We all know that cows are sensitive to heat stress, with cumulative, negative effects that compromise both cow productivity and farm profitability. It’s important that both humidity and temperature (THI) are taken into consideration when measuring heat stress levels because humidity will affect at what temperature cows become heat stressed.

If your farm experiences high turnover on a constant basis, it may be time for a self-evaluation to address the reasons why this is occurring. I recently took to social media and asked employees what was the top reason they left the last farm they worked for.

Big things are happening at the small rural school that our kids attend. With under 150 children in grades preschool to eight, the school has dedicated itself to teaching its students life skills, utilizing the “Leader in Me” program, based on the book Seven Habits of Highly Effective People.

Farmers across the nation are in dire need of a reliable visa program that provides timely access to a long-term workforce to fill jobs domestic workers continually pass up. Current visa programs do not provide dairy producers with year-round labor and are riddled with complexities and bureaucratic red tape that remain troublesome to even seasonal labor needs.

Dairy producers are aware of the negative implications heat stress can have on the lactating cow. However, the often-forgotten dry cow can also experience heat stress. This leads to several serious and long-term impacts on the cow’s overall health and productivity – and ultimately, dairy farm profits. Over the past decade, several university researchers have invested a great deal of time to further identify potential losses due to heat-stressed cows.

This month’s VAS DC305 tip of the month is on heat stress. We are entering into that time of year where heat abatement is extremely important. Cows that suffer from heat stress will produce less milk, conceive less often, stand longer and become lame, eat less, have smaller calves and are more susceptible to diseases.

2018 Margin Protection Program for Dairy (MPP-Dairy) coverage election period is delayed until Sept. 1. May milk prices and margins were steady, but should start to improve. Cull cow and organic milk prices listed. Find a summary of these and other news here.

I’ve heard it said that there are two kinds of people that grow up on a farm: those who can’t wait to leave and those who never leave.

Digest Highlights: Upstate Niagara to buy Kraft-Heinze cheese facility. California heat wave results in heavy cow losses. French companies agree to Stonyfield sale. Find a summary of these and other news here.

Corn and soybeans garnered most of the attention following the USDA’s June 30 Acreage and Grain Stocks reports, with little change forecast in hay acreage. Implications for feed prices are highly dependent on weather and crop yields.