Participation in the South Dakota State 4-H Dairy Cattle Judging Contest gives youth an opportunity to gain knowledge about the dairy cattle project area while developing life skills they can carry into the future. Youth contestants learn how to make decisions in a timely manner, the importance of note taking and critical observation skills relative to the industry.
Dairy products are an important staple in the standard American diet, especially in the mid-West. These dairy products offer many nutritional benefits such as protein, calcium, and other micronutrients but not all dairy products are created equal. Here are a few key items to keep in mind when shopping for milk, cheese, yogurt, and other dairy items.
Cottage cheese is a food that is considered part of the dairy group. According to a 2010 USDA report, Americans consume approximately 600 million pounds of cottage cheese each year. It takes 100 pounds of milk to make 15 pounds of cottage cheese.
Hazardous Occupation Safety Training in Agriculture (HOSTA) sessions will be delivered across the state this spring (2013) by SDSU staff. HOSTA is a program which aims to educate South Dakota youth about the dangers associated with working on a farm or ranch. Currently, the law states that any individual who is 14 to 15 years old must be trained on the safe operation of tractors, farm machinery, and other hazardous activities in the agricultural industry.
Each year the SDSU Chapter of Sigma Xi (The Honor Society of Scientists and Engineers) hosts a graduate student contest in 6 categories for Master’s and Doctoral students. This contest is sponsored by several colleges and departments across the SDSU campus, including, but not limited to: The Graduate School, College of Agricultural & Biological Sciences, and the Dairy Science Department.
Kids interested in gaining more experience and skill level in dairy cattle judging can plan to attend FREE judging schools across the state of South Dakota. Schools will be organized and presented by SDSU Extension and South Dakota 4-H in partnership with top dairy cattle producers who will be hosting school locations.
Article by Ken Kalscheur, SDSU Dairy Science Professor. Six students from South Dakota State University traveled to Fort Wayne, IN to participate in the first ever Dairy Challenge Academy. The Dairy Challenge Academy was first introduced earlier this fall to expand the number of students involved with the Dairy Challenge program.
The South Dakota State University (SDSU) Dairy Science Department scholarship banquet was held on April, 1 2013 at the Volstorff Ballroom of the Student Union. There were 246 people in attendance including students and their families, alumni, producers, processors, supporting industry personnel, faculty and their families, university administration, South Dakota Department of Agriculture personnel (including the Secretary of Agriculture Walter Bones), and friends.
The South Dakota State University Dairy Challenge Team placed first in the 12th Annual North American Intercollegiate Dairy Challenge (NAIDC), held April 4-6th in Fort Wayne, IN. This was the first time that SDSU has placed 1st in this competition.
The tenth annual Jackrabbit Dairy camp will be held June 20-22, 2013 (Thursday through Saturday) on the South Dakota State University Campus in Brookings. The SDSU Dairy club is sponsoring this event for youth between the ages 8-18 who want to enhance their dairy cattle skills knowledge. Participants from all states are welcome to attend.
Article by Zack Williams with contributions from David Casper. For years people have been buying expensive supplements to lose weight, gain muscle, or just stay healthy. However, before all of these supplements were made, people used milk for the same purposes. Aside from building strong bones with calcium, milk can also help people lose weight, build muscle, and live longer lives.
Ashraf Hassan, Associate professor of Dairy Science at South Dakota State University was invited to participate in a Farmer to Farmer program of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).
Individuals with almost all skill sets can find opportunity within the dairy manufacturing industry. Positions range from packaging equipment operator to plant manager; laboratory supervisor to maintenance technician and nearly all points in between. The possibilities are seemingly endless.
The South Dakota Department of Agriculture recently reported the discovery of campylobacter bacteria in a sampling of raw, unpasteurized milk from Black Hills Milk in Belle Fourche, S.D.
There are currently eight locations in South Dakota approved to receive milk and further process it into manufactured dairy foods. A ninth is planning to begin processing within the next 15 to 18 months. Sixty years ago there were over 100 locations receiving either milk or cream within South Dakota
Yogurt, according to the U.S. Code of Federal Regulations must contain a minimum of 8.25% Milk-Solids-Not-Fat (MSNF). It is permissible and desired in many cases to fortify the initial milk with other milk solids to improve the body, texture and overall nutritional profile of the product.
