May 25, 2026

May 25, 2026 Progressive Dairy digital magazine

May 25, 2026

The latest issue of Progressive Dairy magazine is available. To view, make sure you're logged into your agproud.com account. If you do not have access, click "Subscribe" in the top-right corner of agproud.com to add permission to view.

Food and brains: What I’ve learned about nutrition and mental health

May 15, 2026

Derek Orth

Most people understand that what we eat affects our physical health – our weight, our energy levels, and our risk for chronic disease. But fewer people realize the profound impact food has on our mental health. What we put on our plates can either support or sabotage our state of mind.

Checkoff Watch: Why Expo West matters to farmers, dairy’s future

May 13, 2026

I admit that before I attended Natural Products Expo West, I did not fully grasp what it was. I had heard about it at a Dairy Management Inc. (DMI) meeting, but walking into the Anaheim Convention Center was something else entirely.

Why mental health matters, even when we can’t measure it

Stress can build up over the years and negatively impact how you manage your business, deal with risk, lead your team and solve problems.

May 12, 2026

Maddy Vanderkooy

Farm stress: You can’t weigh it, you can’t test it, and you certainly can’t fix it with a wrench or baling twine. Yet, research continues to show that it directly impacts how farms function.

Your life is more important than your balance sheet

Prioritizing sleep, adequate nutrition, intentional exercise and social interaction can help reduce chronic stress. If you are struggling, ask for help.

May 14, 2026

Michele Payn

Your legacy won’t be determined by your ability to keep your multigenerational dairy or pass a profitable operation to the next generation – but by the lives you touch. These are essential things to remember as we face an especially demanding season.

Protecting beef revenue: Why Livestock Risk Protection matters for today’s dairy operations

Beef-on-dairy has created significant revenue opportunities for dairies. LRP helps producers protect against price risk when marketing beef calves.

May 13, 2026

Derek Gerratt

With beef from dairies contributing an estimated $5 per hundredweight of milk-equivalent revenue, exposure to beef price volatility now carries real weight in culling and calf marketing decisions. Managing the downside without limiting upside is where Livestock Risk Protection (LRP) fits.

Managing capital costs for 2026

To navigate tighter margins, dairy producers should prioritize disciplined capital spending by focusing on essential investments, evaluating returns, aligning financing with asset life and protecting cash flow.

May 21, 2026

Steve Schwoerer

A disciplined approach to capital spending in 2026 will help ensure the operation remains strong not only through this cycle but into the next one as well.

Practical strategies to stay financially organized on your farm

Increase the accuracy of your financial recordkeeping by tracking fixed and variable costs, creating cash flow forecasts and managing debt payments. Creating a team of advisers can also be helpful.

February 20, 2025

Elaine Froese

Making sure the farm is financially organized could be a key to running a successful and sustainable operation. Unlike many other industries, farmers are faced with unique challenges such as fluctuating market prices, unpredictable weather and potentially volatile cash flows. Ensuring you are aware of the current financial position of the farm by creating accurate and timely reports can allow you to make quick decisions when necessary.

Manure pit safety

Tips provided to improve employee safety around lagoons, including measures to prevent drowning, death caused by manure gases and injury caused by equipment. Signage should be posted to warn people of hazardous areas.

May 13, 2025

Cheryl DeCooman

While many of us are experienced with pumping manure from lagoons to fertilize the soil, it's essential to remain vigilant around these dangerous environments. In this article, we will examine the key hazards and safety protocols associated with manure pits and related equipment.

Year-round hydration for improved calf welfare

Many operations use electrolytes reactively when calves are sick or heat stressed. However, hydrations should be used proactively, especially in the first 21 days of life.

May 18, 2026

Minnie Ward

When I get questions about hydration from calf raisers, it is almost always associated with heat stress or health events. Why do we think of hydration as a reactionary tool? We talk preventative care in calves every day, so why not approach hydration the same way?

Keeping calves cool: New ideas for hutch-housed heifers

While a variety of heat abatement options exist for cooling cows, there are limited options for cooling hutch-housed calves. However, new research shows that cooled calves perform better and stay in the herd longer.

May 11, 2026

Jimena Laporta and Jennifer Van Os

Providing active heat abatement during the preweaning period can create a cleaner hutch microclimate, help keep calves cool, improve their immune responses and even increase herd longevity through the first lactation. Our group has been exploring a solar-powered fan system for calves in outdoor hutches.

Training your workforce: Virtual reality as an aid

Having skilled employees is paramount to farm success and animal care, but finding skilled employees can be challenging. While not a replacement for traditional training, virtual reality (VR) technology may be a useful tool for training employees.

May 20, 2026

Adrian A Barragan

We can't ignore that training dairy farm workers effectively presents dairy farms with several challenges. One promising solution may be the use of virtual reality (VR) technologies.

In one hour, the cascade effect begins

Immediately after birth, calves embark on one of three tracks: the positive track, the disheartening and unfortunate track and the downslide. Prevention is key to ensuring calves start down the correct one.

September 30, 2025

Bobbi Jo Brockmann and Mark Wustenberg

Literally, the first hour of birth sets the stage for a calf’s life. After those 60 minutes, a calf climbs aboard one of three tracks.

Hoof health and heat: A dangerous combination

Cow comfort and observation are key tactics in prioritizing hoof health when the heat arrives.

May 12, 2026

Jenn Coyne

Hoof health is crucial to a dairy cow’s overall well-being – and in turn milk production and the farm’s bottom line. Different seasons put greater pressure on hoof health in a dairy herd than others and call for a pivot in management. Summer heat is one of those times.

