The Latest News from Nobis Agri Science

With livestock feed prices on the rise, many farmers will be looking for ways to reduce input costs. While there may be opportunities to trim unnecessary spending, University of Illinois’ Mike Hutjens cautioned farms against making cuts that will impact milk production.

The cooler days and nights are here, and a good reminder of taking steps to winterize the things in our lives: vehicles, homes, and wardrobes. Winterizing is a proactive solution that helps us avoid problems associated with dropping temperatures and is a tactic that can also be applied to your calves.

Imagine that your car will go 60 miles per hour in the summer but only 30 mph when the temperature is freezing, and it will not run at all when the temperature falls to 0ºF. This is an accurate illustration of how cold temperature adversely affects rate of gain in calves.

When many first hear the term “positive leadership” they assume that I’m just talking about a nice ideal way to lead that sounds great in theory but doesn’t address reality. I assure you this couldn’t be further from the truth. Positive leadership is not pollyana, impractical or theoretical. Positive leadership is powerful, real and practical. In this spirit I want to share 3 ways positive leaders lead:

The busyness of the summer season is finally over, but it has some producers staring out into their fields wondering what they need to do to help stretch their feed inventories throughout the fall and winter.

With a new year on the horizon, you might be thinking about personal goals. For many, fitness is a resolution to drop some pounds or improve blood pressure or cholesterol levels. However, financial experts strongly encourage producers to use the new year as a time to evaluate the financial health of your farm, too.

Total mixed ration (TMR) variability: We know it exists, but evaluating the true extent and impact of this phenomenon can be a daunting task. Cows love consistency, so when looking at inherent TMR variability, we may often wonder about the impact on animal performance.

The Cornell University Charles H. Dyson School of Applied Economics & Management has released a new publication that summarizes cost, efficiency and changes associated with hired labor on New York dairy farms from 2011 to 2021. We understand that New York is not Michigan. However, the states are very similar in dairy production and labor conditions. We feel the data collected, analyzed and reported is valuable and pertinent to a Michigan dairy producer.

Like corn silage, high moisture corn requires careful attention to detail when it comes to harvest timing, processing, and management.

Although yield of milk fat is more responsive to diet changes, nutrition can also influence milk protein yield. Unfortunately, nutritional modifications that increase milk protein yield often decrease fat yield, and vice versa. Producers should consider altering diets to take advantage of changes in the relative value of milk fat to milk protein. Through most of 2020 and all of 2021 the value of milk protein was greater than of milk fat.

Recording data is an essential part of dairying and comes in many forms, depending on the task and management style implemented on the operation. Recorded data can also be important for employee management – specifically for feedback.

The 2021 climate of high feed costs and tepid milk prices are creating a tenuous financial scenario for most U.S. dairy farms. Penn State Dairy Extension specialist Virginia Ishler said current conditions are mimicking those of 2012, when feed prices soared to unprecedented highs. “Using farm financial data from 2020 and projecting costs into 2021 and beyond, most operations will be extremely vulnerable to maintaining a positive cash flow, especially if high feed prices continue,” she stated in a Penn State Dairy Extension bulletin.