In this episode, Editor Walt Cooley talks with the new principal partners of Vault Ag about forward contracting and risk management in the dairy industry. 

Automated milking systems are changing the way today’s farms function. As more and more dairies adopt the technology, the industry is adjusting its tried and true methods and there is always something new to be said on the topic.

Minnesota dairyman Michael Johnson has been using eartag activity monitoring from CowManager for four and a half years. In this episode, he talks about his experience installing the technology, his results and advice for other dairymen who may be considering similar technology. Johnson operates Trailside Holsteins in Fountain, Minnesota, and milks 600-cows. 

The pro-livestock, non-profit organization Animal Ag Alliance annually attends the Animal Rights National Conference to discover trends in strategy and tactics among anti-animal agriculture groups. (No, they don’t use undercover tactics to get in.) Kay Johnson Smith, CEO of the Animal Ag Alliance, recaps in this episode what the alliance heard and saw at the 2019 event held in Alexandria, Virginia, and what it means for dairy farmers. 

Keep up with our Progressive Dairy podcast episodes to gain insights from what is happening in the industry to new and evolving management techniques for your operation. Just like our magazine, we’ll cover a multitude of topics including human resources, business management, facilities, repro and genetics, feed and nutrition, calf and heifer raising, dry and transition cows, herd health, hoof health, milk quality, animal welfare and manure handling.

In this first-ever episode, listen to Progressive Dairy Editors Walt Cooley, Karen Lee, Peggy Coffeen and Dave Natzke discuss what you can expect from future podcasts published by the magazine. Go to www.progressivedairy.com/podcasts to find quick links to subscribe on your favorite platform.