School’s back in session, but this summer the next generation of veterinarians, nutritionists and dairy farmers honed their dairy skills through on-farm summer internships.

Modern intensive research is usually carried out in highly specialized research stations, but for West Virginia University, moving their research work to a commercial dairy farm has brought numerous benefits to both the researchers and the host dairyman.

How should rural communities entice the next generation to return to their hometowns? “Build more parks and bike trials” is the advice from John Cromartie, a research geographer with the USDA Economic Research Service.

The improved cow comfort, production and health benefits of sand-bedded barns have resulted in many dairymen converting existing facilities to sand-based systems. For Troy Sellen, a dairyman from Oconto Falls, Wisconsin, installing the correct type of sand-bedding retainer was a key factor in achieving the benefits of sand bedding in his retrofit 330-cow freestall barn.

For the U.S. dairy farmer, global food security may seem irrelevant or idealistic, but as 10 college interns are discovering this summer, this issue affects everyone, especially farmers.

A smartphone app offering rebates on groceries is expecting an increase in its dairy product rebates by 20 percent in June. That’s welcome news for an industry celebrating the consumption of dairy products this month.

“We have an excellent working relationship with our customer – that’s crucial to our business,” says Brett Braxton, owner of a custom-forage harvest business in south Georgia.