Spring always marks a special occasion in our family as we attend the Volunteer Firefighter’s annual banquet

Last week, I had a very early morning flight from the West Coast to the Midwest. I would be on the flight for four hours followed by an immediate three and a half hour shuttle ride

The struggle is real. Despite living in the hometown of John Deere and being surrounded by acres of corn, my three children are the only farm kids in their school

Every dairy farmer is striving for the same thing: the prefect cow. She milks better than any other cow and her components are 5 percent fat and 4 percent protein. She’s obviously pretty

No bending. No squatting. No heavy lifting

The first rule of the Margin Protection Program for Dairy or MPP-Dairy is that you cannot count on it to save you

This past week we had the privilege of hosting 80 middle school students to our farm for a tour

Oh Jordy! You have captured the hearts of us all, even though you (unsuccessfully) try to take on our beloved barn cat, Shakira

I don’t actually know how to fix the dairy industry. I know that it will be a multistep process

At a recent meeting, I got into a great discussion with some industry members, both producers and supporters, about gene editing

Advancements such as robotics, sexed semen, and RFID tags all enhance the efficiency of daily work on the dairy farm.

Snow, and sometimes an abundance of it, makes us long for the next season

I was sitting in the doctor’s office — something I did way too much these past couple months — reading a magazine. A story about preventing cancer caught my eye

One of my favorite Paul Harvey stories is "The Man and The Birds. If you don't know the story, definitely check it out

Nurturing the next generation of dairy farmers is time well spent

I had to take a deep breath these last couple of weeks. The state of our industry is no joke

I often have talked about stubborn farmers who make less than desirable patients. My late father never sought medical care

When you laugh, the whole body relaxes. Lyndy Phillips said that one minute of laughter boosts the immune system for 24 hours.

My dad and I have been writing for the Hoard’s Dairyman blog together as a team for a while now

Most days I can sit down and just crank out an article for you. But this time, I’m not going to lie, I have hit a block so hard I think it left a mark