It begins with an idea Brian Devereaux of Orem, Utah, grew up around the dairy industry working for his father at TDLogix Inc. His father, Todd Devereaux, is a dairy equipment dealer and still is an innovator in programmable logic controls.

A federal judge approved a settlement agreement limiting U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) release of information related to concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs).

Gui DeSouza, an associate professor of electrical engineering and computer science at University of Missouri, and colleagues and students in his Vision-Guided and Intelligent Robotics (ViGIR) Laboratory partnered with researchers such as Felix Fritschi, an associate professor of plant sciences in the University of Missouri College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources (CAFNR), and Todd Mockler, a principal investigator with the Danforth Plant Science Center, to study the effects of climate change on crops in Missouri. Using principles developed in the ViGIR lab, DeSouza is changing the way agriculturists collect data in the field.

It's not clear that alfalfa growers fully knew that one of the most widely-used insecticides in their crop was about to be completely eliminated from use nationwide.

Ninety-seven percent of all U.S. farms are family-owned farms, according to the USDA. It’s a rarity for people from outside the ag industry to take an interest in farming or dairy, and when they do, it takes a lot of work to break into the industry and put down roots.

According to a recent online poll, most Progressive Cattleman readers use a manual squeeze chute.

Water quality can affect land and cattle productivity. Let’s face it, cattle are naturals at drinking as long as there is a water source and access. What else is there to think about? The importance of water deserves the time and attention of cattle producers. Cattle simply cannot be healthy and gain well without good quality water. What’s more, ensuring pastures have a high-quality, sustainable and uncontaminated water source is a key component to environmental stewardship.

As farmers put 2017 cropping plans into action, softening dairy markets continue to require attention on dairy risk management strategies too, according to Alan Zepp, risk management program manager at Pennsylvania's Center for Dairy Excellence (CDE).

Breaking free of the dairy market fundamentals’ grip that choked 2015-16 producer income is proving difficult. Optimism for 2017 remains, but U.S. milk prices were held in check by growing supplies and weakening dairy product prices in February.