A dairy’s success depends on the ability to obtain and evaluate data on each and every cow – when she should be bred, if she is at risk for a health event and how much milk she produces, along with other management variables.

You don’t need technology to milk cows. But it sure makes it a lot easier. In the past few decades, many dairies have switched from physical cow cards to computerized herd management systems.

Klaas Martens of Penn Yan, New York; and Roman Stoltzfoos of Kinzers, Pennsylvania, are well-known leaders in organic farming circles. Both run diversified farming operations. Stoltzfoos, along with son Dwight, farms on 220 acres, raising livestock and selling value-added dairy products.

Mastitis records are an essential part of dairy herd management for many progressive dairy operations. The adage of “if you can’t measure it, you can’t manage it” holds true when it comes to mastitis management.

As we approach 2020, the ability to extract data from a dairy barn continues to grow. Advances in artificial intelligence are already being implemented on farms and can impact how farm management decisions are made.

The past few years haven’t been a great time to talk about investing in new technology, but that shouldn’t mean technology takes a back seat.

Precision agriculture has focused on optimizing efficiency. For crop production, yields can be obtained from the combine and integrated with soil nutrient data to characterize the response to changes in management strategies (spraying, harvesting, nutrient application, irrigation, etc.). Currently the highest resolution for yield, for the majority of farms raising alfalfa in Kentucky, is based upon the field level of data. Specifically, most farmers could specify the bales per field.

Art and Renee Schaap are living a nightmare. Last summer, their farm’s water wells were found to be contaminated with chemicals from the adjacent Canon Air Force Base. And things have quickly gone from bad to worse for the fourth-generation dairyman and his family.

New Vision Farms is a unique partnership formed by three Ohio farmers, Rob Rettig, Rick Fruth and Mark Schwiebert, who together came up with a unique collaborative approach that has allowed them to continue a successful farming operation that produces popcorn; fresh market green beans; identity-preserved traited and non-GMO soybeans for seed, export and processing; identity-preserved soft red, hard red and hard white winter wheat for seed and milling; and yellow corn.

It still amazes us when we get onto a dairy that has all their milking data at the push of a button but is not using any of it.