I read somewhere the average “practice life span” of a large-animal vet is eight years. After they quit L.A. practice, they go into small-animal practice, government work, industry, university, research or some other less hazardous profession.

In part due to lower cheese and dry whey sales to China, U.S. dairy export volumes in July were the lowest since January. However, year-to-date exports remain ahead of last year’s pace, according to monthly data from USDA and the U.S. Dairy Export Council (USDEC).

It is not uncommon for a producer to state, “I have been putting high emphasis on genetics within my herd, but the cows just don’t seem to be at the performance level they should be.”

Three young graziers talked about their experiences starting out in dairy farming at the 2018 Grassworks Conference held annually in Wisconsin.

During challenging times, dairy producers are thinking about ways to improve their situation and maximize the benefits of the investments already in place, like long-day lighting (LDL) systems. While known to boost milk production, some dairy producers may not realize the payback on LDL only happens with proper timing of lights and recommended management for both lactating and dry cows.

Holding a managerial role as a millennial can be intimidating and rewarding. Over the past few years, I have progressed into a management position at my family farm. Like any position, you learn a lot as you go.

Most days your automatic scraper system chugs along in the barn, doing its job. Until it doesn’t. Then, it’s an emergency call to your dealer and extra shipping and service fees for replacement parts. All the while manure is building up, impacting cow cleanliness and milk quality.

• Corn silage should be harvested at 35 percent dry matter (65 percent moisture) and one-half to three-fourths milk line. When results from numerous studies were combined and analyzed, harvesting corn silage at 40 percent dry matter or higher resulted in decreased milk yields of 4.4 pounds of milk per cow per day.

Digest Highlights DPA petition seeks 2 cents of national checkoff for dairy product donation program USDA accepting bids for 9.6 million gallons of milk Arla proposes to pay all 2018 net profits to farmers FDA comment period on dairy identity standards extended Dairy’s map ends August drier California 4a, 4b prices improve July cull cow prices steady Global Dairy Trade prices mixed Louisiana Dairy Stabilization Study Commission holds first-ever meeting Missouri regulating ‘meat’ advertising, lawsuit filed Consuming milk at breakfast lowers blood glucose throughout the day

Eligible dairy and other farmers suffering lost export markets and lower commodity prices due to retaliatory tariffs can sign up for federal financial assistance. Applications are available online and through local USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA) offices. The application period opened Sept. 4 and runs until Jan. 15, 2019.