Whether it’s extreme heat in the summer, extended rainy periods in the spring, or plummeting temperatures in the winter, weather dictates every animal’s needs and a farmer’s daily routine
Be willing to stay updated on issues across the country and around the world, because how it is being dealt with might come in handy for your farm one day
It’s never my intention to screw up, but when I do, I know the situation will be handled in a good-natured way. We try to make light of a bad situation
Perhaps you have followed along the last decade by reading my Hoard's Dairyman column, "Around the Kitchen Table," where I share stories of growing up on my family’s dairy farm and the lessons learned
Tara Vander Dussen, also known as the New Mexico Milkmaid, understands that people need to feel comfortable if they are going to ask a question of a dairy farmer
The other night, our robotic milkers called 36 times with one alarm or another. My dad got an early start on morning milking simply because he had been up since 11 p.m. the night prior tending to the robots
There is no denying that dairy farming is a full-time job. Unfortunately, in this dairy economy, and really it seems for some time now, the key to survival is diversification
It had been snowing, cold, and blustery for days when we made the call. We were bedding calf pens as fast as we could, but the number of calves due that week was double what we usually expected
Last Friday, I received a call that I had been anticipating, but nonetheless, it was still hard to hear. I got the news that my beloved friend, Joe Lyon, died at the age of 92