Protecting value in beef-on-dairy calves starts at birth

Generating a paycheck from beef-on-dairy calves starts with nutrition at day one. Ensure your beef-on-dairy nutrition program is up to par.

April 6, 2026

Cory Parsons

Beef-on-dairy calves are one of the most valuable outcomes of modern dairy production. Protecting the value of these calves depends on how well rumen and gut health are supported from the start.

How tall should your pasture be? Post-grazing height decisions that affect milk and profit

Stocking density and grazing intensity can vary between farms depending on their milk production and land management goals.

May 19, 2026

James Lawhead and Leoni F. Martins

In this article, we discuss novel grazing strategies with the potential to improve cow and land productivity, with a focus on grazing intensity and cow behavior.

Children’s museum debuts interactive 'Moo-ve The Milk' exhibit

The “Moo-ve The Milk” exhibit offers a hands-on experience teaching children how milk travels from cow to store.

May 22, 2026

Audrey Schmitz

Downtown Buffalo, New York’s Explore & More – The Ralph C. Wilson Children’s Museum has added a captivating new addition to its fourth floor. The “Moo-ve The Milk” exhibit is a hands-on display that takes children and their families through the journey of milk from cow to grocery store, making dairy education as fun as it is informative.

National Dairy Month poster contest inspires young artists

The Dairy Alliance inspires 4-H students across the Southeast to creatively explore dairy and connect with agriculture through a poster contest during National Dairy Month in June.

May 20, 2026

Audrey Schmitz

For more than two decades, a National Dairy Month poster contest has been inspiring creativity and agricultural awareness among students across the Southeast.

June Dairy Month butter carving contest churns up fun

Washburn County Fairground’s butter carving contest challenges youth and adults to create butter sculptures, combining fun, dairy promotion and lively competition.

May 25, 2026

Audrey Schmitz

A block of butter, plastic cutlery and just 10 minutes on the clock may not sound like the recipe for a crowd-pleaser, but at the Washburn County Fairgrounds in Spooner, Wisconsin, it proved to be the perfect dairy activity for June Dairy Month.

New calf traits will allow producers to select for disease resistance

Holstein and Jersey breeders will soon be able to genetically select for calves with improved resistance to respiratory problems and diarrhea thanks to two new traits developed from herd records in the National Cooperator Database.

April 19, 2026

Kristen Parker Gaddis

Genetic and genomic evaluations for Resistance to Diarrhea (DIA) and Resistance to Respiratory Problems (RSP) will represent the expected resistance of an animal’s offspring to these issues in a herd with average management conditions. Final approvals are being wrapped up, with the goal of introducing these traits for Holstein and Jersey breeders soon.

Roles and responsibilities in manure application with automated controls

Applying manure with automated controls shifts the roles and responsibilities of team members on the job.

May 15, 2026

Katie Kelderman

Just a few decades ago, manure application operations required a group of workers who could spend weeks at a time in the field monitoring pumps and driving tankers from field to field. Now, manure application has implemented automation technology to improve efficiency tenfold.

Assurance Watch: Resources for responsible antibiotic use

May 22, 2026

Miquela Hanselman and Jamie Jonker

By focusing on prevention, early detection and timely treatment decisions, U.S. dairy farmers promote animal well‑being while safeguarding the long‑term effectiveness of antibiotics.

Four things to know as milk prices cycle lower

Unpack what dairy producers should know about this milk price downcycle and what makes it unique for producers across the U.S.

April 21, 2026

Liang Chen and Cesar Matamoros

Producers are seeing lower milk prices from January 2025 highs. While this downturn still reflects basic supply and demand, there are significant differences compared to recent cycles: strong cull and beef prices, earning component incentives, corn silage quality by region and a younger generation of managers.

The Courage to Evolve: Good days and bad days

May 25, 2026

Hank Wagner

I think it is safe to say that all of us experience both good days and bad days.

Real Producer Exchange Episode 4: Skylar Gericke

How an Arizona dairy maintains 40% conception rate in the summertime

May 7, 2026

Walt Cooley

Ohio native Skylar Gericke quickly learned how brutal Arizona summers can be on conception rates and getting cows pregnant. He did his best to get cows bred, and when he was done for the day, he started noticing other improvement areas on the dairy.

Life on the Family Farm: Raising the flag on Iwo Jima

May 25, 2026

Tom Heck

I learned a number of years ago that the raising of the American flag at Iwo Jima was nothing like it is portrayed in Washington D.C.

Facts, story time, tour and ice cream: How we're celebrating June Dairy Month

May 25, 2026

Julianne McCormick

Not only is June a great time to indulge in numerous dairy treats, but it is also the perfect time for us to celebrate what we as dairy producers do throughout the year, as well as teach consumers about the dairy industry.

The Milk House: Lessons from the streets

May 25, 2026

Ryan Dennis

Part of being on a farm in the last three or four decades, I would argue, is the feeling of being misunderstood – or worse, forgotten. The harder it became to make a living in the industry, the more it felt like no one cared. The sense of tribalism, at least my participation in it, was to reassure myself that there were others like me and my family and that we still mattered.

Just Dropping By: The plagues of Egypt

May 25, 2026

Yevet Crandell Tenney

The plagues of Egypt. What an awesome, awful story. It has always made me shudder and wonder why a loving God would bring such curses upon the entire country of Egypt when it was Pharaoh who made all the decisions.

Consider new ways to tell your dairy story

May 25, 2026

Kimmi Devaney

As National Dairy Month and all the festivities get underway, I encourage you to think about new ways you can connect with people outside of agriculture to showcase all that is great about the dairy industry. Cheers to a fun month celebrating cows, amazing people and delicious dairy products!

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