For most people, Christmas means the yearly round of traditions like carols, eggnog and trimming the tree. For Alpenrose Dairy near Portland, Oregon, it means “Christmas in Dairyville” and Storybook Lane.

Earlier this year, the company that owns the most commonly used herd management software in the industry – DairyComp305 – hired a new CEO and began rebranding itself. Valley Ag Software (VAS) is spending millions to redesign the interface of its herd management software and announced at World Dairy Expo that a cloud-based version will be available in 2018.

In 2000, Roy and Mary Bergbigler were looking for inspiration for a new milking parlor for their 100-cow Holstein herd in Butler, Pennsylvania. While they wanted to keep it simple, they had a few special requests.

Back in September, I was invited to deliver the keynote address at the sixth annual Women in Agribusiness Summit, which was held this year in the Land O’Lakes hometown of Minneapolis.

Is tomorrow’s dairyman a woman? While the number of females receiving degrees in dairy science has increased to the point of surpassing the number of male students in some programs, several key factors make successful careers in the industry possible for women after graduation.

It is a fact; inclusive leaders make everyone feel welcome and appreciated, and when Barbara Wadsworth Jones is around, no one feels left out or out of place. Immediately upon meeting her, you feel like you are talking with a lifelong friend.

Even though it presents many challenges, including poor infrastructure, a harsh climate and low farm-gate prices, Mexico appears to be on the threshold of an agricultural revolution.

Growing up on Aghaloma Farms in Knox, Maine, Cheryl Carson never thought she’d stay on the family farm. After graduating high school, she left for college to pursue an education first as a vet tech – and later as a paralegal.

When Karagen Stone started working at Keene Dairy in Belfast, Maine, in sixth grade, she enjoyed it – but it wasn’t until the breeder showed up that she really became interested.

At World Dairy Expo in October, Marilyn Hershey, a dairy farmer from Pennsylvania, was selected as the 2017 Dairy Woman of the Year.