Dairy farming is hard. Farming solo is even harder. But farming on your own after you’ve lost your soul mate? That takes a special kind of strength. In 2015, Amanda Peckins Leik learned how strong she really was.

As much as we may not want to admit it, we rely on our smartphones for almost everything – depositing checks, getting alerts when someone enters our home and much more. There are many benefits to having a smartphone, especially as a farmer or someone involved in agriculture today.

Ever wondered what the inside of an udder looks like? Watch as Penn State’s Dr. Robert VanSaun dissects an udder to explain the anatomy of the mammary gland and the causes of mastitis.

Feed is the single largest cost on a dairy. So why, then, do we settle for such low levels of accuracy when loading feed ingredients into the TMR mixer?

A while back the light bulb burned out in our master closet. It is one of those big fluorescent fixtures that puts out an obnoxious amount of light for its size. Like most dairy farmers, we were too busy (or tired) to make the time to go to the store to buy a bulb.

Update Highlights: Eli Lilly is reviewing ‘strategic alternatives’ for Elanco. Cargill to purchase Diamond V. Find a summary of these and other dairy industry-related news here.

Milk prices have always fluctuated and recently have stayed in a near break-even range. Dairy producers are almost always interested in cost cutting strategies to improve profitability.

Digest Highlights: NAFTA’s dairy issues grow more contentious. USDA providing dairy feed aid to Puerto Rico. Wisconsin dairy group and natural resources agency reach settlement. Find a summary of these stories and updates on previous Progressive Dairyman news stories here.

The National Milk Producers Federation (NMPF) officers have endorsed a proposal to change how federal milk marketing order (FMMO) Class I base prices are calculated. The proposal will be reviewed and voted on by the full NMPF board on Oct. 30, meeting in Anaheim, California, in conjunction with the joint annual meeting of NMPF, the National Dairy Board and the United Dairy Industry Association (UDIA).

Lower dairy product prices resulted in lower revenue for most dairy cooperatives in 2016, according to an annual report from the National Cooperative Bank. With the revenue decline, fewer dairy co-ops were listed among the nation's 100 largest cooperatives.