As Florida approaches the 500-year anniversary of the introduction of cattle to her shores in 1521, a new report from the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) demonstrates just how important beef and dairy production have become to the state’s economy – and shows a recent upswing in Florida cattle industry exports. In 2017, Florida’s combined …
Winter Storms Causing Dairy Cow Deaths in Eastern Washington State
The continuing severe winter weather is killing dairy cows in parts of Eastern Washington State and the storms keep coming. Gary Crawford has the story. USDA meteorologist Brad Rippey says dairy operators in the Northwest are battling severe winter weather which they are not accustomed to and are not equipped to handle.
Two Years After Birth, Cows from Heat-Stressed Cattle Produce Less Milk
If lactating dairy cattle get too hot, they don’t produce as much milk, and that can add up to economic losses of more than $1 billion a year in the U.S. alone, University of Florida researchers say. This loss can easily double if dry cows — those in late pregnancy that are not lactating — suffer from heat stress. That …