The author and her family own and operate a 130-cow dairy and crop 1,500 acres. She also is a former associate editor at Hoard’s Dairyman.

Zahncroft Dairy_ph4
March 9 2020
With heifer prices dropping to modern-day record lows in the last several years, many farms have been faced with the question of what to do with extra heifers that aren’t bound for their lactating...
water_ph3
March 9 2020
Trends in consumer reporting have shown that people are drinking less fluid milk each year
robots_ph5
March 2 2020
Along with nearly every industry in the country, dairy has welcomed robotic technologies and artificial intelligence into the workplace in hopes of stemming labor shortages
Carlson_008
Feb. 25 2020
In dairy’s labor availability crisis, many farms have focused on doing a great job of training whether they are hiring someone with limited or extensive experience
200217_4_ph
Feb. 14 2020
Individual calf housing is by far the most common form of calf rearing in the country. According to research done by the University of Wisconsin in 2019, 77% of farms raise calves individually
corn
Feb. 3 2020
The last several years of wet and warm conditions in dairy regions across the country have brought up the important conversation of forage hygiene
employee_ph4
Jan. 27 2020
Contrary to the excuses we often fall into as employers, pay is not the first thing many employees cite when leaving a job
200120_ph5
Jan. 20 2020
Wagner Farms in Oconto Falls, Wis., had a 0% death loss in their calves last year. For anyone that has worked with animals, this is the ultimate goal, but sometimes incredibly difficult to achieve
200113_ph5
Jan. 13 2020
One of the most challenging roles of the feeding team is to track and account for feed as it goes through the feeding center and into the bunk. In order to do this, it’s important to test, track,...
200106_ph4
Jan. 6 2020
“With 60 to 65 percent of the milk check going towards feeding/feed costs, this has a huge impact on farm profitability,” explained Leatherbrook Holsteins’ Adam Graft
milk
Dec. 30 2019
The long-standing relationship of milk and school lunches has put dairy in front of children for generations
191223_ph2
Dec. 23 2019
The “high-forage diet” has gained great momentum throughout the last decade as farms commit to growing more of their own feeds rather than purchasing them
191216_ph4
Dec. 16 2019
Over the course of the last few decades, huge strides have been made in the realm of udder health, and specifically, in managing somatic cell counts and contagious mastitis pathogens
191216_ph2N
Dec. 16 2019
Since corn silage makes up a considerable amount of many dairy rations, interpreting its make up is one of the more critical tasks of a feeding team
191209_ph2
Dec. 9 2019
The median farm household income is forecasted to average $76,191 in 2019. That’s an improvement of 5.1 percent from 2018 levels and 3.2 percent better when adjusted for inflation
cows_ph2
Dec. 2 2019
Certainly, social stress in dairy cattle has gained traction as we have learned more about stress’s impact on cattle performance
stress_ph1
Nov. 25 2019
Just like stress in humans, stress in cows isn’t like other diseases we treat. Instead of being diagnosed the cow is sick or the cow is not, stress is something that amasses as one stress piles on...
191118_ph3
Nov. 18 2019
The preweaning period of a calf’s life is not only important for its health and growth down the road, it’s also indicative of its behavior and ability to adapt to new situations
191111_ph3
Nov. 11 2019
Although final year-end milk production and dairy farm numbers are not yet in, 2019 predictably is shaping up to virtually zero growth in milk production
winter_ph
Oct. 28 2019
As winter is just around the corner, planning for housing of pasture animals is likely already underway