You’re busy – milking cows, managing employees, making hay. In our regular conversations with our team of editorial advisers, we learned they not only wanted a recap of dairy news, but they were seeking brief insights into how that news might impact their dairy business going forward.

A sometimes underappreciated, if not completely forgotten, link of the beef production chain is the cull cow market and slaughter segment. I am probably one of those who, at times, has not adequately appreciated the significance and contributions of the cull cow to the grand scheme of our little cowboy party.

Calving, branding, weaning and shipping, these are the seasons in a cattle producer’s year. Although every producer knows what happens after shipping, their job is to get the cattle on the truck as easily and in the best shape as possible. An entire year’s worth of work is over in just a few hours. Some producers are relieved after this moment, while others worry that their livelihood was just put into the hands of someone else to finish the job.

Ah, yes, one of the dairy manager’s most cringe-worthy duties, creating the employee schedule. You think you have it all figured out, and then someone needs a day off, or better yet, your employees want a different schedule all together.

Board members of Agri-Mark, a major dairy cooperative in the Northeast, are asking for federal support for the U.S. dairy industry in light of burdensome supplies and tariff wars that have sent milk prices plummeting. The co-op has also scheduled a national meeting for mid-August to consider policy and market options as dairy farmers struggle through another year of below-breakeven milk prices.

May 2018 turned in another strong month for U.S. dairy exports, with total sales volumes the third highest on record. However, with retaliatory tariffs on dairy exports now in place, foreign sales, and prices, are already being impacted.

“What would you do differently?” This is a question we were frequently asked after completing construction of our new dairy facility. While you may spend months or even years planning out a new project, you won’t know what you’ve missed until you’re in full-fledge operation.

More and more, we’re beginning to understand and appreciate the importance of cow cooling. It’s easy to see the effects of heat stress in your lactating herd; there will be a milkfat depression, milk yield will drop, cows will stand more often and for longer periods of time, and subsequently, lameness rates will increase.

Alarm bells started ringing as the first wave of tariffs from the U.S.-China trade wars took effect on July 6, with the U.S. ag economy on the front line as one of the first casualties.

Francis Bacon (1561-1626), philosopher, scientist and author, once opined: “Some books should be tasted, some devoured, but only a few should be chewed and digested thoroughly.”