thr...

Burger King’s gassy cow video agitates farmers For a company that sells mostly beef, one might guess it wouldn’t want to upset the nation’s farmers. But on the heels of the non-beef Impossible Burger campaign, Burger King has once again angered beef producers by rolling out a provocative video featu...

June is Dairy Month. You may have heard of this campaign. Every summer when June rolls around, I get very excited. Not because school is out, or there is finally nice weather in central New York. Well, I do get excited about that, but not as excited as I do about June Dairy Month. #JuneDairyMonth, s...

Respiratory disease in replacement heifers is costly. However, farms don’t often realize the full cost of bovine respiratory disease (BRD). During a Dairy Calf & Heifer Association webinar, Kevin Dhuyvetter, Ph.D., a cattle technical consultant for Elanco, detailed both the short-term costs of BRD a...

We’ve all heard the phrase “The show must go on.” In New York State, organizers are making sure that happens for youth who have invested serious time into their cattle. Two have been scheduled, but a total of six locations throughout the state have already shown interest in hosting shows, according ...

GLENFIELD, NY – Early planning prior to purchasing their first farm in 2015 proved providential for Andrew and Blake Place when the coronavirus pandemic shut down dairy demand this spring. “From the start, Andy wanted to have a Grade A-certified facility that would allow us the flexibility to ship m...