Education Commons^™

G93-1168 Moisture Testing Of Grain, Hay And Silage, Bruce Anderson, Rick Grant

University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension: Historical Materials

This NebGuide offers methods to help producers test moisture content of grain, hay, silage and other feeds.

Knowing the moisture and dry matter (DM) content of feeds is important to farmers for several reasons:

1. Livestock performance depends on DM consumed; thus, DM content must be known to accurately formulate rations.

2. Knowledge of moisture content is needed for harvest decisions during haying and silage chopping and for safe storage of grains, hay, and silage.

3. Moisture content is a major factor related to the value, or price, of forages and grain.

Every producer should be able to test for …

Ec93-129 Buying And Selling Alfalfa Hay, Don Ball, Garry Lacefield, Harlan White, Troy Johnson

University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension: Historical Materials

Alfalfa hay is an important agricultural product. Although often fed on the farms where it is produced, much alfalfa hay is also sold as a cash crop. It often constitutes a major source of income for those who sell it, or a major expense for those who buy it. Such transactions involve billions of dollars nationwide each year. This extension circular discusses the seller's and buyer's perspective on buying and selling alfalfa hay.

G93-1138 Water Quality And Requirements For Dairy Cattle, Rick J. Grant

University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension: Historical Materials

This NebGuide stresses the importance to the dairy cow of water, an essential but often overlooked nutrient.

Providing insufficient water or water of poor quality to dairy cattle can limit milk production and growth, and can cause health problems. An adequate supply of clean water promotes normal rumen function, high feed intake, digestion and nutrient absorption. Water also maintains blood volume, supplies tissue needs, and makes up about 87 percent of the milk secreted by the cow. The following sections discuss water intake and requirements, water quality and guidelines for proper use of cattle waterers.

G93-1170 Bacteria In Milk Sources And Control, Gerald R. Bodman, Duane N. Rice

University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension: Historical Materials

Bacterial contamination reduces the quality of milk and can cause serious health problems. This NebGuide discusses common causes of contamination as well as prevention.

Bacteria are single-cell organisms that multiply by dividing to form two cells (a process known as mitosis). Under optimum conditions, many bacteria can double in number each 20 minutes. That means one bacterium can result in up to 16,000,000 bacteria in just eight hours. They are microscopic in size, i.e., an individual bacterium cannot be seen without the aid of a microscope. They are so small that a single drop of water from a cow's udder …

G93-1139 Using The Dairy Herd Analyzer Program To Troubleshoot Management Problems, Jeffrey F. Keown, Rick J. Grant

University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension: Historical Materials

Here's a logical approach to solving your herd's reproductive, nutritional, genetic and milk quality problems using the Dairy Herd Analyzer program.

The Dairy Herd Analyzer program was developed at Kansas State University. The program uses information on the DHIA-202 form to aid a producer in identifying areas that need to be addressed to improve productivity and overall herd management. The analysis specifically targets four management areas: reproduction, milk quality, nutrition and genetics.

G93-1189 Developing Dairy Heifer Rearing Expenses, Jeffrey F. Keown

University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension: Historical Materials

This NebGuide discusses the pros and cons to consider as dairy producers evaluate raising their own replacement heifers or contracting with someone else to raise replacements.

Every successful dairy operation can account for most of the expenses that occur on the farm. But how many can actually cash flow each segment of the operation? Do you know how much it costs to raise your dairy heifers or what percentage of your total expenses can be directly attributed to the milking herd? Few producers spend much time attempting to cash flow or estimate costs of the various parts of the dairy …