Dairy Jeopardy

Hoard's Dairyman End of Year Quiz Questions

This ingredient is an example of high-risk, high cost shrink.

Soybean Meal

One pound of fat supplies how many times more energy than a pound of carbohydrates?

2.25 times

Poor environments such as overcrowding, feed restriction, heat stress, and uncomfortable stalls will alter natural behaviors and constrain_____.

Rumen fiber digestion

This accounts for all nutrients in the forage, including protein, starch, sugar, fiber, and fat

Total digestible nutrient (TDN)

On an ad libitum basis, a dairy heifer will eat what percentage of her body weight in neutral detergent fiber (NDF) per day?

1%

What does TTSD stand for when discussing digestibility in dairy herds?

Total tract starch digestibility

What percentage of supplemented copper is absorbed by adult cattle?

10%

These levels indicate a cow’s metabolic response to a negative energy balance situation where fat is being mobilized

Beta-Hydroxybutyrate (BHB)

Too much of this can reduce calcium absorption.

Dietary phosphorus

Cows fed cottonseed produce milk with how much more total fat per day?

5%

When grooving a floor, how big should the flat space in between the grooves be?

2 ½ inches

How many total licensed dairies were there in 2024?

24,810

To help reduce lameness-related culls, early diagnosis is key. Using what technology?

3D cameras

Check ladders, cages, chutes, unloaders, cables, and pulleys when doing maintenance on what?

Upright silo

If a system vacuum is low for the liner being used, milking speed will be _____.

Slower

Adding these in strategic locations are vital cooling strategy.

Sprinklers and fans

In 2024, the annual ventilation cost per cow was how much in Madison, Wis.?

$57

How many inches of bunk space per cow in a freestall system with headlocks is recommended?

30 inches

These devices can track dairy cows in real time while generating data for future reference and decision-making

Precision monitoring

The first decision in designing an Automated Milking System (AMS) barn is selecting a ___________.

Traffic flow design

What does WASDE stand for?

World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates

Total domestic consumption of milk solids was up what percentage in 2024?

1.2%

Between 1990 and 2023, all steer dress weights jumped from 741 pounds in 1990 to how many pounds in 2023?

908

These prices are the input used to calculate the component value for other solids on milk checks.

All of the above

DRP stands for what, and an effective way for dairy farmers is to manage price risk. P

Dairy Revenue Protection

The U.S beef cow inventory lowered to how many million cows in January 2025?

27.9 million

From 1995 to 2024, domestic use of milkfat, in all its forms, rose what percent?

18%

This dairy product saw the largest gains with production up 14.5% compared to June 2024

Cottage cheese

The number of dairy cows on U.S farms rose to how many million head, up 159,000 from July 2024.

9.49

This dairy product was named the lone bright spot in the dairy universe due to its recent popularity.

Whey

For high-producing cows, don’t feed___.

Raw soybeans

For alfalfa, the ideal soil pH is between

6.8-7.1

If dealing with a sulfur deficiency, this is the most economical fertilizer to use as it contains roughly 18% sulfur.

Gypsum

Salt concentrations on soil tests measure what in the soil?

Electrical conductivity

In March, the leading marketer of this type of seed corn announced that it would begin to phase out the sales of these hybrids.

Brown midrib (BMR)

Cutting corn silage higher may boost dry matter by how much percent?

2%

This is a necessary plant component, present early in a plant’s life to support water transport within the stem and structure later on.

Lignin

Leaving a few more inches of stubble higher in the field reduced total yield and can also ______corn silage quality.

Improve

What are the four most common winter annual cereal grains used for forage?

Rye, triticale, wheat, barley

What is often called “the queen of forages”?

Alfalfa

The goal for heat treating colostrum is to reach a temperature of ___ for 60 minutes.

160

To reduce the risk of abuse, many farms use this as a handling aid in the fresh pen.

Foam pool noodle

One potential drawback to cow-calf contact systems is prolonged exposure of newborn calves to adult cows ____?

Pathogens

What percentage of formalin is recommended in foot baths?

3%

Care during this period sets the stage for optimal lactation.

Transition

Cows exposed to heat stress during the dry period potentially produce how many fewer pounds less milk per day in lactation compared to those provided with both evaporative cooling and shade?

11 pounds

Studies have shown that ________ , particularly during late gestation, leads to significant longterm impacts on offspring.

Heat stress

A footbath should ideally be how many feet in length?

10 feet

This practice removes bacteria from the teat skin when the teat canal remains open and the udder is most vulnerable.

