Add water. Whisk in milk powder. Lift. Carry. Repeat. This process can carry on and on, and just when a calf feeder thinks they are finished, they are reminded they get to do it all again in a matter of hours. There is no wonder there has been a movement to automate the calf feeding process – so much so that week-old calves kept in group housing can now literally feed themselves.

As stewards of the environment, many dairy producers are concerned about their impact on the land, water and air. Much has been learned and understood about land and water, but producers still feel ill-equipped to deal with air emissions.

All it took was a whack of a broom, and a new concept was born. Perhaps it was a moment of frustration or the thought of trying something different, but when Rejean Houle, president of U.S. Farm Systems, and his colleagues were trying to rid manure build-up from a separation screen, they found an easier way to get the job done. They struck the screen with the end of a broom and watched as the vibrations sifted the solid material off the top of the screen.

The Foundation for the Future (FFTF) plan proposed by the National Milk Producers Federation (NMPF) took another step towards becoming the nation’s next avenue for dairy policy reform. On July 13, House Agriculture Committee’s Ranking Member Collin Peterson (D-Minnesota) released draft legislation incorporating the key elements of the plan into his legislative proposal. At the same time, NMPF staff members hit the road on a six-week cross-country tour to reach out to dairy producers about the benefits of the reforms contained in FFTF.