From low temperatures to fluctuating above and below freezing, and from high humidity to condensation, winter can present a unique set of challenges when it comes to managing a barn. However, there are a few simple principles dairy producers can follow to keep air fresh and cows healthy during the coldest season of the year.

It is that time of year again when we start to think about catching up on maintenance.

Happy New Year’s! The sound reverberates through the world signaling a new beginning. I feel the weight of last year’s unkept resolutions lift off my shoulders and sail into the hope that this year will be different. It’s time to start over with a clean white sheet of new days brimming with possibilities.

Ensure your wheel loader is properly maintained and prepared for winter conditions. Follow these five tips to help you get the most out of your wheel loader this winter.

Q. How has auto-guidance changed modern hay production? A. In years past, some producers thought of auto-guidance simply as taking the operator out of the equation. Today, many understand that these systems provide real tangible benefits.

If there ever was a movie that captured the American spirit, it was Rocky. A no-name working class guy from the streets of Philadelphia goes up against the heavyweight boxing champion of the world.

One of the finer points of engineering machinery is to build it so parts that will need to be replaced down the line are accessible. All too often, metal must be cut to remove and replace failed parts.

Finding myself without a job the summer after my freshman year in college, I asked to be put back into the milking schedule at my parents’ dairy farm in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. But with the farm growing to 300 cows, my sister, the herdsperson, had filled out the milking schedule with full-time employees.

LEGAL DISCLAIMER: The following ideas, opinions and random thoughts are NOT necessarily those of this magazine, its affiliates, advertisers, friends, relatives, my ex’s, rodeo clowns or anyone who does not have a sense of humor.

The Kastenschmidts used the same facility to upgrade from stanchions to a parlor and then from a parlor to two robotic milkers. See photos of the operation below. Click here to read the article from our Jan. 1, 2017 print issue.