Using a vertical auger mixer just wasn’t delivering the total mixed ration Andrew Kuehnert and his family wanted for their Midwestern dairy.

The puck was two caps from teat dip drums joined together, but the black electrical tape that covered it lent it a feeling of authenticity. The sticks were sections of stiff plastic piping we tapped on cows’ thurls to head them towards the parlor. When the last cow on either side of us had a milker on, my father and I squared off in the middle of the pit.

This is my final report to you from South Sudan. I have traveled extensively in three of the 10 states: Western, Central and Eastern Equatoria state. The bulk of my work has been what we call institutional building at the state ministries of agriculture and forestry. Generally, the Central Ministry in Juba (national) has two responsibilities: one, manage and allocate a budget and, two, set national policy.

I just printed the first draft of the La Grand Tenney history book that I have been compiling for the last seven years. It contains the life histories of each of my husband, Reg’s, brothers and sisters and their spouses. It was an ambitious project but every word is worth it.

Dairy Farmers of America, Inc., (DFA) issued a statement yesterday in response to the Obama administration's recent announcement about a change in immigration policy that could allow as many as 800,000 immigrants who came to the U.S. illegally as children to legally remain in the country. Click here to read more about the immigration announcement.

Editor's note: This article first appeared in PDPW’s Dairy’s Bottom Line Tabloid, June 2012. It is referenced here courtesy of Professional Dairy Producers of Wisconsin (PDPW). Click here to read Progressive Dairyman Editor Walt Cooley's review of Great by Choice. "Think back to 15 years ago, and consider what’s happened since, the destabilizing events — in the world, in your country, in the markets, in your work, in your life—that defied all expectations. We can be astonished, confounded, shocked, stunned, delighted, or terrified, but rarely prescient.

Media attention will turn toward the Supreme Court this month for two important rulings. Did you know the federal government used Supreme Court precedence involving a dairy processor and dairy farmers to argue the constitutionality and precedence for Obamacare and the individual mandate? Contributor Ben Yale explains the context for the government’s case in his article (click here to read). The court will also issue its ruling in the matter of Arizona v. U.S., which will impact states’ legal bounds for immigration status inquiries and enforcement.