Dairy Herd

Fly Control Begins Before Summer Pressure Peaks

Wed, 13 May 2026 17:48:48 GMT

It usually starts with a few flies around the calf hutches or some extra tail switching in the freestall barn. Then, almost overnight, cows are bunching, calves are irritated and employees are swatting flies left and right.

By the time all of this becomes noticeable, fly populations have often already been building for weeks. Fly control experts say the best chance to stay ahead of pressure is to start managing breeding areas before summer heat and rapid population growth take over.

Small Problems Turn into Big Populations Fast

Flies reproduce quickly once temperatures rise. According to Roger Moon, professor of entomology at the University of Minnesota, flies can complete a generation every 40 to 60 days during spring weather and as fast as every two weeks during the hottest parts of summer.

That means the bedding pile or leftover feed that seems harmless early in the season can become a major source of fly pressure later in summer. Calf areas are especially vulnerable. Wet bedding, spilled milk replacer, manure and leftover feed create ideal conditions for flies to breed.

“Fibrous plant material enriched with manure, urine and moisture are basically the perfect environment for maggots,” Moon says.

Some of the most common breeding spots on dairies include:

Overwintered manure piles
Soiled calf hutch bedding
Bedded-pack barns that were not cleaned out over winter
Feed buildup around bale feeders
Wet feed refusals
The crusted edge around manure lagoons

Moon recommends scouting these areas every one to two weeks during the spring and early summer using something as simple as a garden trowel to look for maggots before populations explode.

Different Flies Create Different Problems

Not every fly on the farm behaves the same way, which is why identifying the type of fly matters before building a management plan.

According to Claire LaCanne, Extension educator in ag production systems, dairies most commonly deal with stable flies, house flies, face flies and horn flies.

“You’ll want to determine what’s pestering your animals to figure out the various methods for managing that particular fly problem,” LaCanne says. “Identifying the type of fly or flies that you are dealing with on the farm along with understanding their lifecycle is key to developing an effective fly management plan.”

Stable flies and house flies are considered “premise flies” because they reproduce in confined areas like barns, calf bedding and manure piles.

Stable flies are the bigger concern from a cattle comfort standpoint because they bite and feed on blood. They are commonly found on the legs and trigger behaviors like bunching, tail switching and foot stomping.

“Stable fly presence can result in reduced production,” LaCanne says.

House flies, meanwhile, do not bite. Instead, they feed on secretions around the eyes and nose and are generally more of a nuisance, although they can contribute to disease spread around the farm.

Flies Cost More Than Annoyance

It is easy to think of flies as just another irritation that comes with summer, but the impact goes much deeper than that.

Heavy fly pressure has been linked to reduced milk production, lower weight gains and weaker immune response. Flies also contribute to the spread of diseases like salmonella, E. coli and pinkeye.

Then there is bunching.

Anyone who has walked into a pen during heavy fly pressure has seen it. Cows crowd together tightly with heads in and tails out, stomping and constantly shifting positions.

Moon says bunching is one of the clearest signs that fly pressure has gotten out of hand.

“You’ll see them milling for position, stomping and switching their tails,” he says. “Bunched stock grow slower, lactate less and have lower immunity because of stress.”

Researchers have also found that bunching creates another set of problems. Airflow between cows decreases, heat builds faster, resting time drops and cows spend less time eating.

What starts as cows trying to get away from flies can quickly lead to lower intake, less resting time and reduced performance across the pen.

Sometimes the Damage Shows up Later

One of the more frustrating parts of fly pressure is that some consequences do not show up until months later.

Stable flies repeatedly biting cattle legs can contribute to hoof problems over time because cows spend more hours standing and shifting weight instead of lying down comfortably.

Moon says animals dealing with prolonged fly irritation may eventually develop sole ulcers or abscesses, issues that often become noticeable in the fall long after peak fly season has passed.

Sanitation Still Matters Most

Even with all the new fly-control products available, most experts still come back to the same basic message: cleanliness matters.

“Cleanliness and sanitation is the most important step in a fly management plan,” LaCanne says.

Removing breeding material interrupts the fly life cycle before adult flies ever emerge.

That means staying ahead of manure buildup, keeping bedding dry and cleaning out problem areas before temperatures really warm up.

“To manage stable flies and house flies, start with sanitation,” LaCanne says. “Doing your best to remove possible breeding sites like rotting hay or grain, spilled feed or TMR, manure piles and other decaying matter is the most effective way to manage stable flies and house flies.”

She recommends scraping, hauling, spreading or composting soiled bedding every other week during the summer if possible.

