Latest News From Dairy Genetics

As beef-on-dairy animals within the feedlot system continue to rise, feedlots are craving two key pieces of information to help ensure these crossbred cattle thrive.

According to Idaho Dairymen’s Association for the first time in a long time, production growth will likely come to a halt due to the financial stress and the negative margins producers out west are experiencing.

No matter when beef cross calves are being sold, steps can be taken to make them more marketable.

Beef cross calves are currently generating healthy profits for dairies. They also are a welcome addition to the beef supply chain, according to Dr. Zeb Gray, Beef Technical Feedlot Specialist with Diamond V.

Last week, AgriTalk host, Chip Flory, visited with two dairy farmers -- Ken Smith and Darlene Lopes at Milk Business Conference to talk about the challenges that face dairy, as well as what opportunities lie ahead. 

Agility — it can be the difference between those who make it in the dairy industry and those who don’t. Learning to pivot to ­the next stepping stone to success is what leading dairies, like Van Ess Dairy doing well.

The Milk Business Conference in Las Vegas Nov. 28-30, highlights every corner of the dairy industry and has a great line-up of speakers to help producers capitalize on and further develop their strengths. Sign up today.

Beef-on-dairy is arguably the most significant advancement for America’s beef industry in a generation.

Select Sires Inc. and Inguran LLC (dba STgen™) have signed a letter of intent to combine Select Sires Inc.’s and STgen’s production, research and development functions into a new company. 

The URUS Group LP (URUS), based in Madison WI, has announced the purchase of a majority interest in Leachman Cattle of Colorado(Leachman), based in Fort Collins, Colorado.

Recently, the board of directors from Select Sires four individual cooperatives voted unanimously to merge together as one full-service A.I. cooperative.

One Holstein sire born in 1962, Pawnee Farm Arlinda Chief, sired 16,000 daughters, 500,000 great-granddaughters, and more than 2 million great-granddaughters.

The younger consumers of today may not embrace meat consumption like previous generations, but they are more inclined to seek and pay for high quality. That’s good news for producers selling beef cross calves.

The dairy cattle of the future may be more comfortable and less susceptible to heat stress thanks to genetic alterations to change the physical characteristics and color of their hair coats.

The Holstein breed is wrestling with the phenomenon of a newly identified genetic defect for Recumbency.

Excessive frame size, dark meat color, narrow loin eyes, lengthy finishing time – these are among the top complaints about feeding Holsteins for beef.

The U.S. bovine semen industry reports a decline of 5% in total unit sales, reaching 69 million total units reported for all categories combined. However, Beef-on-dairy semen sales continue to increase.

With drought and production costs pushing the native beef population to a record low, beef-on-dairy has a huge opportunity to keep the feedlots and processors at full capacity.

Heifers are the future of your milking herd. They need your attention and management. Remember, bigger is better, and to achieve that we need good feed management, reproduction and environment.

With the demand for beef up, more dairy producers are crossbreeding poor genetic or less productive cows with beef semen. Over the past few years, dairy semen sales have idled while domestic beef sales have exploded.

World Dairy Expo is delighted to announce the eight individuals selected to serve as associate judges of Expo’s 2023 Dairy Cattle Show.

While dairy producers are rapidly embracing the concept of using beef semen to freshen their cows, the resulting crossbred calves are proving both a valuable opportunity and a challenge for the U.S. beef industry.

Compared to Holsteins, is calving time with crossbreds more difficult in terms of calf weight, stillbirth, gestation length, or dystocia?

As dairy producers closely watch the markets, including milk fat paid to dairy farmers hitting a new record level, many question how they can capitalize on record butterfat levels and increase their bottom line.

While a solid genetic plan is needed on any dairy operation, it is especially important for robotic herds.

Always looking for the next opportunity, Kutz Dairy is positioned for growth. With the technologies currently in place on the Wisconsin dairy, Allan Kutz believes the next steps of growth will be easier.

