Two weeks ago, I pulled up to the barn before I headed out the driveway to work. I spotted number 1106 and couldn’t help but shed quite a few tears … Continue reading Tough Decisions
The Key Word Is Minimum: How minimum wage really works.
There’s been a lot of talk lately about the minimum wage, and I heard this morning that the President intends to increase minimum wage for some workers, by way of … Continue reading The Key Word Is Minimum: How minimum wage really works.
Calf Care Part 2: Why do dairy farmers house calves in hutches?
Last week I wrote about many of the reasons that we choose to separate newborn calves from their mother cows shortly after their birth (read: Calf Care Part 1: Why … Continue reading Calf Care Part 2: Why do dairy farmers house calves in hutches?
Calf Care Part 1: Why do dairy farmers separate calves from their mothers?
At a holiday party last fall I had a casual conversation about our farm with another local farmer’s wife whose exposure to agriculture was primarily related to raising grain and … Continue reading Calf Care Part 1: Why do dairy farmers separate calves from their mothers?
Is it cold enough for you? – Caring for Cattle in Cold Weather
Cold and snow come with winter. It’s part of life in the Midwest, but deep snow and extreme cold are things that require extra preparations for those of us raising … Continue reading Is it cold enough for you? – Caring for Cattle in Cold Weather
Thinking Outside the Breed
We did something recently that we’ve never done before. We intentionally crossbred Holsteins. Before I let my crossbreeding friends get too excited, I’ll explain – we used Angus semen and … Continue reading Thinking Outside the Breed
Heifers Having Heifers
You may remember that we were trying out a technology called sexed semen, but we had limited success with our first go-around. Not easily discouraged, though, we forged ahead with … Continue reading Heifers Having Heifers
Harvest 2013 Update
Harvest is not a cohesive event at our farm. I know some farmers in some parts of the country get in their combines and run until they’re finished, and that’s … Continue reading Harvest 2013 Update
HDI: Our Very Own Index
While at World Dairy Expo, a person working a booth for a genetics company asked David which bulls we were currently using (while I was filling out their survey to … Continue reading HDI: Our Very Own Index
First Phase of Harvest Complete!
The weekend before last we wrapped up the most stressful time of year: corn silage chopping. Despite a few days of breakdowns, we finished filling our big silo and much … Continue reading First Phase of Harvest Complete!
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