“You see this out West. You never think it’s going to be in your backyard,” says owner Marianne Eachus. “The devastation is just … everything is gone.”

Optimizing productivity and improving efficiency are top goals that are talked about in farm meetings. The big-ticket question is, “What can help a dairy producer launch their operation to the next level?”

It is advised to evaluate heifer inventory when managing rising feed costs and calculating feed inventories. Managing heifer inventory can save money on feed, as well as help market females at the right time.

Want to keep disease out of your calf barn? If so, it might be prudent to take a page from the biosecurity measures of our pig-and-poultry-raising kin, and set up a “Danish entry.”

The true cost of raising a dairy heifer from birth to freshening is surprisingly high. Raising replacements remains a capital-intensive portion of a dairy enterprise that often is overlooked.

With more milk production occurring on fewer farms and large-scale operations expanding into non-traditional markets, the question remains: Who will be the top dairy states in the next decade?