Sitting in his home office sipping a cup of coffee, Paul Larmer is seemingly common. Unbeknownst to the average person, his influence on the dairy cattle genetics sector of the industry is undeniable. It is for both his remarkable leadership and self-effacing attitude that Larmer is named this year’s World Dairy Expo International Person of the Year.

Many farming arrangements rest on handshake deals, wherein two people essentially trust in one another’s word. When stakes are fairly low and flexibility is paramount, unwritten handshake deals can be a helpful tool. However, when farmers are investing money, time and other resources of considerable value in a farm operation, reliance on a handshake can sometimes prove to be a costly error.

While the necessity of maintaining adequate ventilation during the extremes of summer and winter is well recognized, the transitional seasons of spring and fall present unique challenges that often are overlooked. This article explores the pitfalls associated with off-season ventilation and offers actionable strategies for dairy producers to address these issues.

To stay connected, the two share photos from the week via text message each Sunday evening. I immediately sent this to my friend and asked if we could try it.

The dairy market rewards herds with optimized reproductive performance and reduced herd turnover rates. Herd structure has become one of the major key performance indicators for evaluating the sustainability and profitability of a dairy farm, with reproductive performance and herd turnover rates playing a key role. Herd turnover rate refers to the number of animals exiting a herd within a defined period. Typically, one-third of the dairy herd is culled annually, with a large portion of those culls being categorized as involuntary.

If you or someone in your farm family is getting married soon or considering marriage in the future, having the prenuptial conversation can be helpful in providing peace of mind and legal protection if the marriage does not go as planned later down the road.

While a barn fire is not something any dairy farm wants to go through, the Hofstra family has used their positive attitude and determination to build a barn for future generations.