The milking unit fall-off test measures the change in vacuum that occurs in a milking system to simulate what happens when a unit falls off a cow. It is an indication of the adequacy of the effective vacuum reserve or the margin capacity of the system. The change in vacuum when one unit in 12 is sucking air should be less than 0.6 inches of mercury. If it fails, then a unit falling off will cause a drop in the vacuum that affects the rest of the units, allowing them to squawk or even fall off. Vacuum margin is essential.

Farming is not done alone. Thanksgiving is an opportunity and a reminder to say thanks to those who have helped you throughout the year.

Engaged employees are more productive, safer, and more likely to stay longer at your dairy. Gallup, a research based management consulting firm, defines an engaged employee as “someone who works with passion and has profound connection to the company, driving results and moving the organization forward." In other words, engaged employees are those who show passion about their job and the dairy they work for, making them highly productive and efficient at work.

It’s baseball season again! I love the game and look forward to the start of the season each spring. Sure, it’s just a game, but there are some lessons from baseball we can apply to dairy whether you are a fan or not. 1. Play the percentages In baseball, managers play the percentages – they usually go with what has a higher likelihood of success. So left-handed hitters bat against right-handed pitchers and vice versa; certain individuals will be in the lineup against certain pitchers because of their record against that pitcher; fielders shift to cover the hitting tendencies of batters (like the famous Jim Thome shift).

Breakfast on the farm (BOTF) events in Michigan are connecting the public with modern agriculture and food production. BOTF events appear to be attracting the desired audience, with 46 percent of respondents to our exit survey indicating they have not been on a dairy farm before and 25 percent indicating they have been on a dairy farm only one to five times. In addition, 45 percent live in an urban area, 42 percent live in a rural area and only 14 percent live on a farm. To determine the key educational aspects of farm visits by the public, we surveyed BOTF participants. The focus of this article is on BOTF participants’ impressions about modern dairy farms and farmers. Do BOTF events change impressions and attitudes about modern dairy farms?