Editor’s note: This is the second article in a three-part series. Implementing biosecurity measures on a dairy requires time and money, but the cost of diseases, in terms of treatment, lost production and animal well-being, also impose significant costs.

I have written a series of articles comparing marriage to an Aztec battle where Hernando Cortéz and his army burned their boats to give themselves no escape. They must have victory or perish with the enemy.

Emission standards for off-road diesel engines are set in the U.S. by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The first off-highway diesel emissions standards began in 1996 with the implementation of Tier 1. Since then, increasingly aggressive standards have continued to be implemented to limit the amount of pollutants being released into the atmosphere. Tier 4A requirements for the high-horsepower (above 175 HP) engines went into effect in 2011.

As this goes to print, a highly anticipated time of the year for many has come around again: hunting season. When I’m asked to describe western New York, I tell the person it’s hills and deer hunting. We don’t have the big white-tail racks found in the Corn Belt, but a mix of fields and woods supports a strong regional herd.

Why must they have elections two weeks before Thanksgiving? It’s what I like to call the fuse that starts the argument at Thanksgiving dinner. One rule about voting: Do it. That’s it. You have now received Tim Moffett’s entire political wisdom.

It’s well known that fresh cows need a higher dietary cation-anion difference (DCAD) and supplemental potassium to correct potassium imbalances and buffer blood acids. This helps to allow the cow to rapidly increase dry matter intake postpartum and maximize milk and milk component production.

The planning process requires a lot of effort. I often say or write that if we have one hour to plan, then 55 minutes is committed to inventory, evaluation and developing options. The options or alternatives provide the landowner with choices.