In order to move forward, leaders and managers must focus on people, not the execution. The wheels are spinning, but the car isn't going anywhere. You haven't worked long if you've never experienced this...
Youth take a "go big or go home" approach to competition. "You are betting all your points in Final Jeopardy," stated the moderator when speaking to California's Alexandra (Alex) Gambonini. The 120 points...
Thanks to his mechanical talents, this dairyman kept two first-crop alfalfa harvests on track. Near dusk on Sunday, May 22, I set out with our Hesston hay mower to cut the last field of first-crop alfalfa...
How youth activities helped me step outside of my comfort zone. Small, quiet, and shy. Those were some of the words that best described me as a young child. I preferred working with my animals and keeping...
It's more than just a number. At the National Guernsey Convention held earlier this week in Minneapolis, Minn., members listened to a presentation on genomics by Laurel Mastro of Neogen Corporation. While...
Feeding the best possible ration to your herd takes true teamwork between the farmer and nutritionist. I have other dairy farmers ask me questions about the analysis of the rations we feed at our farm....
Being part of a breed association goes beyond genetic benefits to lifelong connections and friendships. Summer marks the season for barbeques, s'mores around the campfire, and family outings and vacations....
Welfare and economics must both play a role in determining how many cows fill a barn. One size does not fit all. There are many areas on the farm to which this saying readily applies. One of the most pertinent...
As caretakers of animals . . . whether farm animals or companion animals . . . we often face tough decisions. When an animal is ill or injured, it's our great responsibility to decide if we can to save...
As the competition began, door guards checked back tags, known in the dance world as competitor numbers, and made final calls for late entries. Tardiness was rarely accepted as 8,057 entries crossed...
For farms struggling to find enough employees or looking for more flexibility in their daily routine, robotic milking systems have become an intriguing option
When a person decides to become a dairy farmer, they aren't choosing just a career but a lifestyle. As many of you know, dairy farming is a 24 hours a day, 7 days a week job. Most dairymen and women live...
It's hot, it's humid, and it's only the beginning of summer. And there is still a long way to go before we start to see the anticipated cooler temperatures of fall. While some might be enjoying the warmer...
Spend some time analyzing your most valuable group of cows those that are so problem-free you almost forget they are present. We are all intimately familiar with our top cows those special ones that outrank...
Some feed efficiency factors are easy to overlook. DaireXnet article dove into a few of the feed efficiency factors that have an impact on farm economics, but are not always top of the mind the others...
It's about the experience, regardless of location. Take the farm to the people, instead of taking the people to the farm. June Dairy month brings excitement as the public sets foot on real dairies during...
Consumers will not hear what we have to say about the dairy industry unless we take the initiative and find ways to tell them. "To the consumer, our story doesn't exist unless we tell it." Dairy farmers...
Why evaporative cooling methods fit well on our farm. Growing up in the hot Kansas heat made it difficult to keep cows cool during the warmer summer months. When we decided to make modifications to our...
Custom hire is a smart business decision for our farm. While my husband and I milked our cows last night, a swather zipped through our fields, mowing down our first crop of alfalfa, along with the triticale...
