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...

On July 23, we hosted The Alice T. Miner Museum's history camp for a "Day on the Farm" experience. We were joined by Leni Vradelis,...

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.