One of the active research areas within the dairy industry revolves around the topic of biofilm. The SDSU Dairy Science Department has been very involved in undertaking work in this area from several different angles.
The manufacture of dairy foods for consumer use has been a part of South Dakota State University since the early days of the 19th century when an addition was made to the Department of Agriculture and Animal Husbandry building at the South Dakota State College of Agriculture and Mechanical Arts (SDSC) in 1912.
Almost a century ago producers and processors alike, understood milk was a potential source for growth of microorganisms and could cause health problems if not handled properly. It was through regulation policies consumers were protected from diseases transmitted by drinking raw milk.
Homemade fresh mozzarella cheese has fabulous flavor. The instructions here for making your own at home are detailed but not difficult. Rennet and citric acid can be found in health food stores and specialty markets.
Alfalfa (“Queen of Forages”) has been considered one of the most important forage-legume species in South Dakota. In general, it is a deep-rooted legume that grows best in moderate to well-drained soils. Under optimum growing and soil conditions, along with proper management, yields can exceed from 3 to 4 tons DM/acre of hay on irrigation, whereas, 1 to 2 tons DM/acre are produced on dryland.
Noxious weed are problems for landowners and farmers regardless of what the year is like. Nearly 1.9 million acres of statewide noxious weeds were reported in 2012. Statewide losses from them exceed $140 million annually. Noxious weeds are characterized by their ability to spread rapidly and are not controlled by normal management practices.
Noxious Weed Control in pastures, CRP and non-crop land is becoming a challenge. A lot of commercial spray businesses are no longer spraying these areas. If they are, there may be restrictions on the time they will spray or what products they will spray. Some may only spray if they also have all of the rest of your spraying business.
As the dairy industry within South Dakota seeks to grow in numbers and production producers will also need to be aware of updated importation requirements of dairy animals into South Dakota. In evaluating the general requirements for all livestock it is important to note that all livestock entering South Dakota must have an official health certificate issued by an accredited veterinarian.
Heat is produced as a result of microbial fermentation in the rumen. Low quality, stemmy forages generate more heat of fermentation inside the animal, contributing to the animal’s total heat load. Heat is used to maintain body temperature when ambient temperatures are low (below 40° F). However, when ambient temperatures are high the cow needs to maintain its body temperature within biological limits compatible with life.
Somatic cell counts have seen constant improvements in the state. In the last five years dairy herds on DHIA in South Dakota have improved somatic cell counts by nearly 21% from 282,000 to 255,000. During the last year alone this improvement was 13% from 255,000 to 222,000. Current wet weather conditions experienced in eastern South Dakota increase the risk of mastitis and the resultant increase in somatic cells.
The history of federal involvement in soil preservation dates back to dust bowl era of the 1930’s with the 1933 Agricultural Adjustment Act. This was the first in a long series of ‘Farm Bills’ that continue to guide our soil and water conservation strategies today.
In response to seasonal flooding, iGrow has put together a collection of the latest news updates, articles, and flood relief information to help get your farm and community on the path to recovery. Learn more inside!
More Wormwood Sage has been showing up around the countryside this spring. Noxious weed reports show that it is on the increase. The silver color makes it stand out easy to spot. Wormwood Sage is a local noxious weed in most eastern South Dakota counties. Infestations are limited to pasture and grass areas. However, no-till farming has contributed to it spreading into crop ground.
Lameness is the second highest culling reason in the U.S. behind mastitis. Humid conditions during spring predispose to this problem. During the first hour of exposure to water the hoof gains one-third of the total absorbed. Excessive water softens hooves, easing access of infectious agents such as the one responsible for hairy heel warts (digital dermatitis).
There is a great deal of research happening within the South Dakota State University Dairy (SDSU) Dairy Science Department. The focus of this article is on the dairy production side of the department at the SDSU Dairy Science Department.
Over the last few years, we have been working on a long-term heifer feeding project, researching the effects of feeding distillers dried grains with solubles (DDGS) to pre-pubertal dairy heifers. Part of this work was to determine how the diet fed during the growth phase influences heifer performance after they enter the lactating herd.
Over the last few years, at the SDSU Dairy Science Department, we have been working on a long-term heifer feeding project, researching the effects of feeding distillers dried grains with solubles (DDGS) to pre-pubertal dairy heifers.