Post-milking teat disinfection

This serves as a fundamental contributor to the cow’s emotional state

Grooming

What is the main nerve that supplies the muscles that straighten the carpus (knee) and claws referred to as?

Radial nerve

Records from over 2 million Holsteins showed that cows with three or more lactations produced what percentage more milk than cows in their first lactation?

23%

This prognosis affects the conjunctival tissue of the upper, lower, or third eyelid.

Cancer eye

Abnormal manure during the first three weeks of life increases the likelihood of pneumonia later in the preweaning period by how much?

Double

Cows naturally try to block bacteria from entering the teat canal by forming what?

Keratin plug

Produced by Fusarium mold within contaminated corn or corn silage, this mimics the hormone estrogen and can cause multiple health issues

Zearalenone

BLV stands for?

Bovine leukemia virus

These vaccines contain a small amount of virus or bacteria that is altered so it does not cause disease, but the organism does replicate in the host’s body.

Modified live

MBW stands for______.

Mature body weight

Swelling and abscessation in the larynx usually due to an infection from the same bacteria that cause cheek abscesses is known as.

Calf diphtheria

Teat shape was associated with the occurrence of?

Clinical Mastitis

Studies showed that cows with lower body condition scores postpartum were more prone to?

Reproductive inflammation

In the current version of net merit (NM$), fat yield represents this weight percentage, making it the most heavily weighted trait in the selection program.

28.6%

This hormone is produced by the preovulatory follicle.

Estradiol

After ovulation, the corpus luteum forms and produces this hormone that is necessary for pregnancy maintenance in cattle.

Progesterone

An obvious advantage of fresh conventional semen is due to its low sperm numbers, consisting of generally how many sperm?

3 to 5 million

AFC stands for.

Age at first calving

Optimal conception rates for a double ovysnch program are possible at how many hours after the final injection?

13 to 23 hours

______ is defined as the percentage of cows in heat that are identified as being in heat.

Heat detection efficiency

Producers generally use rectal palpitation at how many days?

40 through 90 days

Rumen development in calves is stimulated by the production of what substances during feed digestion?

Volatile fatty acids

Rations are formulated on a dry matter basis and then weighed and mixed on what basis?

As-fed

A total mixed ration should be mixed for about how long?

3 to 5 minutes

Beet pulp contains roughly what percent sugar on a dry matter basis?

15%

Homofermentative inoculants contain bacteria that mostly produce lactic acid. The bacteria in heterofermentative inoculants produce lactic acid plus what other substance?

Acetic acid

The second, 8-millimeter sieve of the Penn State Particle Separator reflects the effective fiber in a ration. What is the goal for the share of the ration that remains on this level?

Over 50%

In regard to dairy cattle nutrition, what does MP stand for?

Metabolizable protein

Dietary protein should be cut back if milk urea nitrogen (MUN) levels rise above how many milligrams per deciliter?

14 to 16

What is the most commonly fed source of magnesium?

Magnesium oxide

Corn distillers grains result from what process being performed with corn?

Wet milling

What is the recommended bunk space to provide per head for animals 4 to 8 months old?

5.9 inches

For most cows, a stall width of how many inches is sufficient?

48

What factors influence the efficiency of a rotary parlor?

All of the above

What is a common platform speed used in rotary parlors?

5 seconds per stall

What type of radio have some car manufacturers planned to remove from their new models?

AM

What land grant university closed its dairy farm this year?

South Dakota State University

Checking belts, cleaning dust, and lubricating fans can help them operate better. Poor maintenance can reduce motor efficiency by up to how much?

40%

Grouping first-lactation animals separate from older cows provides what benefits?

All of the above

Sidewall curtains on calf barns should be completely open once the temperature reaches what level?

75

What is the term for the ratio of the time milk is flowing to the total pulsation cycle?

Milk to rest ratio

Dairy Margin Coverage (DMC) payments are calculated based on the margin between the All-Milk price and what?

Average feed cost

Which state added the most new dairy cows in 2023?

South Dakota

Which dairy product uses the biggest share of the milkfat produced in the U.S.?

Cheese

When was multiple component pricing first used by a federal milk marketing order?

1988

Milk’s value is determined based on end-product pricing. What class price would milk that is processed into sour cream receive?

Class II

Which of the following would not fall under current assets on a balance sheet?

Land

What is the top butter-producing state in the country?

California

In business terms, what does LLC stand for?

Limited liability company

How many state and regional dairy checkoff organizations are in the U.S.?

16

What share of Americans deal with lactose sensitivity or intolerance?

One-third