Over the past six years I’ve written extensively in these pages about the agronomic and environmental impacts of tile drainage, as did Eric Young before me, and Ev Thomas before him. With so much ink spilled on the topic, I hope you’ll permit me a quick trip back into the past to help explain its importance to the region, and why it was adopted locally long before it achieved the widespread popularity it now boasts throughout our farming communities.

This past summer was a busy one for all of us. With students on the farm there was a lot of activity and learning taking place each day. Now that the season has ended and our students have returned to school, we’re taking the opportunity to step back and look for areas of improvement. It’s important to identify areas where small changes can make a big impact.

Knowing what’s really in your feed is the first step to making good rations that meet the cows’ needs. That’s why taking and testing feed samples regularly is such an important tool — it helps to avoid nutrient shortages or waste. But the more tests we run, the more we see that feed values can vary a lot, especially in forages and by-products.

Methionine is more than just another nutrient in a dairy cow’s ration. As one of the key building blocks of protein, it influences not only how much milk a cow produces but also how efficiently she uses the nutrients in her diet. Over the years, advances in feed technology have made it possible to deliver methionine in a form that bypasses the rumen and reaches the small intestine, where it can be fully absorbed.

Much emphasis has been on the calf period and improving growth and health of the preweaning period. However, the postweaning period is a very dynamic transition as heifers move to solid feed intake. Consumption of starter or grain and forage can be influenced by age, body weight, previous milk or milk replacer consumption, ambient temperature, availability of forage, water intake and others. How much do we expect them to consume and what is motivating intake during this age?

The period around calving is one of the most physiologically challenging phases in a cow’s life. As lactation begins, the cow’s calcium...

The chain of events following colostrogenesis in the cow, to collection, storage, and calf consumption of the colostrum is an important process to manage on the farm. The timing of collecting colostrum, as well as the proper handling and storage, play key roles in the quality of colostrum being delivered to the calf. Furthermore, minimizing bacterial contamination from the cow’s udder, milking equipment, storage vessels, and feeding equipment will help maintain clean colostru

Thunderstorms are the primary source of moisture for our non-irrigated crops in July. While the rain is often needed by our crops this time of year, these powerful convective storms have the potential to do plenty of damage to them under the right conditions.

There are 365 sunrises and sunsets each year and the average farmer sees every one of them. Whether they are up before first light to...

Readers of the Farm Report should have a fair idea of what’s happening at the Institute, in part because of the regular short articles titled “What’s Happening on the Farm”. But recent subscribers (and some long-term ones) may not know how we got here. Following is a summary of the past 100+ years of agricultural activity at what is now the William H. Miner Agricultural Research Institute.

Summer has officially arrived, bringing with it the intense heat and challenges that come with seasonal weather changes. Despite the...

Weaning is ubiquitous in the dairy industry and is not exclusive to only heifer calves but also beef crosses and bulls. In that context...

A recent study published in the Journal of Dairy Science suggests that it might be time to rethink how we feed minerals to dry cows. For years, nutrition guidelines have assumed that cows only need extra minerals late in pregnancy, but this new research shows that cows start needing more minerals much earlier — sometimes as soon as 30 to 40 days after conception.

“What?” “I can’t hear you.” “Come closer.” These were common phrases during recent on-farm tours and workshops at Miner. With warm, humid...

June is a month full of sunshine and summer foods, but most importantly it’s a time to celebrate all things dairy. As we mark National...

Happy National Dairy Month! Despite what seems like constant rainy weather, we were able to take advantage of a few dry days to begin our first cutting of the season. During the last week of May our team successfully completed and covered the first haylage bunk after two long days of chopping.

Increased awareness of the impact of nutrient loading from agricultural activities has driven public and producer interest alike in...

At the end of April I defended my master’s thesis. I spent 18 months collecting data from Northeastern dairy farmers. While my peers at...

The month of May has come and gone, and we still have a good portion of our corn acreage left to plant here at Miner Institute. While we...

Dehorning is a widespread practice on dairy farms, undertaken to remove horns or inhibit their growth. This procedure primarily aims to enhance safety for handlers and prevent injuries among herd animals. Recognizing that dehorning causes pain and discomfort, the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) supports the practice yet strongly emphasizes the importance of effective pain management.