Several additional management steps can also help reduce pressure:

Move calf hutches and replace bedding after each calf
Use sand, sawdust or wood shavings during summer months
Mow grass and weeds around barns and lagoons
Compost manure properly so temperatures reach at least 140 degrees Fahrenheit
Place fly traps away from barns to draw flies away from cattle areas

Layering Strategies Works Best

Most farms that successfully control flies use multiple approaches together rather than depending on one product. LaCanne says scouting should become part of the routine.

“You should begin looking for signs of flies early in the season,” she says. “Dig or scrape around in areas with organic matter and search for larvae and pupae to figure out where your trouble areas are.”

Sticky traps can also help monitor population pressure and determine when additional controls may be needed.

When fly pressure builds despite sanitation efforts, additional tools can help.

Premise sprays may help suppress stable flies and house flies in enclosed areas, though LaCanne stresses they should be paired with sanitation rather than relied on alone.

Fly baits are most effective against house flies, while pasture fly traps can help reduce horn fly pressure on grazing cattle.

Biological controls are also gaining attention on dairies.

Some farms release parasitoid wasps, often sold as fly predators or fly parasites, to target fly pupae before adults emerge.

“Parasitoid wasps can provide effective management when used with other methods, especially diligent sanitation,” LaCanne says.

However, she cautions that insecticide use can interfere with beneficial insects, making it important to think carefully about where sprays are applied.

Start Before the Flies Force You to

One of the biggest mistakes farms make is waiting until fly pressure becomes obvious before taking action.By the time cows are bunching and calves are restless, fly populations are already well established.

According to Moon and LaCanne, the farms that manage flies best are not necessarily the ones reaching for more sprays in July. They are the ones that dealt with breeding areas early, before populations had a chance to build.

WOAH Report Highlights Growing Disease Pressure and Veterinary System Gaps

Wed, 13 May 2026 19:46:50 GMT

A perfect storm may be gathering over the global food system.

As unprecedented outbreaks of bird flu, African swine fever, foot-and-mouth disease, and New World screwworm spread across regions, the financial systems meant to prevent and contain these threats are shrinking.

That is the central warning from the World Organisation for Animal Health’s (WOAH) newly released 2026 State of the World’s Animal Health report , which argues that global investment in prevention is failing to keep pace with a rapidly expanding biological risk profile.

According to the report, more than 20% of global animal production is lost to preventable disease every year, yet animal health receives less than 0.6% of total global health spending. At the same time, approximately 75% of emerging infectious diseases in humans originate in animals.

For food-animal veterinarians in North America, many of the report’s themes already feel familiar. Highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in dairy cattle, growing antimicrobial stewardship pressure, increasing biosecurity demands, workforce shortages and concern around emerging and transboundary diseases all feature prominently in WOAH’s assessment of global animal health trends.

“Animal health systems are the first lines of defense against the next pandemic,” said WOAH director general Emmanuelle Soubeyran during a panel discussion accompanying the report release.

Global Animal Health Funding Declines as Disease Risks Increase

One of the report’s strongest warnings centers on what WOAH describes as a rapidly contracting financing landscape. Despite the growing importance of animal health systems, they remain chronically underfunded globally.

Official Development Assistance, government-funded international aid intended to support the economic development and welfare of lower- and middle-income countries, fell to $174.3 billion in 2025 — a 23% decline that WOAH says represents the largest annual contraction on record and effectively erases a decade of growth in global development aid.

Meanwhile, less than $1 billion annually reaches veterinary services and zoonotic disease prevention worldwide. According to WOAH, that amounts to less than 2.5% of an already shrinking global health aid budget.

WOAH estimates bringing veterinary services worldwide up to international standards would cost approximately $2.3 billion annually — a figure the organization contrasts against the trillions of dollars in economic losses associated with the COVID-19 pandemic.

“The choice before governments, funders, partners and private sectors is not between spending and saving,” Soubeyran says. “It is between planned investment in animal health systems and protecting our health and minimizing losses.”

Veterinary services are prevention infrastructure, not simply regulatory oversight. That framing has increasing relevance for North American food-animal veterinarians, whose responsibilities now often extend well beyond traditional clinical work to include biosecurity planning, disease surveillance, movement documentation, antimicrobial stewardship, emergency preparedness and producer communication.

HPAI, African Swine Fever and Emerging Diseases Continue Expanding

The report paints a picture of disease systems becoming increasingly interconnected as climate change, globalization, wildlife movement and changing production systems alter how diseases emerge and spread.

