The Aran Islands lay off the west coast of Ireland as three small shadows in the haze of Galway Bay. Inis Oírr (pronounced “inish ear”) is not much more than a square mile.Like the other two islands, it is one of the few remaining gaeltachts where Irish (mistakenly called Gaelic by Americans) is still the primary language.

The horns blow, whistles scream, firecrackers rattle, confetti floats into the sky and shouts of “Happy New Year” rend the air to signify the death of the old year and herald in the new.It is just a second before the old dies and the new begins, but it only takes a second to change a life forever. It begins with a desire to “walk in newness of life."

Happy New Year! 2012 brings us another year full of opportunities to better our operations and make the most of our equipment. In a recent article we discussed the basics of how air brake systems work. I would like to pick up where we left off by discussing some of the problems you may encounter with your air brake system.

Last November 11, I was in Red Deer, Alberta, during Remembrance Day. It coincided with Veterans Day in the U.S., Remembrance Day in Australia and also in England. This day is singled out to honor all the men and women who have served in the armed forces of these countries.

Click here to download a pdf of the latest checkoff watch, provided by Dairy Management, Inc. PD

In Idaho, where the number of dairy cows has increased around 88 percent in the past 12 years, USDA scientists are collecting data on greenhouse gas emissions from dairy facilities and identifying how those emissions fluctuate daily and throughout the year.

There is a major controversy regarding the employment of illegal or undocumented immigrants in the workplace. The term “undocumented immigrants” refers to foreign citizens residing in the U.S. illegally. Many Americans believe that undocumented immigrants are being employed in jobs that could be filled by unemployed members of the workforce. Many illegal immigrants are working in low-skilled jobs in sectors of the economy (agriculture, hospitality, construction, etc.) that American workers are unwilling to fill.

Feed costs are the greatest expense on a dairy. With feed prices moving higher, margins will become even tighter, making it difficult to build equity. A choice looms: Cut back/remove feed ingredients from the ration or forge ahead and maintain current ingredient levels. Either way, revisiting feed management pays off. If feed has been forward contracted for a lesser price or is already stored in the bunker, it still must be closely managed.