One key to the future success of milk sales for America’s dairy farmers is the future of America’s youth – the millions of students who attend schools 180-some days a year. The dairy promotion checkoff is very active in increasing access to great dairy products in schools, helping those kids become lifelong dairy consumers.

The emphasis on animal well-being from industry, regulatory and consumer perspectives only continues to increase. Therefore, the ability to consistently and constantly monitor cow health in real time is gaining in importance because it is a meaningful way to ensure the quality of animal care.

Combined with the 24.9 million pounds of cheese and butter sold with CWT export assistance in the first quarter of 2017, CWT members will be sending the milkfat equivalent of more than 450 million pounds of milk into key overseas markets.

In many cases, cattle death is the first sign of a blackleg outbreak. By the time the disease can be identified, it’s often too late. In the last month, the number of blackleg cases in beef and dairy herds have been up all across the Southeast.

Editor’s note: This article is the second in a two-part series about how transition cows’ immune systems are impacted by metabolic factors. Read Part I Metabolic factors affecting the immune system of the transition dairy cow. 

It should be one of the happiest days of any parent’s life: the day the son or daughter – the presumptive successor of the family dairy farm – gets married. Often unspoken, the day can also bring worry about the future of the family’s dairy farming legacy.

As hard as it may be to initiate legal and business strategy conversations related to divorce or death, a family farm successor and his or her spouse or intended spouse have good reasons to openly discuss and plan for their financial relationship.

“They just don’t make ’em like they used to.” I’m sure every reader has heard that phrase, and many of us have uttered it ourselves. If you’re talking about cars and trucks, then you are absolutely right; they don’t make them like they used to – they make them far better than they used to.

You vaccinate your cows and heifers, but are they immunized? Not necessarily. To get a good immune response, you need to set your animals up correctly.

Dairy farming can sometimes feel like a merry-go-round. There are times when things are going well. The cows are comfortable and milking at their full potential. You’ve got a great crew operating at exceptional efficiency. The only thing higher than the morale is the milk price.