With the arrival of July comes lots of activity around the farm! Our four Summer Experience in Farm Management students are settling in and currently alternating between milking, feeding, crops, calf care, and herd health rotations, each a week long.

It is well known that the largest contributors to morbidity and mortality in preweaning calves are digestive issues and pneumonia (Urie et al., 2018; NAHMS, 2014). High levels of disease have substantial economic consequences in dairy heifer rearing systems, as the cost of raising a dairy replacement heifer to the close-up period is approximately $2,619 in 2026 USD.

We’re hearing reports of heavy first cuts of alfalfa and alfalfa-grass. This combined with some cool, wet weather in late May resulted in some hay crops being ensiled before they were dry enough for proper fermentation. At 30% DM or lower there’s an increased chance of butyric acid produced by Clostridial bacteria.

Protein supplements represent one of the largest feed costs on most dairy farms, making ingredient selection critical for both animal performance and profitability. Soybean meal has long been considered the benchmark protein supplement because of its high crude protein (CP) content and excellent digestibility. However, canola meal has become increasingly available throughout the Northeast and often provides a more economical source of metabolizable protein. To better understa

Hello everyone! My name is Abby Allen, and I am a new graduate student joining Miner Institute. I grew up in southern New Hampshire and recently graduated from the University of Findlay (UF) in Ohio with Bachelor of Science degrees in Animal Science, Equine Business Management, Western Equestrian Studies, and a minor in Chemistry. Looking back on my childhood, the farming community has always played an integral role in my life. My love for cattle grew (particularly the Holste

William Miner was known as a great philanthropist. In addition to his huge Heart’s Delight Farm, he funded the building of the Chazy Rural Central School and the Physician’s Hospital in Plattsburgh, NY. He also built a series of hydroelectric dams, including one in 1911 that cost $1 million, equivalent to about $33 million today.

Maybe surprising to some of you, heat stress does actually occur here in northern New York. As I write this, it is 80°F at 8 am, and it is expected to reach 96°F later today with a heat index of 106. Unlike the southern US, which experiences chronic heat stress, we experience it intermittently during the summer.

Heat stress is commonly associated with reduced milk production, lower reproductive performance and changes in cow behavior, but many of its negative effects originate at the rumen level. As environmental temperature and humidity increase, cows undergo a series of physiological and behavioral adaptations aimed at dissipating heat, altering rumen fermentation dynamics, nutrient utilization, and milk component production.

Happy National Dairy Month! The cows and dairy employees have been enjoying the late spring weather. There are currently 632 cows milking through the parlor, and despite the fluctuating weather the herd continues to average 100 pounds of milk per cow per day.

Morbidity and mortality rates in U.S. dairy calves is high, and a large proportion is due to digestive issues. Calves with at least one morbidity incidence were reported at 33.8% and mortality at 5%. Digestive issues account for 50.9% of the reported morbidity rate and 32% of the mortality rate (USDA, 2021). There are four major infectious causes of diarrhea in calves, Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC), Cryptosporidium parvum, rotavirus and coronavirus.