Regardless of the season, dairy producers are always looking for ways to make their cows more comfortable, but when hot summertime temperatures set in, the holding area can be a particularly stale and sticky place.

For the Austin family of southwest Washington, robots were the answer to a needed milking center upgrade that would carry them into the future. Ron is the fifth generation on this organic dairy farm. His parents, Jim and Janie, remain a staple part of the operation, which includes 120 rotationally grazed milking cows and an additional 300 head of youngstock.

One of the benefits to adopting an automatic milking system is all of the information readily available for users to access. In a webinar with the Penn State Extension Technology Tuesday series, Mat Haan, Penn State Extension dairy educator, and Steve Halahan, a dairy consultant and feed nutritionist for Cargill Animal Nutrition, reviewed the various forms of data generated and how they can be utilized by producers, nutritionists, veterinarians and other members of the farm team.

Steve Gerratt cares a lot about his cows – all 6,250 of them. That’s why he decided to improve animal health and welfare by taking on lameness with his own two hands … literally.

Understanding the purpose of a footbath and how to more effectively use one on your dairy can save money and enhance the safety of cows, people and the environment. With all the talk and various topics concerning footbaths, the truth is that here has been very little true research on the topic. Most information is what seems to work at various places.

Along life’s travels, it seems we run into some very interesting people. Most of the time we have no idea how they will impact our lives, but sometimes there is absolutely no doubt in your mind that you will never forget a particular person – or couple.