Dairy farms are routine. Milk cows 365-days a year. This is the life that Kelly and Christy Cunningham with Milk Unlimited near Atlantic, Iowa, have grown accustomed to. Although in 2017, that nearly came to a halt.

Managing heifer inventories on a dairy farm is not always easy. Deciding which heifers to keep and which to sell, as well as breeding decisions, can be a challenge. Experts offer seven tips on selling surplus heifers.

The Mega Millions jackpot has hit its second-highest amount ever at $1.1 Billion. Most farmers wouldn’t have to think twice about how they’d start spinning the Mega Millions jackpot if they won.

Domestic beef sales have exploded over the past few years, and dairy farmers have started to capitalize on the opportunity be become a bigger part of the beef sector.

When you look back at that perfect kodak photo, remember some of the not-so-perfect moments that led you to the fair. Those struggles often lead us further than any blue ribbon can.

While three generations of Chittenden’s never asked to be in this AJCA leadership role, they stepped up to serve when asked by fellow Jersey breeders and industry leaders. It's just what they do, step up and serve.

Steve Schlangen of SC Dairy in Albany, Minn., explains why you should invest in practices with economic ROI so you can afford to do more good for your animals and the environment, even when it doesn’t pay as much.

Precigen enters into agreement to sell wholly-owned subsidiary Trans Ova Genetics to URUS for $170 million in upfront cash and up to $10 million earn-out over two years; close expected in Q3 2022.

Paying the bills while looking good sums up the herd of Keightley-Core Jersey in Kentucky. Their show winning record and high production makes it no surprise that Jeff and Alta Mae Core have been named Master Breeder.

Simon Vander Woude has grown his herd in various ways to improve quality and efficiency. With the help of a dialed-in, strategic game plan over the last decade, his herd of Holsteins have seen tremendous growth.

The increased cost associated with raising heifers has made producers retool their thinking. Earlier management decisions are happening on dairies, with a more dialed-in, strategic breeding philosophy being adapted.

While feed costs have significantly increased year-over-year, leading dairy nutrition consultants says don’t shortchange feeding heifers, even if they are viewed as an expense for your dairy.

John Schouten endless devotion to global bovine genetics helped earn him the honors of the 2022 Dairy Shrine Guest of Honor award. The World Wide Sires global traveler played a vital role in U.S. dairy semen exports.

With the cost of inflation impacting every corner of a dairy, the producer’s breeding strategy has been forced to become finetuned. More and more producers are keeping just enough replacements to fill the pipeline,.

How concerned are dairy producers about inbreeding in their own herd. Take our poll and weigh in on your concern levels.

Bottlenecks and hurdles have been something dairy producers have had to endure. From blockage at shipping terminals and labor availability, one common area that producers have been struggling with is ear tag shortages.

Doing what’s right instead of what’s easy serves as Natural Prairie Dairy’s compass for technology adoption, management and overall direction. The De Jongs oversee 30,000 milk cows and nearly 60,000 acres.

This first-of-its-kind decision by FDA opens the door for progress on other genome editing efforts.

The milk price outlook has been a welcomed change. Increasing the number of cows in the herd may be a way to capture the benefit of high milk prices. However, feed prices and animal behavior should also be considered.

World Dairy Expo® announces the recipients of the 2022 Expo Recognition Awards. Honorees will be formally honored during the Recognition Awards Banquet at World Dairy Expo on Wednesday, October 5, 2022.

With the dairy at maximum capacity, the Larson’s use genomics as part of a comprehensive herd strategy on narrowing down not only which females they want to keep, but addressing what resources those females need.

Working to make continuous improvements to their dairy – in terms of developing a functional cow that makes sense for the current market – has allowed Rosy-Lane Holsteins to remain optimistic.

Iowa State Dairy Association knows its farmers could use some help. Efforts are well underway to push legislation that would create free dollars to help its dairy producers automate various aspects of their 24/7 work.

Consumers are asking more than “Where’s the beef,” the slogan for the fast-food chain, Wendy’s, that debuted in the 1980s. Consumers now want to know where a piece of beef came from and the story behind it.