Calving and the subsequent transition into lactation are the greatest challenges in the productive life of a dairy cow. Cows must deal with a high demand for energy and nutrients to make colostrum and milk. But this demand cannot be met by feed intake alone – which leads to negative energy balance (NEB) and nutrient deficiencies.

As I write, it is only two weeks until I turn 30. Although I’ve known it was coming for a while, only now, seeing it in print, do I realize what a large sum the number contains. Although it is a common and predictable angst shared by all of humanity that makes it this far, that does not lessen its totality.

In the last few articles, I have focused on “burning boats” at the beginning of marriage, leaving no escape routes. I have written about burning boats and building new ones. There is one more sealer that must be put on new boats to keep them floating in the turbulent waters of adversity where every marriage must float.

I had a friend tell me one time that my dad was like his: “He doesn’t care what it looks like as long as it runs.” My thought was, “This guy sure doesn’t know David Overbay.” One thought that was drilled into me from a boy is that cleaner really does run better, and one of Dad’s favorite sayings when asked why he bought a new tractor or took the time to paint an old one was, “Every once in a while, I like to burn the paint off a manifold.”

In conjunction with the Western Section of the American Society of Animal Science (WSASAS) meeting, Leticia Camacho, Hannah Cunningham and Bryan Welly were honored as recipients of the 2014 Young Scholar Recognition Program award. Camacho was honored for her doctoral research, while Cunningham and Welly were honored for their master’s research.

“Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free …” The message that rings down through the Bible from Exodus to Revelations, “Blessed are ye poor for yours is the Kingdom of God.”

This year’s Women in Dairy Conference will mark the 10th anniversary of this biannual event designed to provide inspiration and insight for Pennsylvania women engaged in the dairy industry. It will be held on Wednesday, Nov. 5, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Best Western Premier Hotel, 800 East Park Drive, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.