In the words of Jennifer Sirangelo, president and CEO of the National 4-H Council, a true leader leads by example, works well with others, tackles tough challenges head-on and sticks with a job until it’s done.

My wife, Joanne, is like a lot of women: She likes to go to thrift sales. As she tells me, “Sometimes you can get some really good deals there.”

I am increasingly disturbed at the horrible atrocities committed against innocent people. Why doesn’t God step in and stop the advance of evil in the world? Surely He can do it. He is omnipotent and omnipresent. He knows what is going on, and I am sure it grieves Him terribly.

The only thing more stressful than a rusty, seized bolt is the sickening feeling you get when you hear a pop followed by the removal of only a portion of the bolt or screw. Now what? Well, with a bit of patience and the correct tools, you can extract that ornery piece of scrap metal and roll on.

“You’re going to die.” It was my landlord who said this, and she couldn’t hide all of her smugness in saying it. It was the first of many times we would hear it.

And no, that headline isn’t the start of a cheesy joke. This was my reality every Friday at 1 p.m. when the University of Maryland’s Introduction to Dairy Judging class met this past spring semester.

They say everyone needs a good education. I am educated. My mom home-schooled me, and I graduated when I was 7 years old; she looked at me and said, “Well Tim, that’s everything I know.” An education in farming can come in many forms. A formal education can be bought at many colleges and universities, and many of these schools do offer farming degrees. Generally, these are short courses like a couple semesters or a weekend seminar. Actually, it’s shorter than that. They mail you a pack of seeds, tell you to plant them – even if they don’t grow, you have just graduated into being a farmer.

Is upgrading your clean-in-place (CIP) system on your to-do list? If not, maybe it should be. The importance of an effective CIP system can’t be stressed enough. Properly cleaned milking equipment is essential to keeping low bacteria counts and maintaining milk quality.

One of the greatest expenses associated with raw manure is transportation, due to the huge amount of manure (volume and weight) and distances between dairy sites and application lands.

Parlor, pen, rail or headlocks – what works best? Recent research revealed that prevention and control of digital dermatitis (DD) during the raising period positively impacts a heifer’s first-lactation hoof health, reproduction and milk production.