The most valuable lesson that I learned growing up on a small dairy in Crawford County, Wisconsin, was the very lesson that I never actually learned. You see, my family forgot to teach me the difference between girl jobs and boy jobs. On our farm, the only body parts that mattered were strong arms and a good back.

In the video below, Zoetis veterinarian Robin Falkner talks about the future of antibiotic use and how good management plays into that.

Cattle prices in 2017 are expected to average close to fourth quarter 2016 levels, though they will be lower than 2016 for year-over-year averages. Several factors may have a significant impact on cattle and beef markets in 2017 and may change current price expectations. These factors bear close watching in the coming year.

The wind was blowing, as it usually is through the dusty desert where our cattle seasonally graze. It came in gusts out of the west that day.

As a new year rolls in, the big question is always, “What is your resolution?” Some people want to exercise more, eat less, spend less money, save more, spend more time with family and the list can go on.

Getting an agricultural land loan requires a wealth of information, and it is invaluable for a borrower to know what a lender is looking for. AgAmerica Lending explains the 5 C’s of Credit and how they apply to land lending below.

LEGAL DISCLAIMER: The following ideas, opinions and random thoughts are NOT necessarily those of this magazine, its affiliates, advertisers, friends, relatives, my ex’s, rodeo clowns or anyone who does not have a sense of humor.

Finding myself without a job the summer after my freshman year in college, I asked to be put back into the milking schedule at my parents’ dairy farm in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. But with the farm growing to 300 cows, my sister, the herdsperson, had filled out the milking schedule with full-time employees.