One of my best friends shared with me that his wife cannot understand his need to explore junkyards. His idea of a nice afternoon, and mine too, is having a couple of hours to explore a new junkyard. His own, he calls his “boneyard.”

I was enjoying a dandy start to the new year. January was like a heavenly dream. We’d had some snow and a couple of cold stretches in late December, but the first few weeks of the year felt more like April than January.

Genske Mulder & Company LLP has produced averages of our dairy clients’ profit and loss reports on a quarterly basis for quite some time. Our clients, as well as others in the industry, have found these very helpful as benchmarks with which to compare their own operations.

Minnesota farmer Paul Zimmerman extended a firm handshake and greeting on behalf of his daughter to David Kohl, professor emeritus, Virginia Tech. Zimmerman’s daughter is a likely successor to their farm.

The 2018 Cattle Raisers Convention wrapped up on March 25 at the Fort Worth Convention Center. Attendees from across the state and country gathered to hear industry experts, engage in educational opportunities, connect with other ranchers and browse an enormous trade exposition featuring the latest and greatest products available to cattle raisers.

In March, Congress passed and President Trump signed the $1.3 trillion omnibus spending bill, formally called the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2018. What you might not have realized is that there are a number of provisions included within that bill that will significantly impact the dairy industry.

Digest Highlights: February dairy cow culling was the highest in six years. McDonald’s USA is adding white cheddar to menu items. Find a summary of this and other news here.

Alfalfa is the third most valuable field crop produced in the U.S., valued at over $9.3 billion, $1.2 billion more than wheat, according to 2017 figures recently released by the USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS). “Alfalfa needs to take its rightful position alongside corn, soybean, wheat, cotton and rice, which are often referred to as the “big five,” said Beth Nelson, president of the National Alfalfa & Forage Alliance (NAFA).

Late winter and early spring are the primary times when brown root rot, also known as snow mold, may be damaging northern New York alfalfa, a highly valued forage crop for dairy cows and other livestock.