As I stare at my bank account on the computer using online banking, wondering where my next dollar is going to come from, I can’t help but ask, “Why wasn’t I born in the lap of luxury?” You know the place – where silver spoons and golden plates are plentiful. That place where money is the last thought on anybody’s mind – the minks, diamonds and Mercedes crowd who glitter when they walk down the street.

Dear Editor, It is time to give you and your magazine the boot.

When small-scale Gooding cheesemakers Stacie and Steve Ballard left the American Cheese Society’s July awards ceremony with a first-place ribbon for their Pepper Cheddar and a second-place ribbon for their Idaho Garlic Herb curds, Steve Morgan wasn’t surprised.

Negative energy balance (NEB) is a physiological challenge the Holstein dairy cow faces in the early postpartum period when dietary energy intake cannot meet with energy output in milk. Infectious diseases commonly seen are retained placenta, metritis and mastitis, which are consequences of depressed immunity and NEB. Metabolic disorders may include ketosis, displaced abomasum and fatty liver.

The basic driving forces for manipulating the composition of milk are much the same now as they were 25 years ago. They include:

Call it the high-producer paradox – as dairy cows’ milk production rises, pregnancy rates fall and reproductive difficulties increase. The most profitable, highest producing cows in a dairy herd can become the least profitable because of reproductive problems.

“I’ve finally caught the wild bullock,” Marian told Dave over the phone. “Bring a big gun!” she said.

Reporting from Bagram Air Field, Afghanistan …

Back in the late 1980s, Wendy’s hamburger chain ran a series of commercials which featured three old ladies contemplating big buns and little meat patties. The catchphrase that swept the country became, ‘Where’s the beef?’ What’s funny is it’s probably more applicable today as we look at the latest monthly milk production reports from the USDA.

With the World Dairy Expo just a month away, I spent some time with the folks at World Dairy Expo to see what would be happening with this year’s 40th anniversary show. In particular, I was able to ask Tom McKittrick, the expo’s general manager, a few questions about himself and what we can expect this year. The following is a summary of the questions I posed to him.