often, we do the same thing time and time again out of habit. We can get comfortable with familiar treatments and be reluctant to change, or perhaps we don’t even assess how well they are working

About this time last year, I had the notion that if I just made it to 2020, life would be so much better. I was anxious to turn the page and put 2019 behind us

With some new faces headed to Washington, D.C., after last month’s election, both Congress and the White House will likely shift their top priorities to tackle in the coming months and years

The December 2020 Hoard’s Dairyman Bull List can be downloaded. The list includes the top bulls for Holsteins, Jerseys, Brown Swiss, Red and Whites, Guernsey, Ayrshire, and Milking Shorthorns

I’m writing this through tears of anger, frustration, disbelief, and exhaustion. I am so tired of being a farmer

Dairy producers will soon have two new traits of significant economic value to consider in their breeding programs

Dairy farmers have become accustomed to operating in an environment of “reasonable uncertainty.” However, the COVID-19 crisis has made 2020 prices especially volatile for the industry

The year 2020 has been quite the roller coaster ride. I’d say being dairy farmers who are used to ups and downs may have given us a little better handle on how to deal with this crazy year, but it...

Providing dairy workers with formal safety training is not typically an easy task. Workers are on tight schedules, training resources are scarce, and language barriers exist

This year has been stressful for just about everyone, and children are no exception. In fact, children are especially vulnerable to the harmful effects of stress and anxiety due to their developing brains...

When my mother was sick and dying, my older sister, Cathy, did a lot to help take care of her

Dairy farming is increasingly characterized by growing farm sizes and more levels of uncertainty

I am an open book. Or at least my life is an open book, or so I have been told. Through this column and in my blogs, followers get an open glimpse of my dairy farm life

The challenging winters of recent years have impacted both alfalfa’s persistence and yield

Before and after calving, a dairy cow’s body experiences significant change. This includes the uterus, which can go from carrying a calf, placenta, and fluids down to the size of an adult’s...

Stability, predictability, and adequacy — those are three things farmers require from dairy markets

The correct nutrients, at the right time, creates the right recipe for optimal growth. That’s the winning strategy to develop the rumen in dairy calves

Dairy farmers have watched prices for their products climb to surprising highs and fall to devastating lows since the COVID-19 pandemic began in March

Cattle have been converting grass and other forages into high-quality milk, meat, and fiber, and used as draft animals, pulling heavy loads for humans, for roughly 10,000 years

With several farms sprinkled throughout the countryside, it is not uncommon to drive down the road and see signs offering “Free kittens.”Farmers know, when there are two cats, many will quickly...