“Change is easy. Transition is hard. Are you open to surrounding yourself with people who have the best knowledge and listening to them?” Nancy Charlton of DeLaval asked listeners of the “Capitalizing on robotics to enhance animal health and reproduction” panel at the 2023 Dairy Cattle Reproduction Council annual meeting.

The Global Dairy Experience was back in Las Vegas, Nevada, Dec. 5-7, 2023, for thought-provoking presentations, discussions and networking opportunities.

I’ve always hated winter. I think it’s a rite of passage as a farm kid, and naturally so. It is bred into us to despise the time of year when you seem to be doing chores in the dark – regardless of what time you start.

Suz Brouwer captions every one of her social media posts with #dreambig, and with good reason – her dream of owning and operating her own dairy farm has come true after 20 years of hard work.

Hailey Pipher’s Instagram bio reads, “Food lover, milk drinker, sort of a recipe follower.” If you’re still curious about Pipher’s dietary tendencies, her Instagram handle is @shelikesmilk, and her account is a living testament to the statement.

While the milking system and machinery are often top of mind for routine maintenance and updates, consider ways in which the farm can benefit from a sound IT system.

The 2023 Dairy Cattle Reproduction Council (DCRC) annual meeting had an agenda packed with presentations discussing reproductive health, new approaches to management, beef-on-dairy markets, fertility, and calfhood health effects on reproductive performance that kept the more than 200 attendees busy over the three-day event.

Pine trees, snowflakes, eggnog, gingerbread, Christmas lights and a manure spreader parade down the streets of Rockwood, Ontario, in December.