Archive of Articles
Articles are listed alphabetically. To see a chronological listing, go to Archive of Issues.
- Warning to Pennsylvania Dairy Farmers
- The Food and Drug Administration has recently detected an excessive number of "bob" veal calves from Pennsylvania with violative antibiotic residues, primarily neomycin.
- Welcome Extension Educators
- Dr. Sandy Costello and Dr. Ernest Hovingh
- Welcome Our New Faculty Members
- Dr. Alex Hristov, Associate Professor of Dairy Nutrition, and Dr. Joy Pate, Professor of Reproductive Physiology and the C. Lee Rumberger and Family Endowed Chair in Agricultural Sciences
- What Can We Learn From Fat and Protein Levels and Ratios?
- Consumption of premium dairy products with higher fat levels has gone up, providing impetus for higher or stabilized milk fat differentials. As milk has become more valued for its protein content, especially with the growth in cheese consumption, most milk now is paid for with a milk protein component as well.
- What Do You Need to Know About the Air Emissions Consent Agreement?
- Pennsylvania dairy producers with greater than 200 dairy cows should be familiar with the Air Emissions Consent Agreement (Safe Harbor Agreement) and determine if participation is appropriate for their operation. Air emissions are not about odor. It involves the amount of ammonia, hydrogen sulfide, and particulate matter emitted from livestock operations. Listed below are some frequently asked questions. Answers are based on what is currently known.
- What Happens When Electricity Rate Caps Expire?
- Your strategy should always be to optimize the use of energy to increase profitability and net cash flow.
- What is Known About Cystic Ovarian Dysfunction?
- The incidence of cystic ovarian dysfunction within a lactation has been estimated to range between 6 and 23%. Accurate diagnosis of cystic ovarian disease has been a major challenge to veterinarians.
- What Is Your Herd's Bottleneck?
- Any successful business, regardless if it is a dairy operation or an industrial corporation, devotes many resources to determine the bottlenecks to profitability.
- What's Behind this Summer's Low Butterfat Tests?
- For many producers across the state, it has been a struggle to maintain fat tests above a 3.4%. This has occurred on non-grazing herds and has been fairly consistent throughout the summer, regardless of temperature. This seems to be occurring more on herds feeding a high forage based ration and on an average milk production between 70 and 80 pounds. The one commonality is these herds are feeding corn silage. What are some issues that could be challenging butter fat percent?
- What's Going On In Calf Research Today?
- A summary of some of the new and interesting findings that affect calf health, feeding, and management.
- Where is Cheap Energy?
- We must all become more serious about energy conservation.
- Why Are Immigrant Farm Workers In Pennsylvania?
- In the last 5 to 10 years, immigrants from Mexico and other Spanish-speaking countries have discovered the great demand for farm employees in Pennsylvania.
- Wind Farming
- Many PA locations have high wind speeds during the winter months but the minimum wind speed needs to be maintained throughout the summer months as well when electricity is most valuable.
- Women in Dairy 2008 Conference
- Women dairy producers, farm employees, and agribusiness professionals are urged to mark their calendars now for the upcoming Women in Dairy conference scheduled November 20, 2008, at the Radisson Penn Harris Hotel & Conference Center in Camp Hill, Pa. “Leading the Way” is the theme of Women in Dairy 2008, presented by Penn State Dairy Alliance.
- Workshop for Feed Industry Professionals
- The 2008 Penn State Dairy Cattle Nutrition Workshop will take place November 12-13 at the Holiday Inn in Grantville, Pennsylvania. Feed industry professionals, nutrition consultants, and veterinarians rank this training opportunity as one of the premier events in the Northeast.
- Your Rights and Responsibilities as a Utility Customer in Pennsylvania
- The cost of electricity on a modern dairy farm represents a significant cost of the business.
- Your Utility Company Can Shut Off Your Utilities
- You need to be aware that Pennsylvania enacted a new law called "Responsible Utility Customer Protection Act (RUCPA)" that enables utility companies to shut off utility services under certain circumstances.
