With more emphasis being placed on the well-being of livestock all the time, students can gain experience in this type of evaluation through the Animal Welfare Assessment Contest

With a small, four person staff strictly made up of family, formal business meetings are replaced by spontaneous planning sessions in passing, at the dinner table, or while working cattle on our dairy...

Whether it’s a quick farm fix or entertainment for the grandkids, farmers are masters at creating just about anything out of random finds around the farm

Farmers tend to be most enthusiastic and tell our best anecdotes to fellow farmers; however, paring down stories or biting our tongue on details about our farm can be a true disservice to the consumer...

Small jobs on the farm can create big learning opportunities for children

Irritated was one word to describe the emotions I felt in fourth grade. As I eagerly joined a local 4-H club, I was ready to become actively involved

“What do you want to be when you grow up?” We all know the question. The question can be greeted with inaudible rumblings, flustered body language, or a decisive answer

There’s one job on our farm that everyone gets involved with at one point or another. It’s a looming, tedious task that rears its head in the midst of spring planting, school wrapping up, and...

It’s dairy banquet season, at least in Iowa. It’s the season where dairy producers and supporters come together to honor outstanding farming families, recognize friends of the industry

Each year that I’ve been an undergraduate student at Cornell, my Sigma Alpha chapter has put on an event that we like to call “The Art of Agriculture.”

When I was 8 years old, a tiny, premature calf was born that I absolutely fell in love with. Her body was somewhat average in size, but her legs were short and stubby

For generations of Schmitt men (my grandpa, dad, brother, and hopefully, my nephews), their hands have told the story of dairy farming

As winter turns into spring, we try to catch up on many random projects around the farm

To say that the last year has changed everything would be an understatement; however, slowly but surely, we will all be able to see again

Much like a pop quiz, regular state and federal inspections keep dairy farmers on their toes

It’s National FFA Week – a time to honor the organization that has shaped countless students

Whether it’s extreme heat in the summer, extended rainy periods in the spring, or plummeting temperatures in the winter, weather dictates every animal’s needs and a farmer’s daily routine

The other night, our robotic milkers called 36 times with one alarm or another. My dad got an early start on morning milking simply because he had been up since 11 p.m. the night prior tending to the robots

The “farm kid” identity definitely carries a weighted list of stereotypes — some may be perceived as negative while others prove to be a positive in the job and internship search

Dear farmers/caretakers/blood, sweat and tear givers, I see you at the wee hours of the morning thawing waterers of ice.