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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
As labor and fuel costs surge, the Dairy Margin Coverage program is failing to reflect on-farm reality. Enter the data-driven Dairy Revenue Protection tool that accounts for volatile market prices and production.
Facing a $275,000 bottom-line hit, dairy producers are leveraging beef-on-dairy and diversification to weather inverse pricing as analyst Ben Laine predicts a second-half market rebound.
High beef prices and genomic breakthroughs are rewriting the dairy playbook, keeping the U.S. milking herd at record levels as producers prioritize beef-on-dairy calves and high-component milk.
DFA’s $46 million USDA grant empowers small farms to lead in conservation, lowering barriers to sustainable practices and connecting producers to premium, emerging market opportunities for a resilient future.
Kansas is witnessing explosive dairy growth as new processing infrastructure and structural advantages pull producers away from traditional hubs like California toward the Sunflower State.
Agropur’s $130 million Midwest expansion capitalizes on South Dakota’s production surge and Wisconsin’s whey capacity, positioning the co-op to lead the global market for high-value dairy proteins.
The High Plains Dairy Conference returns to Amarillo in March 2026, offering producers critical insights into global markets, labor tech and biosecurity to navigate a high-stakes industry.
In an industry where water is becoming as precious as milk and data is as vital as feed, the successful producer of 2026 and beyond will be the one who balances today’s “black calf” revenue with the existential necessity of long-term resource management.
As Western cattle migrate to the Upper Midwest, the 2026 market is defined by a massive regional processing boom and a relentless focus on the high-value beef-on-dairy “black calf” premium.
Whether in a blue or a red state, the message to Washington is the same: the U.S. dairy and agricultural sectors cannot remain globally competitive while their workforce remains in the shadows.
Cornell University’s Daryl Nydam explores balancing short-term beef-on-dairy profits with the three-year investment of replacement heifers to ensure long-term herd efficiency and sustainable management flexibility.
Driven by a double-digit sales surge, AMPI is converting its Blair plant into a premier cottage cheese facility, betting on the “superfood” renaissance to lead the industry’s high-protein future.
Top Story
While West Coast milk production slows, Idaho’s dairy industry is surging 7.5%. Learn how vertical integration and beef-on-dairy are driving the state’s massive production surge.
Top Story
While milk checks feel like 2016 deja vu, costs for about everything have soared. Dairy farmers are steadfast, trying to find new ways to turn a stagnant check into a sustainable future.
If December was a warning, the projections for the first half of 2026 are a siren. The latest price predictions updated on Jan. 30 suggest a sharp economic turn is underway.