As farmers, we frequently find ourselves serving as our own service and repair departments. With apologies to highly trained and experienced service personnel reading this, there are times when we are better trained than the employees at a local dealership.

Ronan puts his hand on my shoulder. “Ryan,” he says. “Do you have the soul inside you?” Ronan had started his own radio show on the university station and invited me into a recording session.

Don’t ever feel like you have to hide your sensitivity. Your empathy gives you the ability to detect details that would have gone unnoticed, like that calf who just doesn’t seem herself today. You have a heart – and it’s OK to listen to it.

Every day is Earth Day to a farmer. We do our best to care for the land and animals God has provided for us. When I hear “Earth Day,” I automatically think of Woodstock, Birkenstocks and funny-smelling cigarettes. Or a typical day in Boulder, Colorado.

Advocating isn’t what it used to be, because what it used to be isn’t enough. As time goes on, we need to find new and innovative ways to communicate with our consumers. Not only does it need to be innovative, but it needs to be something that expresses who we are and what we’re about. What’s an impactful story that we can tell?

Digest Highlights: Whole milk sales limit February fluid decline. Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board changed its name. Leprino and Agropur announce expansion plans. Find a summary of this and other news here.

On May 22, 2015, Walmart, one of the largest grocery retailers in the U.S., publicly stated their position on antibiotic use in farm animals. The company stated that “antibiotics should be used responsibly in farm animals” and outlined a specific set of instructions for its producers to accomplish this. Despite the concern about usage of antimicrobials in agriculture, very few studies have described antimicrobial usage in U.S. dairy herds:

Emerging markets show promise for increased exports of U.S. dairy replacements later this year.

When it comes to dry cow vaccinations, I like to think of them as a two-for-one. You’re vaccinating for the health of the cow, but you’re also providing passive immunity for the calf during those first few months of life.

The USDA’s April Livestock, Dairy and Poultry report left 2018 milk production projections unchanged, at 219 billion pounds. If realized, it would be up 1.6 percent from 2017. The USDA’s March 2018 Milk Production report will be released April 20.