Editor’s note: The following is the first of two articles. Bad times happen. The bad times often come from changes and calamities over which the business had no control.

My goal as a dairy producer was always to achieve economical milk production, while at the same time adopting sustainable crop, land and herd management practices.

Defending the player with the ball in basketball is easier when the player is between you and the out of bounds line, better yet when he’s in a corner.

The following comments were made in hearings on July 14 and 21 before the U.S. House of Representatives Subcommittee on Livestock, Dairy and Poultry.

Dairy producer Art Groeneweg of Monroe, Washington, describes the transition between milking 3X and 4X milking as the difference between driving at 55 mph and 75 mph. It’s more thrilling, but also requires more focus and attention.

Energy saving options for dairies are widely varied, and new options are developing regularly.

Two years ago, Brent and Travis Tollerud of Pelican Rapids, Minnesota, bought an existing dairy facility to replace the older facility their father had used.

The 2009 National Guernsey Convention was held in Richardson, Texas, July 8-13.

Chief author for “Recombinant Bovine Somatotropin (rbST): A Safety Assessment”

In April I had the opportunity to spend two weeks visiting the People’s Republic of China as a dairy consultant on behalf of the U.S. Grains Council (USGC).