Over the last few years, we have been working on a long-term heifer feeding project researching the effects of feeding distillers dried grains with solubles (DDGS) to pre-pubertal dairy heifers. As part of the experiment, we measured dry matter intake (DMI), average daily gain (ADG), frame growth, and nutrient digestibility.
Yogurt, according to the U.S. Code of Federal Regulations must contain a minimum of 8.25% Milk-Solids-Not-Fat (MSNF). It is permissible and desired in many cases to fortify the initial milk with other milk solids to improve the body, texture and overall nutritional profile of the product.
Inclusion of co-products in livestock ration formulation has become a very common practice for animal nutritionists. These co-products are an economical source of nutrients that often maintain or even enhance animal performance.
Water is an important, but often forgotten, nutrient in livestock nutrition. Little information exists in the literature on water quality and nutrient composition. Even less information exists on the effects of water composition on livestock production.
It sounds like science fiction or maybe rocket science, but genomic selection is rather simple. The breakthrough delivered by this technology is the ability to carry out DNA marker tests at a modest expense on a large number of animals, i.e. bulls.
Sanjeewa Ranathunga, a doctoral candidate with the Dairy Science Department at South Dakota State University (SDSU), has been investigating the interaction of forage level with dried distillers grains (DDGS) for lactating dairy cows.
With high grain prices, producers and nutritionists, try to maximize the inclusion of less expensive forages in the ration of lactating dairy cows to replace corn grain. This substitution scenario has the potential to reduce the energy intake of the cow.
Farmers are often toted as “living the good life” in the eyes of the rest of the world. However, those within the ag industry know the daily challenges and struggles. Recently many people have been on “overload” trying to deal with whatever life throws at them, especially given the extremes in the weather, high feed prices, variable milk prices and the impact that it has had on our farm families. We all will experience stress at one point or another in our life.
There is a high percentage of contact time between animals and human beings in the dairy industry on a daily basis. How do these injuries occur? Many victims of animal injuries result from being stepped on, kicked, fallen on, crushed by cows or mauled by bulls and gored by animals that have not been dehorned.
Dairy Producers in essence receive their primary income from the production and sales of milk; however, they also make a significant contribution to the beef supply somewhere between 15% and 20% of the total U.S. Sales. It is important to note this does not constitute just hamburgers anymore but also roasts, steaks, fajitas and other value-added items.
Often times we get into the mindset that the only time we need to provide feedback to employees is when we do a formal evaluation. Not true. Providing feedback, is on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis is extremely important as we develop great employees. Unfortunately, formal evaluations are viewed like a visit to the doctor for our annual check-up.
Have you ever played the game telephone? Explained simply it is when you start a message at one end of a group of people and pass it down the line. When it reaches the last person they are to relay the message to the original sender to see how it ends coming back to the original sender.
The dairy industry is rapidly changing across the United States. We have seen a 33% decline in the number of total dairy operations from 97,460 operations in 2001 to 65,000 in 2009 in the United States, while at the same time we have increased total milk production and the number of cows (USDA, 2010). Dairies with more than 500 cows are increasing, also indicating growth in the number of employees on dairy farms (MacDonald et al. 2007).
As our farms have gotten larger, we have also continued to grow the need for our agricultural workforce. For example with the expansion of larger dairies, managers are spending more time dealing with workers and less time managing cows. Local workers wanting to work in these jobs are hard to come by, and locals tend to seek jobs in population centers. Thus, producers have looked to hiring migrant labor to sustain their operations.
SDSU Extension will host Dairy Producer Ag Employee Workshops which will focus on hiring, motivating and retaining employees.
The program begins in November. A unique aspect of the program is that each participant or producer will receive a follow-up, on-farm visit approximately five to six months after attending the workshop.
As the face of agriculture continues to change, so does the make-up of producers in agriculture. Here are some alarming statistics, according to the 2007 Census of Ag: “The average age of U.S. farm operators increased from 55.3 in 2002 to 57.1 in 2007.
As agriculture evolves, we will continue to employ people with limited machinery experience on our agriculture operations. One piece of machinery that is used daily on many farms, especially dairies and acreages, is a skid-steer. It is used for many tasks on the farm such as pushing up feed, handling manure, hauling and loading feed and maneuvering equipment.