In Alan Jackson’s song, “Summertime Blues,” he discusses how, as a teenager, you work all summer and do not have the opportunity to enjoy it. That perspective most likely resonates with...

I can’t even begin to tell you how many times I’ve seen or heard a farmer call a consumer stupid. At first, it makes me cringe because it’s just kind of mean. I mean, name-calling? Really?...

As we walk through the barns and pastures to check our cows throughout the day, it pays to watch the cows’ expressions. In a time where people either tend to stare at their phones while going about...

How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time. My nearly one year old son just began walking. To be fair, he is just taking a few steps and falling on his bottom, but I’m counting it! Watching...

I recently had one of those moments of frustration that turned to humility. As farmers, running 24/7/365 is the life. We have a very high stress job because so many different entities depend on us each...

In years past, while milking in the parlor, labeling an animal as a cull cow was pretty straightforward

Are you and your farm ready for a natural disaster or emergency? There is no way you can prepare your farm for every emergency in every way, but a little preparation can go a long way

Last week, Wisconsin experienced some pretty high temperatures that seem to be sticking around. I heard the phrase, “You should be used to the heat since you’re from the south,” multiple...

Last night, I came home late from ball practice. A few months ago, I started assisting a travel softball team that consists of 8- to 10-year-olds

New Zealand is home to about 5 million people and 5 million cows. That is half the number of cows that are in the United States, all on an island not quite the size of California

Served in a classic cone, layered with cookie dough, whipped together with fresh peaches, concocted into a brownie-lover’s dream, drenched with strawberries, submerged in a tall glass of root beer,...

I grew up in a house that was busy. That’s just the nature of dairy farming

Dusting off the show box, leading calves, clipping and washing animals, double checking paperwork, preparing show clothes, finalizing exhibits, and so much more are on the minds of many kids and their...

As dairy farmers, our life is lead wide open each and every day

Labor availability has been an issue for years throughout the dairy community. The work is hard and stressful, and working conditions can be hot and cold

One of the most interesting ways we at Hoard’s Dairyman are able to connect with our readers and the dairy community is when we receive visitors at our farm, which sits just outside of Fort Atkinson...

Between an impending visit from the inspector, Mother’s Day passing us by, and some upcoming events we want to have the farm in top shape for, we’ve been taking any chance we get to do extra...

One of the reasons I love hanging out with people in the agricultural community, especially dairy farmers, is because it is so easy to start a conversation about all the classic debates

When we started milking in our robotic milking facility, we were fetching cows that hadn’t come up to milk on their own seven to eight times per day

I mentioned to my mom the other day that my one-year-old daughter is starting to have opinions on things like what she wants to eat and what she wants to wear