Cow comfort and facilities, milk quality and farm safety measures – along with “meat matters” – will be the front-and-center topics covered at a one-day Cow Management Workshop offered on two dates in two Wisconsin locations: Tuesday, Sept. 13, Marshfield, and Wednesday, Sept. 14, Arlington. Both workshops have been developed by dairy producers for dairy producers on behalf of the Professional Dairy Producers of Wisconsin (PDPW) and will challenge even the most seasoned dairy producer or employee who oversees a dairy’s cowherd.

The Lee Robey family of Logan County won the Kentucky Dairy Production Award, and the Tommy Howard family of Fleming County earned the 2011 Kentucky Dairy Quality Award. The Howard and Robey farms were among those honored during the annual Dairy Recognition Dinner Aug. 19 at the Kentucky Exposition Center in Louisville.

A wet spring and dry summer has left much of the eastern region suffering from less than ideal weather conditions this growing season. With forage quality and harvest having a tremendous impact on a dairy's production and profitability levels in the coming year, the Center for Dairy Excellence will host a "Mastering the Dairy Business" conference call today on "Managing for a Droughty Corn Harvest."

The Dairy Bar Building and its concession at the South Dakota State Fair in Huron, South Dakota, may be the most noticeable part of the dairy industry’s influence there. But look around and it’s easy to see dairy in numerous places. At the concession, Midwest Dairy Association contracts with Habitat for Humanity to serve more than 5,000 milk shakes, 200 gallons of ice cream and 800 gallons of all-you-can-drink milk on behalf of the state’s dairy farmers.

What if I showed you a free tool you could implement today that would have the potential to make your farm 21 percent more profitable, without spending a dime? U.S. farm journalist John Phipps said his business generated more income when he used the tool. The top-shelf farmers in more than six states who were studied by Virginia Tech grad students became 21 percent more profitable with it.

When producing more milk is not a viable option to generate greater income – a common occurrence in quota systems – dairy producers must find alternative ways to make each kilogram of milk produced more valuable. One proven way to increase milk check profits is by increasing milk fat and protein levels, resulting in greater returns from the same volume of milk.

There are many issues to blame for the sky-high grain and protein prices: weather conditions, economic issues, global grain demands and more.Unfortunately, all of these issues are well beyond the reach of dairy farmers to keep their businesses thriving. How long will high grain prices last? There is no way to tell, but in the meantime animals still need to be fed and farms need to stay in business.

Each individual piece of the silage management puzzle plays a significant role in the outcome of the overall feed quality for the dairy herd. From crop variety selection, to packing, to bunker and drive-over pile covering materials, each step has its own set of options and challenges.

One of my favourite fall pastimes is baking. I could easily spend an entire day in my kitchen whipping up treats for my family. Part of the reason is because, come September, I miss my kitchen. It is no place to be in the summer, and therefore, I spend as little time in it as possible then and must make up for it in the months to come.