The human and economic cost of this underinvestment is already visible:

Avian Influenza: Between 2025 and early 2026, over 2,100 outbreaks were recorded in 64 countries, resulting in the loss of 140 million poultry.
The Cattle Shift: HPAI is now recognized as an emerging disease in bovines, requiring international reporting as it jumps species barriers.
Parasitic Spread: New World screwworm is moving northward through Central America with tens of thousands of cases, while Lumpy Skin Disease has reached Western Europe for the first time.
Regional Crises: Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) has recently caused unprecedented outbreaks in Southern Africa.

Outbreaks no longer remain localized events. In an increasingly interconnected livestock and trade system, delayed detection in one region can rapidly create wider food system, trade and public health consequences.

Veterinary Preparedness and Biosecurity Deliver Economic Returns

A major theme running throughout the report is that governments and industries continue spending far more responding to disease crises than preventing them.

One highlighted example compares the United Kingdom’s response to FMD outbreaks:

In 2001, an underprepared response cost the UK an estimated £8 billion and resulted in the culling of more than 6 million animals.
In 2007, after improved preparedness investments, another outbreak was contained in just 58 days at a cost of approximately £47 million.

These examples demonstrate the measurable economic return of surveillance systems, preparedness planning, laboratory capacity, vaccination programs and coordinated veterinary services.

“Preparedness begins before the crisis,” says Paolo Tizzani, veterinarian and epidemiologist with WOAH.

WOAH Warns Veterinary Staffing Shortages Could Delay Outbreak Detection

The report also identifies veterinary workforce capacity as a growing vulnerability globally.

According to WOAH data:

18% of countries assessed showed declining veterinary capacity,
22% showed declining paraprofessional capacity.

During the panel discussion, WOAH officials specifically referenced declining rural veterinary presence as an emerging concern.

“When animal health systems are under-resourced, diseases can be detected late,” Tizzani says. “They have the possibility to spread more widely.”

Workforce shortages are no longer simply a labor issue, but increasingly a biosecurity and preparedness concern. Without sufficient veterinary staffing, laboratory support, surveillance infrastructure and field-level reporting capacity, outbreaks become harder to identify and contain early.

Prevention and Vaccination are Key

WOAH warns AMR could contribute to more than 39 million human deaths globally by 2050 while also creating major economic losses in animal production systems. The organization strongly positions prevention-oriented herd-health approaches — including vaccination, surveillance, biosecurity and improved disease management — as critical tools for reducing antimicrobial use.

This discussion aligns closely with ongoing stewardship initiatives across dairy, beef and pork sectors, including increased focus on veterinary oversight, preventive medicine and judicious antimicrobial use.

Only a small proportion of AMR-related research funding currently goes toward animal vaccines, despite their role in reducing antimicrobial demand. Still, the report points to examples where prevention-focused systems have dramatically reduced antibiotic use. Norway, for example, was able to reduce antibiotic use in its salmon industry by 99% through sustained investment in vaccination and preventive health programs.

Animal Health as Critical Infrastructure

WOAH consistently frames animal health systems as critical infrastructure tied directly to economic resilience, food security, public health and trade stability. They also push back against oversimplified narratives that place disease emergence solely on livestock production itself. Instead, WOAH officials emphasize the growing complexity of interactions between wildlife, livestock, humans, ecosystems, climate pressures and global trade systems.

“One Health will remain an aspiration until animal health systems are genuinely built into how we plan and invest,” Soubeyran says.

Animal health systems can no longer be treated as background infrastructure that only becomes visible during emergencies. For food-animal veterinarians in North America, that transition is already well underway.

Whether through HPAI surveillance in dairy cattle, African swine fever preparedness planning, antimicrobial stewardship, movement documentation or producer biosecurity support, food-animal veterinarians are increasingly functioning as frontline public-health and food-system infrastructure.

“Animal health must be financed as a global public good,” the report concludes. “The benefits generated cross every border, and the risks of underinvestment are shared by all.”

Why a Stable, Legal Workforce is Our Only Path Forward

Wed, 13 May 2026 13:48:21 GMT

As I’ve traveled across the country this past year, visiting producers from the High Plains to the Northwest, one conversation consistently rises above the rest. It isn’t just about milk prices or component levels — it’s about people. My conclusion is firm: A stable, legal workforce is the only way we keep the “Made in the USA” label on the milk carton.

Food security is national security, and that security starts with the hands that harvest the milk. If our industry cannot secure a permanent, legal solution for our workforce, the domestic supply chain American families rely on is at risk of fracturing.

