Profitability for the dairy producer comes when there is high demand for a high-quality product. The U.S. is now exporting more milk than ever before, and dairy producers are relying heavily on the global market to increase their bottom line.

Not only are dairymen interested in raising their own bull calves for the beef market, many are interested in expanding into a secondary, complementary beef enterprise on the dairy farm and are purchasing Holstein calves for this purpose.

Precision agriculture innovation continues to provide farmers with improved technologies that are becoming more affordable. Precision dairy management provides a way to gather data that enables farmers to make immediate decisions based on real-time herd statistics.

When it comes to managing profitability, it’s natural for dairy producers to focus on milk prices. But ignoring the expense side of the equation leaves you exposed to potential margin erosion. And when your margins are squeezed, your liquidity suffers, putting your cash flow at risk.

More U.S. dairy cows are working, and they’re more productive than ever. However, continuing a two-year trend, they again brought home less money in 2016.

Do you want your farm to be the farm of choice, the place where employees want to work? Jennifer Blazek, dairy and livestock educator with the University of Wisconsin Extension, said many employees become disengaged when the “boss” tries to manage employees instead of leading them.

Dairy producers are facing fewer options to sell their milk. Cooperatives have been consolidating, and consumption of fluid milk has struggled to grow in recent years. This can be a worrisome time for dairy producers; many have elected to control their own destiny by turning to on-farm processing and producing their own dairy products.

Three years ago I bought Molly, an American Milking Devon cow, from Bundten Farm in Orford, New Hampshire. Bundten was a small raw milk dairy that made cheese, butter and yogurt on-farm. State inspectors visited them twice per year, and samples were collected for testing four out of every six months.

There are many risk factors for phosphorus loss from soil that can lead to water quality problems. It is important to consider both source and transport when using an index to identify these potential losses.

It’s always a good season for saving money, whether commodity prices are high or low. Energy costs on your dairy can often be reduced by 10 to 35 percent, saving you money in the long run.