Jim Dickrell

Jim Dickrell is the editor Dairy Herd Management and is based in Monticello, Minn. He has 27 years of publication experience, and also operated his family’s Wisconsin family dairy farm for three years following graduation from the University of Wisconsin—River Falls. He also holds a Masters Degree from Hamline University, St. Paul, Minn.

Latest Stories
Timed A.I. protocols have become so good that farmers, veterinarians and dairy reproductive specialists know they work. The temptation, though, is to tweak those protocols if reproductive performance falls short.
Weight at calving not only determines first-lactation performance, it pretty much sets in stone the heifer’s lifetime performance and a herd’s overall performance, according to Gavin Staley, DVM.
Dr. Pedro Melendez, a veterinarian and dairy specialist at Texas Tech University, addresses five sources of shrink that can cause substantial losses in terms of feed used, ration formulation and poor performance.
An industry veterinarian says a higher SCC at first test is as much a disease condition as clinical mastitis.
The combination of overcrowding and feed restriction can have profound negative consequences on rumen pH.
While competition is great on the football field or basketball court, dairy cows forced to compete for feed and water is a no-win proposition.
Dairy farmers and calf raisers have tried to adapt calves to solid calf starter as soon as possible to save money. If this is done poorly, calf raising costs can soar due to increased levels of sickness and even death.
Seasonal changes in day length can have a huge impact in milk production, ranging from 5 lb/cow/day in the northern United States to 8 to 9 lb/day in the south.
Wisconsin, known nationally as the nation’s dairy state, lost 818 dairy farms in 2019, a full 10% of its dairy herds.
While every dairy farmer has a unique affection for their dairy calves, the next great generation of his or her milking herd, it’s not a good idea to kiss them or allow farm visitors to smooch away.