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

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

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

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...

when a pendulum swings out farther in one direction than normal, it may swing back too far in the other direction. A correction can take some time later on

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

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

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

Calves enter a world filled with bacteria, viruses, and parasites. These organisms can make them sick or even lead to death

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

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

One of the more popular songs, “My Favorite Things,” is one that I heard many times over the years and can easily be pulled into my head

Regardless of the cropping season, now is a great time to think about how you can maximize your herd’s response to the forages you’ve harvested. Proper grouping and allocation of forages is...

The author is a partner and large animal veterinarian at Thumb Veterinary Services in Deckerville, Mich. What a difference a year makes!Mark Fox, D.V.M.The year 2022 will go down in the dairy books as...

The author and her husband, Duane, own and operate a 550-cow dairy in Cochranville, Pa.Someone recently told me, “What we do a lot of, we typically do well.”

With so much attention placed on animal welfare, the perspective of farmers is often overlooked, even though they are the ones who provide care to animals daily and have the greatest impact on animal welfare