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Karen Bohnert

Dairy Editorial Director

Karen Bohnert is the Dairy Editorial Director at Farm Journal, overseeing Dairy Herd Management and Milk Business Quarterly since 2021. A lifelong advocate for dairy, Karen draws from both professional expertise and personal experience—she and her husband operate Bohnert Jerseys, a 750-cow dairy in East Moline, Illinois.

Raised on a dairy farm in Oregon, her editorial career spans freelance journalism and roles at organizations like Swiss Valley Farms and the American Jersey Cattle Association. She was named a Distinguished Alumni Leader by the Holstein Foundation.

Latest Stories
In 2006, dairy producer Ken Smith and family purchased an old truck stop property near their family dairy farm and began an ice cream business. Moo Thru has grown in more ways than one.
Dairy producers have adjusted to uncertainties that face them such as rising feed costs, ongoing labor challenges and navigating a pandemic and its ripple effect. Three producers share how they tackle uncertainties.
The USDA recently proposed to cut the amount of dairy provided through the WIC food package by up to 6 quarts per month, depending on the participant, with the largest reduction for pregnant and breastfeeding mothers.
The dairy industry has been impacted by overtime labor rules, rigorous permitting processes and the shortage of water. As a result, cows are migrating toward areas like South Dakota, who has seen tremendous growth.
Tucked in the rolling hills of a quaint New England town, Fairholm Farm in Woodstock, Ct., a century-old farm’s recipe for success also includes technology and securing additional profit sources.
A few dairies have pushed pause on building projects due to interest rates and market uncertainties. Others are stuck in limbo not knowing whether to move forward or wait it out.
The saying that we’re all in this together isn’t necessarily felt by those that suffer from mental health. Randy Roecker, a Wisconsin dairy farmer, who has been very open about his mental health struggle agrees.
Head to Lancaster County Pennsylvania and the sweet aroma of candy can be smelled on a family dairy farm. Red Knob Dairy has been feeding upcycled Hershey candy waste to their cows for more than a decade.
A winning tradition unfolds in the midsection of the country each Memorial Day weekend for the biggest motorsports event in the world. The Indy 500 is a tradition that Indiana dairy farmers get to help orchestrate.
Dusting off the ashes from a three-alarm fire that heavily damaged the Organic Valley’s McMinnville, Ore., 25,000-square foot main building in 2021, the cooperative has since rebuilt.
The USDA Milk Production report for April showed a 0.3% increase. Phil Plourd says that on-farm margins have deteriorated to a degree that, historically, corresponds with less milk production or at least slower growth.
Half of success is showing up certainly holds true for labor-dependent farms. Although Brett Barlass, dairy manager of Yosemite Jerseys in Calif., shares he went nine years without a no-call or a no-show employee.
Farming isn’t just an occupation—it’s a lifestyle that includes a rollercoaster of challenges, including the pressure to sustain the family farm. Understandably, many farmers suffer from mental health challenges.
An Illinois farmer’s daughter, Cassie Bohnert from East Moline, made a TikTok video to promote the Cheese Pull Contest sponsored by Midwest Dairy and Illinois High School Association.
An estimated 12,000 youth were injured on farms, with 4,000 of these injuries due to farm work in 2014. Sydni Mell and her brother Sam, both who grew up on a Wisconsin dairy farm, understand that statistic all too well.