All eyes are on a particular Registered Holstein cow from Trempealeau County this week. 'Hazel-Bush Flap Flower,' owned by Beth Nelson of Blair, has been named Holstein Association USA's 2011 'Star of the Breed.' In its fifth year, this award recognizes the total package of the animal, which must excel in both the showring and milking barn to be eligible for such a distinction. Thursday, May 17, 2012
Corn and soybean planting were in full swing this week though wet conditions kept farmers out of fields in some areas. The first cutting of hay was well underway with 92 percent of the crop suffering light to no freeze damage statewide. Thursday, May 17, 2012
With dry and warmer weather farmers worked at a rapid pace and Iowa saw widespread planting of both corn and soybeans. Corn planting advanced 26 percentage points statewide with each district of the state increasing at least 19percentage points. Thursday, May 17, 2012
What a difference eight years can make. When the first case of Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE) was reported in the United States in 2003, USDA figures indicated beef exports fell by more than 80 percent overnight in reaction to the confirmed case on a Washington dairy farm. Thursday, May 17, 2012
A World renowned herd of pedigree dairy cows will go under the hammer in Shropshire later this month. Graham and Shirley Madeley of Rodway Manor, Kinnersley, Telford will be dispersing their entire 175-head Rodway herd of pedigree Shorthorns on May 22 and auctioning one heifer calf off for charity. Thursday, May 17, 2012
Alvin Schlangen believes strongly in his right to deliver raw milk products to consumers who want them - so strongly that he still hasn't stopped despite facing criminal charges in two counties. The Freeport farmer's jury trial is scheduled to begin Monday in Minneapolis in Hennepin County District Court, where he is charged with violating Minnesota's food safety code. Tuesday, May 15, 2012
There he was, racing the 1,600-pound, black and white cow down the alley: The Kid. You see, usually I work with his father, The Old Guy, when I do reproductive examinations on this farm. The Old Guy, a kind fellow about my age, was sick today. Monday, May 14, 2012
It is amazing what can happen when people join their voices together to be heard. In Dr. Seuss's book, "Horton Hears a Who," the tiny people living on a speck of dust must come together to raise their voices in a battle for survival. Monday, May 14, 2012
A lot of things I need to know in life I learned from my mom. Growing up, I didn't realize all the work she had to do. Like many farm moms, she had a lot of tasks to tackle in one day. And not only did she get them all done, she made it look easy.
Graduation season is here once again, that time of the year when many of our nation's youth don goofy gowns and silly hats and promenade about in public.
