Koopman Dairy, operated by brothers Chad and Brent Koopman in Epworth, Iowa, makes use of two barns that run parallel and are connected by a breezeway. They retrofitted this facility to house two Lely A4 Astronaut automated milking systems in what was once the holding pen for the old parlor.

Did you know that if you go to YouTube and search the word “dairy,” the first video that comes up is one titled, “Dairy is Scary”? And if you click, you can watch a video telling you why you shouldn’t drink milk.

Downward-trending milk income margins may be pulling the Margin Protection Program for Dairy (MPP-Dairy) back into play as an income safety net for 2018. Dairy farmers are advised to watch market conditions over the next six weeks to determine best options the next year.

The transition to colder temperatures has been accompanied by cooler markets. Here’s a look back at factors affecting prices and margins.

Digest Highlights: Bills address dairy labor, school milk issues. Danone expanding plant-based beverage operations. Find a summary of these stories and updates on previous Progressive Dairyman news stories here.

Blood meal prices are at their lowest since the USDA started reporting prices for the feedstuff in 2014.

When the time came for brothers Chad and Brent Koopman, Epworth, Iowa, to take the reins of the second-generation dairy farm from their dad and uncle, they recognized changes were imminent.

While anti-dairy advocates and the dairy industry itself focus on declining fluid milk sales, there’s good dairy news: Latest USDA data shows 2016 U.S. per capita consumption of dairy products (on a milk-equivalent, milkfat basis) rose 16 pounds, the second-largest annual jump dating back to 1975.

These days, school is heralded as the only way to get ahead, be considered an expert or learn the cutting-edge way to do something. Not so. Let me save you some money before you decide formal education is the only way to move your dairy business forward.

This month’s VAS DC305 tip is on how somatic cell count can affect production. Everyone is conscious of what their bulk tank somatic cell count is because in many cases, it affects the milk check received. But somatic cell counts also affect the level of production that an animal will have, which also affects the milk check but not in an as-obvious way.