Providing a comfortable, dry resting surface for lactating cows always may serve as the single-most critical success factor for managing a compost bedded pack barn, according to findings from a University of Kentucky College of Agriculture Cooperative Extensive Service study, “Compost Bedded Pack Barn Design Features and Management Considerations,” co-authored by Jeffrey Bewley, UK Animal and Food Sciences, Joe Taraba, Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering, and colleagues.

As summer comes to an end, we must remember to keep our cool when it comes to heat abatement for our dairy herds. We may be enjoying some cooler weather, but for our high-producing dairy cows, the temperature is still running plenty warm for peak production.

Though recycled dairy cow bedding has been cycling throughout farms in the greater New York state area for more than 15 years, depending on who you talk to, word is still getting out about the “green” bedding and its benefits.

This last month, I have been more diligent in my prayers and scripture study. I have been waking up at 4:30 in the morning and going upstairs to pray and read scriptures. No, I don’t set the alarm; my eyes just pop open, and I lay there thinking.

“In my day, we didn’t even have electricity on the farm.” That sentiment used to be only heard from a grandparent at the supper table. Given the nature of our nation’s failing electrical grid, today you’re more likely to hear, “Just yesterday, we didn’t have electricity on the farm.”

Dear Editor, I just read your interview with Kay Johnson Smith, CEO for the Animal Ag Alliance, regarding her appearance in the National Geographic film called “Inside Secret America: Animal Undercover,” and I would like to share some insights about this.

Ayrstone upgrades technology with the AyrMesh Hub2n Ayrstone Productivity, in an effort to improve the working life of farmers and ranchers, introduces its latest outdoor technology product, the Ayrstone AyrMesh Hub2n, a “transparent mesh” concept in which all Wi-Fi-enabled devices on a network appear as if they are connected directly to your router.

When the parts of the whole are added together, it’s not surprising that I grew up listening to country music. I lived in the most rural county in New York state, it dominated the local radio stations, and it seemed like the logical fit for someone on a farm.