In agriculture, public criticism seems to come with the territory these days. As a farmer, it’s easy to get defensive when your livelihood is misunderstood. But sometimes, criticism is legitimate and change is needed.

A 15-year-old building may seem new to some, but for Mike Larson, general manager at Larson Acres, their barn built in 1998 was in need of some updates. “We’ve learned a lot about cow comfort in 15 years,” Larson says.

As dairy farmers, you try to do everything you can to keep your cows comfortable, clean and healthy. Even still, there are things you wish you could do differently – and maybe you would if you had the time, help or money. Sound familiar?

All that glitters is not gold. Especially for Google Glass. If you have been to an industry meeting or conference this winter, wearable technology is being touted as the “next big thing” in agriculture. From smart watches to Bluetooth technology to Google’s smart glasses (Google Glass), it’s all hands-free communication.

Attendees of the Dairy Strong conference, Jan. 13-15, in Madison, Wisconsin, enjoyed a rock-star lineup of speakers including Mike Rowe, host of the hit show Dirty Jobs. Rowe wowed the crowd with his keynote about how he had to change his own way of doing things to discover his true path in life.

More than 550 farmers, nutritionists and industry partners recently attended the invitation-only 2015 Leading Producers Conference, Jan. 6-7 in Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin, to address everyday challenges that have a huge impact on today’s diverse dairy farms.

“In an instant, our 100-plus-year-old family farm became part of the re-branding of agriculture by activist groups. We lost our milk market and our reputation was tarnished.” —Gary Conklin, Conklin Dairy Cattle Sales LLC. In May of 2010, a video from his farm depicting abuse was released by Mercy for Animals. Preparing for emergencies and managing crises was a main focus of the Dairy Strong conference, Jan. 13-15, in Madison, Wisconsin, facilitated by the Dairy Business Association of Wisconsin and its partners. I’m a member of the organization, but this was my first time attending one of their conferences.