When you look at a propane torch, the blue portion of the fire is the innermost part that burns the hottest. Just like that torch, we all have an (albeit figurative) blue flame – a sense of passion and purpose and love that burns hotter than anything else inside our souls – that fuels us throughout our lives and gives us unique talents to share with the world.

One Saturday night, my husband and I got a text from our milk co-op with milk quality data from the previous day’s load, and panic began to set in. Our somatic cell count (SCC) was far over our comfort threshold of 100,000, and in a small herd like ours, the blame – more often than not – lays squarely on the withers of just one cow.

I am a dairy farmer who didn’t grow up on a farm, but I always had some desire to be around dairy cattle from exposure to my dad’s family farm as a small child. That seed planted in my heart as a kid led me to join FFA, and my friends who grew up on farms were pretty willing to let me tag along and help with chores from time to time. I learned so much from not only helping with chores, but also from their parents and grandparents.

In another installment of Penn State Extension’s Dairy Grazing Management Guide webinar series, University of New Hampshire professor, extension educator and veterinarian Andre Brito discussed the growing popularity of supplementing kelp to cows in pasture-based systems, both organic and conventional.

As automated and voluntary milking systems, more commonly referred to as robots, surge in popularity, so does the interest in using such technology in a grazing-based dairy operation.

Those who know me well know that I’ve dealt with mental illness in some form since childhood. After surviving an abusive parent and a very traumatic divorce, I remember having my first panic attack in fourth grade and going on medication for anxiety and depression on and off throughout middle and high school.

Many principles when managing organic pastures are the same as when managing conventional pastures, albeit with some special considerations.