Happy New Year! Anyone else wondering where 2016 went? For myself, I am kind of wondering where the last two years went

For myself, my definition of my tribe is the people in my inner circle. “A distinctive close-knit group” as the dictionary describes it

In my last blog post, “Simple social media for a busy farmer (hotlink to past post), I explained why it was important that you engage your consumers through social media

Our family farm has one problem in common with every other dairy farm in the U.S. We are contending with low prices for both milk and beef

As one walks through the cattle barns at World Dairy Expo, it is hard to miss the creative displays that exhibitors have built to celebrate the past 50 years. Over the past half century, i

The World Forage Analysis Superbowl awarded top producers at a luncheon held on Wednesday at World Dairy Expo. The competition is celebrating 33 years of forage excellence

With additional divisions, the youth fitting contest grew in 2016. This contest is the first competition of the week, being held on Sunday morning on the Expo grounds

The barns at sunset. The globe. The Coliseum. The colored shavings. The first leaves changing colors

The leaves are turning color and starting to fall. The warm temperatures that last into the night have faded away

Important nutrients and immune building molecules are all components of a calf's first meal, but that colostrum may also be a vehicle for some unwanted guests. Are bacteria derailing your carefully crafted...

Don't be afraid to answer the call to promote dairy. The dairy industry deserves to be commended for the amazing job it does giving the next generation so many opportunities to grow and learn. From 4-H...

Building an extensive photo library sets us apart. Hundreds of photos appear within the pages of Hoard's Dairyman, as well as on our website, www.hoards.com, and in our weekly electronic newsletter, Hoard's...

For farms struggling to find enough employees or looking for more flexibility in their daily routine, robotic milking systems have become an intriguing option

Regular maintenance helps us maintain our freestall barn in top working condition. We moved from a pasture based operation to our conventional freestall barn in 2009. At that time, a dairyman friend of...

Living in a rural community is no guarantee that your neighbors understand farming and where food comes from.When you're engaged to a large animal veterinarian and your job is tracking and responding to...

While a new barn and robots may not be the answer for every dairy, this new era will improve our future lifestyle, overall business consistency and cow care. This week was very exciting on our farm as...

Electrical fire serves as wake-up call. Fire. There might not be another word so capable of quickly igniting fear in the hearts of farmers. I'm sure you can imagine the level of panic we felt after smelling...

Strategize for ways to minimize heat stress. Even though we are not ready for sunglasses and shorts, warm weather will be here soon. Mike Brouk, Kansas State University, presented "The latest on beating...

Learning is a lifelong process and the Young Dairy Leaders Institute helped speed up that process. Today, I hop on a plane to finish Phase III of the Young Dairy Leaders Institute in sunny Phoenix, Arizona....

Have a plan for what you want to see and do. Winter – the season when not a lot happens in the fields. And for this reason, trade shows are scheduled to entice busy farmers to attend. With World...