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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
Dairy is a historical rollercoaster with wild swings in milk prices. Tanner Ehmke says there might be some opportunities on the horizon to expand, as other dairies look to exit through the cycle of the dairy industry.
Recently, three dairy producers from coast to coast talked about the biggest, unexpected challenge that faced their dairy this year on a Farm Journal Farm County Update webinar.
While the challenges ahead for dairy producers are real, the silver lining is that both global consumption for dairy is on the rise and the supply chain headaches have lightened compared to how we started 2022.
When it comes to turnover, leading experts say a producer shouldn’t just chalk it up that an employee left for more money. Pausing to understand your workforce’s needs can help minimize turnover in the long run.
The Oregon Dairy Farmers Association is applauding the Department of Environmental Quality and the Environment Quality Commissions denied votes regarding a petition to regulate air pollution from large dairies in Oregon.
The consumer no longer can absorb higher costs. Tanner Ehmke with CoBank says that lighter foot traffic is seen in some grocery stores, while discount retailers have seen a significant increase in foot traffic.
Dairy financial experts strongly encourage producers to push pause to outline the steps needed to take place in Q4 to wrap up the year on the best foot possible and help position a dairy for a successful start in 2023.
Another story that continues to unfold is the shift of herds inland. Tanner Ehmke with CoBank says this long-term trend of migration from the coastal areas to the central states where costs are lower will continue.
Diving into the international supply and demand picture, Alyssa Badger of HighGround Trading Group explained that every country has its own set of issues that factor into the supply side of things.
Applications are now being accepted for the 2023 DFA CoLAB Accelerator program. The 2023 program will focus on AgTech and help bring new technologies to DFA’s family farm-owners.
Despite having a current expiration date of Oct. 31, 2022, employers should continue using the Form I-9, Employment Eligibility Verification until further notice.
Labor shortages are no longer a stark headline, but instead a continued headache dairy farms are faced with. Recently on an Ag Future podcast, Dr. Luke Miller with Alltech spoke about training and retaining labor.
Connecting dairy’s story and products with consumers is a key ingredient when partnering with retail stores. Midwest Dairy was recognized for its efforts in this area by a leading Midwest retailer earlier this fall.
One year ago, a tornado completely devasted Wellacrest Farms, New Jersey’s largest dairy farm. Community support outpoured from a group of Amish to a GoFundMe account that helped with the rebuild.
Head to Georgia and you’ll find a farmer with a New York accent and no dairy in his DNA. Nevertheless, Pete Gelber is a dairy farmer who offers a unique, firsthand perspective on succession planning.