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.

170424_ph4
April 24 2017
April showers bring May flowers. Along with them have come planting delays and other farm level concerns. One benefit that some may not think of is the opportunity to analyze where rain runoff flows
feeding-calf
April 17 2017
One of the best things an operation can do for its future is invest in taking care of calves in the first two months. Although that care can be accomplished a great number of ways
Intel-tractor
April 17 2017
The title of a recent Politico article read, “Your farm is trying to kill you.” Its subtitle shed further light on where this story was headed
corn-planter
April 10 2017
Particularly in tight financial years for agriculture, the argument for finding the economically optimal corn plant population has perpetuated
170410_ph4
April 10 2017
Wisconsin isn’t known as the dairy state without good reason. Decades of dominance in the area of dairy farms and cow numbers make a good argument for the title “America’s Dairyland.”
healthy-food
April 3 2017
Eight in 10 millennial shoppers say it’s important to eat healthy according to a survey done by the marketing firm The Halo Group
organic_ph4
April 3 2017
Since the standardization of organics at the turn of the century, agriculture has struggled to define the differences between conventional and organic operations without using the term better
green-harvesting_ph1
March 27 2017
We all know good forages set a farm up for a good year of milk production. The trick is there is a lot that goes into making that high-end, lactation-quality forage
milking-parlor
March 24 2017
Somatic cell count (SCC) has been and remains the golden standard of milk quality. That being said, milk quality can be in question even when SCC is in check
2017-03-20_09.45.56
March 20 2017
Ask anyone I work with; one of my favorite holidays of the year is Kansas Day. Never heard of it? You are not alone
170320_ph3
March 20 2017
Finding pounds of milk isn’t about using or not using BST. It’s about good management
VanExel_ph2
March 13 2017
Of all the changes that the transition cow endures, negative energy balance is one of the greatest and most difficult to overcome
iStock-farmstead
March 10 2017
Among farm families, it is more and more common to hear of households that also pursue off farm ventures. A report from USDA’s Economic Research Service shows that there is good reason for that
rolling-feeding_ph
March 6 2017
“High dry matter intake solves a lot of problems on a lot of farms,” explained Mike Hutjens when referring to the best ways to capitalize on feeding opportunities in the new year
hardesty_011
Feb. 27 2017
Ultimately, the economically optimal pregnancy rate depends on many herd specific factors, but especially the costs associated with making the management changes that result in an increased pregnancy rate
sand_ph
Feb. 27 2017
“Two of the biggest reasons we are culling in our lactating herd right now are mastitis and feet and leg problems,” shared Luke Haywood, who milks 1,150 cows on his family’s Sand Creek...
Daybreak_09
Feb. 20 2017
Just like conventional feeding systems, there are many ways to operate an automatic calf feeder, and those management factors affect calf health, stress, and more
Welcome_ph
Feb. 20 2017
“Prior to genomics becoming available, we would have been 90 percent proven sires,” shared Welcome Stock Farm’s Bill Peck
NWD-cows_ph
Feb. 13 2017
“One of the biggest changes in our industry in the past decade is fostering the connection our customers have with their food source,” said Nature Way’s Dairy’s Jamie Kulesa
NWD_097
Feb. 6 2017
Nearly every dairy farm features some type of data collection or herd management software. It can range from rumination or activity monitors to simple herd tracking with PCDART or Dairy Comp 305