Dairy Digest, December 2008
In this Issue: Milking with Robots – Not Just a Curiosity Anymore!; Are Your Cows Getting Enough Rest?; Are You Considering On-Site Electricity Generation?; Phytoestrogens: Something to be Aware of, But Don’t Overreact!; Penn State Dairy Alliance Offering Workshops on Reproductive Management; Profit Strategies Program Will Show Dairies Strategies for Long-term Success; 2009 Dairy Summit
- Milking with Robots – Not Just a Curiosity Anymore!
- The adoption and evolution of milking cows without regular intervention by humans (robotic milking, automatic milking, voluntary milking…) is progressing in the US. The Pennsylvania dairy industry, lead by innovative and courageous farmers is participating in this pioneering activity. The questions as to “will robots work?” or “can they reliably identify, prepare and milk cows without human intervention?” are regularly being answered and demonstrated on several farms in Pennsylvania.
- Are Your Cows Getting Enough Rest?
- At the recent Penn State Dairy Cattle Nutrition Workshop, Dr. Nigel Cook from the School of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Wisconsin presented results of on-going research into the daily time budgets of cows. Their studies use video surveillance to determine how cows spend their time and how management practices and facility designs influence cow behavior. The findings are summarized in this article.
- Are You Considering On-Site Electricity Generation?
- With all the talk about electricity prices increasing when the rate caps expire within the next year or two, you may be tempted to consider generating your own electricity. After all, you probably already have a back-up generation system to provide electricity during blackout periods.
- Phytoestrogens: Something to be Aware of, But Don’t Overreact!
- On occasion we receive inquires about the effect of phytoestrogens on reproductive performance of cattle. There have been a few reports from nutrition consultants and veterinarians working with well managed herds which experienced a sudden decline in reproductive performance for no obvious reason but when forages suspected to have high concentrations of phytoestrogens were removed from the ration performance improved. It is difficult to find well controlled studies which document how widespread this condition might be. However there are some good review articles describing the effect of phytoestrogens on sheep and cattle.
- Penn State Dairy Alliance Offering Workshops on Reproductive Management
- An effective reproductive program is essential to a dairy’s profitability, yet many Pennsylvania dairies struggle to overcome bottlenecks that hinder reproductive efficiency. To help optimize reproductive performance, Penn State Dairy Alliance is offering Reproductive Drill-Down Workshops in Lancaster and Mercer counties in January.
- Profit Strategies Program Will Show Dairies Strategies for Long-term Success
- Is your dairy positioned for long-term viability? Not sure how to answer this question? Understanding the factors that limit profitability in different herd sizes and how shifts in management strategies affect profitability will help you determine – and improve – the long-term viability of your operation.
- 2009 Dairy Summit
- Hosted by Professional Dairy Managers of Pennsylvania and Pennsylvania Dairy Stakeholders, the 2009 Pennsylvania Dairy Summit will take place Wednesday, February 11 and Thursday, February 12 at the Lancaster Host Resort, Lancaster, Pennsylvania.
- Dairy Digest, December 2008 (pdf)
- In this Issue: Milking with Robots – Not Just a Curiosity Anymore!; Are Your Cows Getting Enough Rest?; Are You Considering On-Site Electricity Generation?; Phytoestrogens: Something to be Aware of, But Don’t Overreact!; Penn State Dairy Alliance Offering Workshops on Reproductive Management; Profit Strategies Program Will Show Dairies Strategies for Long-term Success; 2009 Dairy Summit
