Columns

U.S. milk production is slowly recovering, though it remained below a year ago for the second month in a row in December, primarily due to the impact of bird flu in California.   The U.S. …

What’s cookin’?

I saw something the other day that made me giggle. “Welcome to adulthood, where you will have to decide every night what to make for supper.”   I used to never think twice about what …

Life lessons

When I started my graduate assistant position in the athletic department at Indiana State University in 2014, I brought with me a few years of experience from a Division III school at the University …

Dairy across the world

From school visits to a trip south of the equator, January was a month full of opportunities and new experiences. As Princess Kay, I was excited to attend the First District Association Winter …

Ice cream memories

We Americans have been spoiled by technology. Flip a switch and the lights come on; pick up your cell phone and instantly begin to waste time watching funny cat videos. If you want a …

Benchmarking

Our practice has been compiling a dairy herd benchmarking spreadsheet every year for nearly 15 years. We use DairyComp 305 data from most of the farms we work with who utilize the program on-farm for …

Quite the weather

“Quite the weather we’re having,” is a popular phrase in our family this winter season. Then again, what winter season in the Upper Midwest isn’t it a popular phrase? Some …

Dairy: health beyond the glass

One thing that is for certain is that nothing is certain. Robert Kennedy Jr. and the Make America Healthy Again movement are another potential black swan facing our healthcare, our food industry and …

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has issued its final rule on Federal Milk Marketing Orders. Most of the changes take effect June 1. “The final rule, which contains the regulatory language, …

Childhood on the farm

While growing up on a dairy farm, my siblings and I worked hard, but we also played hard. Whether it was winter, spring, summer or fall, we could always be found playing outside. In the winter, …

Class 3 of Midwest Dairy’s Dairy Experience and Agricultural Leadership Program met in Chicago, Illinois, in November 2024 for phase two of the program. The theme for this phase was …

High-quality forages are essential to maximize performance of lactating dairy cows, especially if your goal is to feed high-forage diets. In the 2024 crop harvest year, many farms across the Midwest …

How cold is it?

Like age, cold is just a number. It does not matter what the actual temperature is but more of how it feels. Without looking at a thermometer, there are telling signs of just how cold it is outside. …

Out of the darkness

It’s been one month since my shoulder surgery, and it’s been one wildly emotional month. The first two weeks were easier than I expected. The initial pain was manageable thanks to …

The U.S. Department of Agriculture published its Federal Order Final Decision. All 11 orders approved the final changes. USDA said: “This final rule amends the 11 FMMOs with implementation on …

The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced the final Federal Order Class III milk price of 2024 at $18.62 per hundredweight, down $1.33 from November, but $2.58 above December 2023. It’s the …

Game day treats

January 2025 is finally football playoff season for Minnesota Vikings fans. I grew up in Illinois cheering for the Purple People Eaters of the 70s. It seemed like the Vikings were always in the Super …

Changes in the New Year

Three, two, one. Like the countdown on Dec. 31 each year, people count down the days until they say, “New year, new me.” Growing up, my family never did anything big for the New Year, so …

Finding joy in the new year

Happy New Year. This past year was one of gratitude, new beginnings and embracing challenges. Reflecting on the past 12 months, it is truly remarkable how much can happen in just one year. …

Treasure hunting

Every boy dreams of discovering buried treasure. Finding gold doubloons and muttering “Yar” are among its chief benefits. I recently voyaged out to where the rotting hulk has rested …

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 24 | Next »
Currently viewing stories posted within the past 2 years.
For all older stories, please use our advanced search.