U.S. average alfalfa hay prices pushed to their highest levels in three years. Interest rates and fuel costs are on the rise, too. Harvest in some major hay areas was just getting underway due to weather-related delays. Here’s a look at the hay market with summer just around the corner.

Everyone sees the world through their own prism. The same can be said for your cows. The crux of successful dairy management is to make sure the vision of human and animal intersects for a common perception. That is, observing – and managing – your dairy from a cow’s perspective.

Summer is here and it’s almost time for Junior Nationals season. Show season will kick off June 17 with shows in Iowa, Kansas and Nebraska, and end with the last breed show in Colorado on July 14. See the calendar below to find the date and place of your favorite breed show.

Reinford Farms in Mifflintown, Pennsylvania, was one of the recipients of the Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy’s seventh annual U.S. Dairy Sustainability Awards. (Learn more about the award winners.)

For dairy farmers, sustainability is a package of three components, combining environmental stewardship and social benefits with profitable economics. At Reinford Farms, a depackager is helping optimize all three.

J Hall started custom raising dairy calves in 1995. What began as a small venture in his backyard in Kewaunee, Wisconsin, has grown into a farm with 8,500 calves from 27 different farms and 65 full-time employees.

I live for my morning routine. I wake up, drink my coffee with extra cream and sugar, drive six and a half minutes to the farm and put on my muck boots. Next, I’ll pick a playlist based off my mood for the day and pop in my headphones. I walk down to the dry cow barn and inspect every cow. I’m looking for cows that may need birthing assistance.

Digest Highlights: The National Milk Producers Federation board voted to extend the CWT export assistance program for three years. Wisconsin leaders are forming a dairy task force to identify and address industry challenges. Find these and other news summaries affecting dairy farmers here.

Controlling energy costs on the farm is one way to reduce input costs. But turning off lights when a space isn’t being used just isn’t enough to make a big change in that monthly power bill.

June Dairy Month just got a little better for many U.S. dairy producers. In addition to extending the enrollment deadline for the Margin Protection Program for Dairy (MPP-Dairy) another week, USDA provided up-to-date details regarding program enrollment and payments. Bill Northey, USDA undersecretary for farm production and conservation, provided the update during a conference call on June 5.