How to make sense of massive amounts of data generated on farms to help inform decisions, track progress and improve profitability.  

With all the talk around interest rates, inflation and feed prices, I’d like to take some time to work through how they will impact your farm and the dairy industry as a whole in 2023.

Farm profitability faces significant pressure in 2023 as availability and high costs for farm inputs continue to be concerns. Deciding when to buy products and at what prices is a challenge given global and domestic market uncertainty. To secure products at reasonable prices, consider creating an input purchasing plan.

It’s been quite a while since dairy operators have had to budget for interest rate expenses. But the Federal Reserve raised interest rates six times in 2022, and policymakers expect more to come in 2023 in an effort to slow inflation by increasing the cost of borrowing.

Reproductive performance continues to improve across the dairy industry. Herds routinely achieve 21-day pregnancy rates above 20%, up from 14% reported as the national average in the 1990s.

Quality beef is in high demand. One look in the beef section of a grocer’s cooler or a night out with a good steak dinner testifies that quality beef fetches premium prices.

As an adviser to the farmers of my county and beyond, one question I dread the most is “Andy, what am I going to do?”

A growing number of commercial cattlemen are discovering advantages of using Wagyu bulls (or semen) in their herds, especially to breed heifers.

After surviving an economic freefall in the 2008 recession, the horse market is at an all-time high. The reasons include a resurgence of lucrative rodeo events.

Since the dawn of time, mankind turned, and continues to turn, live animals into protein to feed the world. Whether it be by raising livestock or hunting wildlife, the job gets done and people get fed – and in some cases, these two paths cross.