Editor’s note: Progressive Dairyman features recipients of the Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy’s eighth annual U.S. Dairy Sustainability Awards. Three farms – Cinnamon Ridge Farms of Donahue, Iowa; Majestic Crossing Dairy of Sheboygan Falls, Wisconsin; and Philip Verwey Farms of Hanford, California – were recipients of Outstanding Dairy Farm Sustainability awards. In addition to the Outstanding Dairy Farm Sustainability honorees, General Mills and Foremost Farms were recognized for Outstanding Dairy Supply Chain Collaboration, and Gleaners Community Food Bank was recognized for Outstanding Community Impact.

If I have been on your farm in the past three decades, you most likely heard me quote my grandfather on my mother’s side. He was the cow guy in my life: my mentor, my sounding board, my guiding light and my kicker-of-butts when I needed it. He was the king of one-liners, storytelling and the keeper of every corny joke ever told in the history of mankind.

How did you get started in photography? RIGGOTT: My father was a professional photographer, so I learned from him at a very young age.

The Lely Journey Tour provided an opportunity for more than 30 people from across the U.S. and Canada to see its automated technologies at work and how some of them are built. The tour took place March 19-22.

Dairy farmers and industry representatives gathered to learn, strategize and position themselves for the future during the Professional Dairy Producers (PDPW) Business Conference, held March 13-14 in Madison, Wisconsin.

Michaline (Micki) Tomich’s experience design firm, Mixdesign, assisted Fair Oaks Farms with the recent redesign of their agritourism and educational experiences. The new exhibits opened this spring.

The National Mastitis Council’s annual meeting was held earlier this year in Savannah, Georgia. Three Progressive Dairyman contributors who attended the meeting offered their thoughts on the major themes and observations they saw from the meeting.

Many attendees at Western Dairy Management Conference experienced delayed flights or a bumpy ride into Reno, Nevada, for the 14th edition of the biennial event.

Although they may take on various forms, dairy discussion groups involve individuals with common interests who gather to exchange information and ideas, compare methods and support one other. Grants offered through Pennsylvania’s Center for Dairy Excellence (CDE) help fund dairy discussion groups throughout the state.

The 2019 Dairy Calf and Heifer Association’s (DCHA) annual conference is set for April 9-11, in Madison, Wisconsin. Themed “Joining forces. Reaching higher.”, this year’s lineup of speakers will challenge attendees to join industry experts and their fellow producers and strive for a higher level of care on their farms.