Congressman-elect David Valadao is a partner in his family's 1,700-cow dairy operation. by Lucas Sjostrom, Hoard's Dairyman Associate Editor Agriculture has some friends in Washington, D.C. But it has...
Are you fed up yet with undercover videos that show cows being mistreated? Are you sick and tired yet of how it makes you feel to see the dairy industry's image trashed? Are you scared yet that the public's...
Leave it to farm kids to come up with creative ideas. When gathered with family over the 4th of July, Clymer, N.Y. brothers, 18-year-old Justin and 9-year-old Fred White decided to respond to the recent...
We have all read stories, seen comments, and observed television interviews that contain less-than-accurate information on our industry and our practices. We get irritated, but wonder if it is worth the...
Nichelle Stewert, a Georgia farmer who volunteers with her local Farm Bureau, gave one of our favorite sessions at this year's National Agriculture in the Classroom Conference
While it may no longer be June Dairy Month, educating the public is a year-round challenge. As summer shows and fairs get into full swing, do you take the time to educate the public about your animals,...
I spent the past week at my family's dairy farm in southwest Minnesota. One evening, while helping my dad with a few chores after milking, we felt a few drops of rain. We hoped the sprinkles would turn...
Dairy leadership program will now be held more frequently. The time for leadership in the dairy industry becomes more critical as producer numbers decline and the number of consumers grow. Fortunately,...
Use pictures to catch the eye and use your words to catch the mind To build trust, farmers know they must become a familiar face to their customers. From coffee shops to hay sales, farmers have used these...
Serve dairy products at events to promote the industry by Patti Hurtgen, Hoard's Dairyman staff Last weekend, I attended a high school graduation party for a student pursuing higher education in our industry....
The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) seems to have its hands in everything lately. When we turn on the news, HSUS is often cited as a credible source
The jargon in our industry can overwhelm the ordinary urbanite. The words we choose when talking to our dairy neighbor at the feed mill are different than the vocabulary used to talk to the teacher at...
Humanizing animals (or anthropomorphizing, in a word) may seem like the right thing to do. But unless we keep humans exceptional, what could happen? Sure, calves are cute. Cows can be nice. And bulls might...
Slowly but surely, word is sinking in with consumers about a different and much less noble image of Humane Society of the United States. The result is a backlash that is hitting them where it hurts the...
By cutting the beginning or ending of a quote, whole speeches can be turned on their head. With video, it's even easier. David Letterman started a now-popular segment called Stupid Pet Tricks in 1982....
"U.S. Dairy Farmers Care," tells the story of dairy producers and their commitment to their animals, the environment, local communities, and consumers. While only three-minutes in length, it is packed...
Chocolate milk, and other dairy products, has been a highly contested portion of school lunch programs this year. The key concern has been that the extra calories from added sugars are a contributing factor...
If you're like me, you grew up watching the Miss USA pageant on TV just because it seemed like an important thing to do. In recent years, it seems to have become less and less important to Americans, and...