The only thing more stressful than a rusty, seized bolt is the sickening feeling you get when you hear a pop followed by the removal of only a portion of the bolt or screw. Now what? Well, with a bit of patience and the correct tools, you can extract that ornery piece of scrap metal and roll on.

Is upgrading your clean-in-place (CIP) system on your to-do list? If not, maybe it should be. The importance of an effective CIP system can’t be stressed enough. Properly cleaned milking equipment is essential to keeping low bacteria counts and maintaining milk quality.

The above-average air temperatures have been causing many of us discomfort this summer, but by taking time to perform a few simple steps, we can keep our machinery running cool.

As automated milking gains traction across the country, dairy producers are learning that some cows are just better suited than their herdmates to thrive in these systems. By breeding for specific robot-friendly traits, you can genetically build cows that are set up to succeed.

My dad had a lot of home-grown wisdom. He came from a time when common sense was a lot more common than it is now. I was very fortunate to grow up and later partner as an adult under his guidance and advice. One thing Dad really believed in was a keeping a farm in good shape – curb appeal is how some would term it. We were never wealthy monetarily, but like many of you and your families, we were dang resourceful.

Nowadays, everyone wants to know what to adjust on a self-propelled forage harvester to maximize forage quality and minimize fuel consumption.

It’s no secret dairies use a lot of electricity and, up to this point, dairymen have simply had to bite the bullet and pay the fees electrical companies charge in order to keep the milk flowing.

Most of us are required to hold regular documented safety meetings. The idea is that when safety matters are discussed and there exists a functioning safety committee, property damage and injury accidents will go away. There is much we can do to improve the safety of our family members and employees.

Many of us have experienced a growling chatter emitting from the brakes of our tractors when we apply either brake independent of the other or both together. I had been having this trouble on an older 510 industrial John Deere backhoe and finally broke down and took it to the shop.

It’s no secret that a healthy machine translates to increased uptime and efficiency on your farm. Therefore, implementing a strong maintenance strategy and preserving the machine’s hydraulic system are critical. However, it’s easy to overlook the hydraulic system when completing machine walk-arounds, as it’s not always visible from checkpoint areas.