We recently bought a cattle brush and needed a good way to put it up, so I built a stand out of recycled materials

Historically, criminals who have been sentenced to death have been granted a sumptuous last meal before their execution

Did you milk her for all she’s worth?” With due respect to my mentor and colleague, Don Sanders, who wrote a book by this title, I suggest that we leave a little gas in the tank for our retiring...

In the volatile world of dairy markets, risk management has become key to many producers’ success, enabling them to gain stability and control over their margins

Precision management is a hot topic in the dairy industry, and rightfully so

The National Dairy Farmers Assuring Responsible Management (FARM) Program launched its latest Animal Care Program standards on July 1, continuing to provide science-based guidelines for the industry and...

Bad things happen to good people. Likewise, bad things can happen to good farms

Can we assume that cows within a pen use all their resources uniformly?

When I stop at a farm for an assessment of the heifer program, the first thing I usually do is ask three questions

A dairy sitting in the valley with Brown Swiss cows scattered across green pastures in the background is home to Carter Bratland and Viking Valley Farm

Mastitis, the inflammation of one or more mammary glands, is one of the most important diseases in dairy production

When you compete at this level, you will find geniuses that you didn’t know existed

Looking back 25 years, I was at a crossroads in my vision for what secondary education to pursue. At 17 years old, I’d developed curiosity in dairy farming and cropping, but I also enjoyed fixing...

The United States and Canada are big trading partners, in agriculture and beyond, and this is a relationship that benefits both countries. For U.S. dairy products, however, the path into Canada is not...

One of the many perks of living on a dairy farm is the fact that we are surrounded by wildlife

Chelsea was a bright young vet student like they all are. She was spending most of her Christmas break at our practice getting some hands-on learning to add to her education

To better organize our tire sidewalls used to cover the silage pile, we built this rack out of I-beams and 2-inch tubing

In my life’s journey, I put people into two different categories: drains and radiators

Having just wrapped up a phone call with a nutritionist regarding farm programs related to sustainability and carbon credits, the time is right to revisit the topic

Something happens to us when we age — quiet times of reflection occur more often, at least for me