After spending many hours on the catwalk at Miner Institute doing cow watch for behavioral research and continually hearing the flapping wings of pigeons, it got me thinking about how much damage birds really cause on a dairy farm.

Just because it is sweatshirt weather doesn’t mean heat stress has passed us by. Holding areas can continue to trap heat and stale air long after the outside temperature begins to drop.

It’s hard to believe rotary parlors have only been with us since the Borden’s Dairy exhibit featured it in the 1939 World’s Fair. The Rotolactor, as it was called, was a truly amazing innovation that took time to catch on.

If you have decided to install a new barn or parlor on your dairy farm, you already know the process involves many choices. You are looking to optimize your space to maximize your production and keep your cows comfortable, but don’t forget to consider options that will save you money over the life of your equipment.

Climbing into a fresh, clean bed is something we all can appreciate. Our calves and cows are no different. Every farm lines stalls and pens with some type of bedding.

Weather this time of year can change in a hurry. So how many of you, as dairy producers, have heeded the warning and taken the time to prepare for the upcoming winter?

The cooler mornings lately remind us that it is time to make sure the trucks and equipment we rely on to finish harvest or feed cattle need to start and run when we need them.

The Matsche family from Birnamwood, Wisconsin, recently expanded their dairy with the addition of new barns and an 80-cow rotary milking parlor. Take a peek here to see inside the office, the parlor and the pens.

The recent addition of an 80-stall rotary parlor will bring a Wisconsin dairy up to over 5,000 cows between two milking sites. “Efficiency is always the goal,” Chris Matsche says.

“Helping a neighbor,” my dad used to say, “is the greatest church work you can ever do.” I remember when my wife and I started dating, I explained to her how we would help neighbors get their hay baled or corn picked. She was skeptical, but after meeting Dad, I think she understood.