We've all seen it: A cow sticking her head through the fence to get a bite of that luscious green on the other side, or a horse tilting his head sideways through the rails to munch slightly beyond his reach. The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence. It's true in the pasture; it's true in us.

When it comes to working cattle, things can get stressful. Before you begin your day in and around your working equipment, John Kornmann, DVM, Dewitt Veterinary Clinic, and Cameron Schulte, Arrowquip Cattle Equipment salesman, gave us 10 things you need to double-check to keep your day running smoothly and efficiently.

Quiet and reserved. Observing more than interacting. That’s how Josh Coates, long-time employee for Bosscher Dairy in McBain, Michigan, and U.S. Army 72nd Mobility Augmentation Company veteran, rolls.

Koopman Dairy, operated by brothers Chad and Brent Koopman in Epworth, Iowa, makes use of two barns that run parallel and are connected by a breezeway. They retrofitted this facility to house two Lely A4 Astronaut automated milking systems in what was once the holding pen for the old parlor.

Did you know that if you go to YouTube and search the word “dairy,” the first video that comes up is one titled, “Dairy is Scary”? And if you click, you can watch a video telling you why you shouldn’t drink milk.

With 500 acres of dallisgrass, bermudagrass, fescue and johnsongrass, David and Lisa Long will take one to four cuttings a year and put up 650 to 700 round bales in Waldron, Arkansas. If he had a market to sell the hay to, it still wouldn’t provide enough to make a living, but additional land isn’t as available as it once was. Long knew something at Peaceful Valley Farms had to change.

Cattle producers are faced with challenges and worries that come almost on a daily basis. Before a calf is born, one hopes the cow is in good health and doesn’t abort the calf. When a calf is due, additional worries arise: Will the cow be able to have the calf on her own? Will the calf be alive and in good health?

Farmers in New Mexico, Texas, Ohio and Michigan want to know more about a crop pest solution developed on farms in Northern New York and in the Shields Lab at Cornell University.

Downward-trending milk income margins may be pulling the Margin Protection Program for Dairy (MPP-Dairy) back into play as an income safety net for 2018. Dairy farmers are advised to watch market conditions over the next six weeks to determine best options the next year.

The transition to colder temperatures has been accompanied by cooler markets. Here’s a look back at factors affecting prices and margins.