Livestock enterprises can use crop acres seeded to cover crops and crop residue to stretch the grazing season and save on feed costs. Crop operations benefit from the nutrient value added through livestock manure and to help with pest management.

In addition to other celebratory activities, the National Dairy Shrine is celebrating its 75th anniversary in 2024 by doubling down on fundraising efforts with Campaign75 to provide more scholarships, expand their leader recognition program and make investments in their museum. With a mission to inspire youth, recognize dairy leaders and preserve dairy’s history, the organization is open to anyone who is passionate about the dairy industry and currently includes more than 20,000 members.

While some university dairies have shut down in the last few decades, others are breaking ground on new research dairies to replace aging facilities or making renovations to update their current ones. Here is an overview of some of the facilities currently under construction.

For the first time since 2019, the Midwest is mostly clear of drought advisories, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor. In fact, May was one of the wettest months on record for Iowa, Minnesota, Wisconsin and South Dakota and regions of Michigan, with above-normal precipitation continuing throughout the growing season. Such weather has dairy producers in a pinch to manage manure appropriately.

Anybody who has raised cattle for any length of time has probably had to deal with lame cattle. The odds are great that the animal was either suffering from foot rot or a physical injury to the leg or foot.

In agriculture, rain typically poses two major pain points: challenges to field traffic and harvesting timelines.

The emerging trend toward alternative forages means it may be time to adjust crop nutrition protocols. Alfalfa has long been considered the “queen” of forages thanks to its high protein solubility and digestibility balanced with amino acids.