Robby Kirkland knows cattle, and he knows people. And what he knows most about both people and cattle is that no two are exactly the same.

Fourth-generation California dairyman Nevin Lemos credits his success to an entrepreneurial spirit and mindset that began at a young age. From selling sweet corn to dairy farming and now producing teat dip, Lemos wants to "build a sustainable and personally fulfilling business."

I realize that very few people intentionally plan for failure in their day. Yet somehow, like the Mayhem character in those insurance commercials, failure seems to find all of us sooner or later.

In the beginning when God looked upon the vast chaos of eternity and the darkness of the water, He said, “Let there be light,” and saw the light was good.

It was late in the fall, and Joshua and I were out cutting firewood for our outdoor wood furnace. We use our furnace to heat our home along with the hot water for our home and our milkhouse.

Even if they weren’t going to be farmers, the Gibson Brothers worked the same as any other farm kids, sent from one task to another whenever they weren’t in school. They brought that work ethic with them to the music industry, which they joked was much like farming with its uncertainties and stresses.

Genetic and genomic evaluations for Resistance to Diarrhea (DIA) and Resistance to Respiratory Problems (RSP) will represent the expected resistance of an animal’s offspring to these issues in a herd with average management conditions. Final approvals are being wrapped up, with the goal of introducing these traits for Holstein and Jersey breeders soon.

While environmental conditions are always fluctuating, cow-calf producers often plan to experience drought. As the saying goes: It’s better to have something and not need it than to need something and not have it. Drought preparation follows the same advice.