By the time you read this article, I will be sitting under a shade tree with my feet propped up, sipping on a large chocolate milkshake

There is no “magic bullet” available to improve milkfat yields. Instead, many factors contribute to a healthy rumen and ultimately how much milkfat a cow makes

The past couple of years have been rough ones for farmers buying fertilizers for their crops

Many dairies are keen to review heat abatement strategies for their lactating herd

Being a farmer has many rewards such as working for yourself, being outdoors, watching crops and animals grow and prosper, and working with friends, family, and neighbors

Consumers crave connection. So, how do you create that connection? Build a game-changing innovation center halfway around the world, find some of the best people to run it, and ultimately, create synergy...

Sometimes we get a cow that has teats too close together and that makes the milking unit squawk during milking. To stop this, we use a simple “S” hook on the bottom of the silicone liner

It takes a lot of momentum to get through the summer months. The days are long, the outside work is screaming to be done, and if a farmer sees daylight, they see an opportunity to do more

As the season rolls on, many baseball teams are recognizing mid-season adjustments are necessary to improve their chances for success. In baseball, success is defined by achieving the postseason and advancing

Disease can have a significant impact on both dairy cattle welfare and the financial success of the entire dairy industry

I had a lot of flies in the barn during the summer months, so I had an electrician install night lights next to the exhaust fans

I used to have a poster in my office that said, “Everything I learned, I learned from a cow.”

It seems no two dairies have the exact same plan of how to manage bunks and what to do with the feed refusals. With a likely new normal for feed cost levels, it is a good time to re-evaluate how feed refusals...

As agriculture’s labor pool continues to shrink, the dairy industry faces the challenging reality of attracting and retaining employees. Other businesses like construction, landscaping, hotels, and...

There are a lot of colors represented on a dairy farm, but I do not know two colors more discussed, bantered about, and tossed around than red and green. There is a strong and clear competition between...

I was looking for a strong, durable pencil with an eraser

For many readers, first cut will be just around the corner as you read this article. To say the least, unlocking the energy in your forages to fuel herd performance is a top priority during first cutting...

Let’s face it, anyone who wants to be a dairy farmer may just be a tad unique. Why would one toil from sunup to sundown with loads of challenges, unknowns, and financial hurdles? Simply said, it...

Fertilization rates range from 55% to 88% in high-producing dairy cows, resulting in calving rates of 30% or less following a single A.I. Pregnancy loss remains a major factor inhibiting reproductive performance...

In the last issue, we examined the variation in waiting time for cows to be milked in a free-flow robot facility. We were concerned that some cows have very prolonged waiting times due to competition at...

We needed a more reliable way to thaw and heat colostrum, so I took a 15-gallon plastic barrel and cut it to the correct height so the heating element wouldn’t touch the bottom