Although we may not know it, most of us are familiar with biochar. We use it every summer to barbecue hot dogs and hamburgers – charcoal briquettes.

“In an instant, our 100-plus-year-old family farm became part of the re-branding of agriculture by activist groups. We lost our milk market and our reputation was tarnished.” —Gary Conklin, Conklin Dairy Cattle Sales LLC. In May of 2010, a video from his farm depicting abuse was released by Mercy for Animals. Preparing for emergencies and managing crises was a main focus of the Dairy Strong conference, Jan. 13-15, in Madison, Wisconsin, facilitated by the Dairy Business Association of Wisconsin and its partners. I’m a member of the organization, but this was my first time attending one of their conferences.

The first National Dairy Study is being conducted across Canada. This is a research initiative funded by the Dairy Farmers of Canada, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, the Canadian Dairy Network and the Canadian Dairy Commission through the Dairy Research Cluster 2 program.