Post-harvest season is the ideal time to formulate the next silage campaign. John Goeser walks you through the elements of planning that campaign for success (and you may need to take exit polls on your current bunker or pile … ).

Dairy producers are held to high standards. Day after day, farmers are expected to produce consistently high-quality milk. Working with their employees and business partners, they strive to reproduce results seamlessly, fine-tuning and improving management practices when required.

Changing weather patterns across the U.S. has meant dealing with more mud for some graziers. Dirty cows are an issue, but University of Wisconsin Extension ag agent Vance Haugen said mud can also have an effect on cows’ feet and legs, somatic cell count – and can even make grasses unpalatable.

Given the past year’s milk prices, times are hard out there right now for even very well-managed dairies. Tough times call for hard conversations and difficult decisions, and my role is often to lead the charge through uncomfortable situations in order to find the best solution for a dairy to work its way back into the black.

I’ve got good news and bad news. First, the good news: The global dairy market cycle has bottomed and is now beginning the process of rebounding. While international demand is finally showing signs of growth, the global supply of milk is also decreasing in every significant milk-producing region outside the U.S. But now the bad news: The recovery is going to be slow.

Digital video communication is changing life down on the farm. Dairymen are using the latest technology like never before, enhancing their operations in ways they could not have predicted just a few short years ago.

What happens if you are cow-rich, land-poor, and your son or daughter hates cows but loves driving tractors? I had a 500-cow dairy farm where one boy was into the cows, and the other boy did the field work.

If you’ve headed home from a dairy meeting full of excitement from talking with friends, meeting new people or discussing technology, you’re not alone. The excitement when meeting with like-minded people who share the same passion is felt at every industry meeting and event.

“By working faithfully eight hours a day, you may eventually get to be boss and work 12 hours a day.”—Robert Frost We may have our daily schedule written down or have a good idea of what it looks like in our mind. Before we know it, we are double-booked and are trying to squeeze in one more thing. Then one kid sends a text: