Successfully transferring a farm business from one generation to the next can be challenging and rewarding. Succession planning requires not only the transfer of property and assets but also management and leadership, according to attorney Troy Schneider.

The old limestone barn had likely stood on the Kastenschmidt family farm for decades before Doug’s great-grandfather purchased the farm in 1953. The outside appearance has not changed much over the years, but inside it has gone from stanchions to a parlor to robotics.

During these short and frigid days, producers should think about winter management for optimal udder health. By now a plan should be in place, but revisiting best practices from time to time is always a good idea. The consequences of freezing weather to cows can be devastating and, in the case of Staphylococcus aureus infections, potentially last throughout the rest of the year.

This month’s VAS DC305 tip is on parlor performance. Using the parlor performance reports in DC305 helps you take advantage of many of the benefits of daily milk meters plus look for cows that fail to produce the expected amount of milk.

Beginning in January, representatives of the USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) will visit dairy farms across the nation, as the agency begins collecting data for the final phase of the 2016 Agricultural Resource Management Survey (ARMS).

On the football field, it’s about pulling everything together to finish strong. In the milking parlor, whether it’s the genetics, feed, weather, facilities, management or all of the above, it looks like the cows are “owning” the fourth quarter.

A few months ago, I stepped into my boss’s office for my annual review. I sat down and listened as my boss gave me a lot of positive feedback and a couple of things to work on. He offered me a raise, gave me a generous bonus, and after all of that, I told him I had decided to return to my family’s dairy farm.

Kati Kindschuh of Brownsville, Wisconsin, may be the 2016 Wisconsin State Holstein Princess, but there is more on her resume than smiling and waving. Along with her duties as Holstein Princess, Kindschuh works on her family’s 60-cow dairy farm, attends college full time and participates in competitive cross fitting.

Dramatic and fundamental changes over the past two years threaten California’s dairy industry and the dairy cooperative structure, according to Eric Erba, senior vice president and chief strategy officer for California Dairies Inc. (CDI).

Extra days open, premature culling, lost milk production and even death are some of the costly consequences of lameness on a dairy, but there are ways producers can cut down on losses.