Time stood still for the Hebgen family that late October day in 2021. In fact, Nicki Hebgen remembers every detail of the day their second daughter Ela died in a tragic UTV accident at the family farm.

The final piece of their 10-year goal was to sell milk from their farm in a value-added format. Cheese, ice cream, fluid milk – each was researched and on the table. A 2021 trip to Ireland introduced Dave and Kat Mageean to the European design of milk vending machine that they are now using, where customers fill and cap glass bottles themselves using the same concept as a convenience store fountain drink dispenser.

A vaccination program is one part of a comprehensive disease control and prevention program. However, keeping pathogens from entering the herd is always preferred over protection that comes in a bottle.

HPAI has left the dairy industry scrambling for treatment, fast-tracking vaccines, developing containment strategies, implementing biosecurity protocols and reassuring the public that dairy products are not the source of a potential foodborne public health crisis. 

Quality beef is in high demand. One look in the beef section of a grocer’s cooler or a night out with a good steak dinner testifies that quality beef fetches premium prices.