The bad news: July 2018’s Margin Protection Program for Dairy (MPP-Dairy) margin calculations indicate dairy incomes fell to levels seen earlier in the year. The good news: Milk prices have likely bottomed out.

Efforts to address farm milk prices and the imbalance between milk supply and demand continued in the Midwest last week with a teleconference coordinated by the Wisconsin Farmers Union (WFU).

A power takeoff (PTO) can be defined as any of several methods for taking power from a source, such as a running engine and transferring that power to an attached implement or a separate machine using a driveline.

Ron was new on the job, driving a semi. Sleeper team – he was the junior driver. He came to a stop sign, stopped and, when traffic was clear, he gave the truck a little throttle and eased off of the clutch.

Most summers, I am blessed, or cursed, with the opportunity to judge some county fair youth livestock shows. I don’t suppose I am any smarter than the average know-it-all parent who leans on the fence and distracts his 10-year-old during the junior showmanship class, but word got out several years ago I can talk a good line of B.S. and take abuse.

Digest Highlights Farm Bureau calculates potential state-by-state dairy tariff mitigation payments Farm bill conference committee sets public meeting, Sept. 5 Following Iowa murder, bill would mandate use of E-Verify a2 Milk gets Walmart dairy aisle space California bill targets restaurant beverage offerings Pennsylvania Milk Marketing Board sets listening session Canadian cow numbers up slightly

As the saying goes, a chain is only as strong as its weakest link. Is it possible there are “weak links” in your fresh cow treatment protocols that could set your dairy up for vulnerabilities, either for antibiotic residues or lack of efficacy?

Joe Don Pogue of Sulphur Springs, Texas, started his career as an auctioneer in 1975, two years prior to his high school graduation. He is part owner of Sulphur Springs Livestock & Dairy Auction and has been in the cattle business for over 40 years.

Two collaborative research and extension teams, which include faculty from Washington State University, University of Idaho, USDA-ARS, University of Florida, University of Missouri, Colorado State University, Ohio State University and Cornell, will be offering a dairy cattle genomics workshop on Oct. 2 in Madison, Wisconsin.

If you’ve ever put together a jigsaw puzzle, you know that once you get started joining a few pieces together and begin to get a glimpse of the total picture, it motivates you to keep working on the project.