The 365-Day Harvest Paradox

Federal policy remains stubbornly stuck in a seasonal mindset. Programs like H-2A were built for crops planted in the spring and picked in the fall. However, dairy is in a state of continuous harvest. Cows don’t take a season off and neither can our workers.

A year-round guest worker program is no longer just a lobbyist’s wishlist item; it is a survival requirement. Without a legal framework that recognizes the 24/7 reality of dairy, producers remain in a legal limbo that threatens the foundation of our “Made in the USA” promise.

Fill the Void, Not Just the Tank

Automation is often viewed as a replacement for the human element, but in reality, it is a essential supplement. Technologies like cow-side health sensors, automated gate systems and smart feed pushers are surging because human hands are simply unavailable in many corners of rural America.

We are seeing a fundamental shift in the dairy job description: moving from a world of milkers to a world of managers. Our teams are becoming data analysts and technicians who happen to work in a barn. These systems allow us to keep the lights on, but they still require a skilled, stable and legal team to oversee them.

Culture as a Competitive Advantage

In 2026, a paycheck is no longer enough to win the talent war. Recruitment is expensive, but retention is profitable. The most successful dairies treat labor management with the same scientific rigor they apply to a TMR or a breeding value. If your farm culture is broken, your bottom line will eventually follow. We must move from finding help to building elite teams.

Ultimately, the “Made in the USA” label is a promise of quality and domestic origin. We cannot fulfill that promise without a workforce that is legal, stable and respected. The heartbeat of the dairy isn’t just the cows in the stalls — it’s the people in the parlor. The dairies that will thrive in 2026 and beyond are those that realize our most valuable asset has two legs, not four. It’s time our national policy reflected that reality.

Heavy Steers and Lean Cows: Drivers of the 2026 Ground Beef Market

Tue, 12 May 2026 15:48:31 GMT

In a market defined by record-breaking prices, an unlikely partnership is driving the value of ground beef: 980-lb. carcasses and the lean cull cows needed to balance them out. While fed cattle weights have reached historic highs, they’ve created a massive surplus of fat trim that requires an equally historic amount of lean blending beef to meet consumer demand. This blending math — combined with tight supplies and a shift in culling patterns — is pushing cull cow prices to new heights.

David Anderson, Texas A&M professor and Extension specialist for livestock and food product marketing, in a recent Southern Ag Today article , summarizes that cull cow prices keep climbing.

“While calf and fed cattle prices have continued to set new record highs in the cash and futures market, cull cow prices have continued their slow ascent to new highs as lean beef prices keep pulling cow prices higher,” Anderson explains. “Southern Plains cull cow auction prices increased to almost $180 per cwt in late April, up about $15 per cwt since January. The seasonal price increase has been smaller than normal this year. Cutter-quality cows have increased about $30 per cwt., almost 25%, since the beginning of the year.”

(USDA-AMS, Livestock Marketing Information Center)

The Blending Effect: Why 980-lb. Carcasses Need Lean Cows

Blending math is the process of mixing high-fat trim from fed cattle with 90% lean beef from cull cows to meet consumer demand for specific ground beef ratios. Anderson stresses one overlooked boost to lean beef prices has been record-large fed cattle dressed weights. Average federally inspected fed steer dressed weights have remained more than 980 lb. per carcass since late 2025.

“Larger carcasses produce additional fat that requires more lean beef for blending to boost its value as ground beef rather than just tallow entering the fats and oils market,” he says.

Glynn Tonsor, Kansas State University professor of agricultural economics, says when the beef industry harvests animals bigger than ever, it is also getting more 50% lean and 50% fat trimmings per animal than ever before. He points out most consumers don’t directly consume 50/50, thus it is an input into ground beef production, and it only works if there is more lean to blend with it.

If there is not enough U.S.-produced lean to blend, the next option is to import lean.

Dairy Culling Shifts and the April Pullback

After exceeding slaughter of a year ago through the first 10 weeks of 2026, dairy cow culling pulled back to year-ago levels during April.

“Dairy cow culling typically peaks in January and February each year, then declines into midyear,” Anderson says. “The decline in dairy cow slaughter has pulled down total cow culling as weekly beef cow slaughter has held at steady but low levels. For the year, total dairy cow slaughter is reported up 6% compared to last year while total cow slaughter (beef and dairy) is down 5%.”

(USDA-AMS and USDA-NASS, Livestock Marketing Information Center)

Beef and dairy cow slaughter is reported weekly by region of the U.S. In recent weeks, Anderson says reported regional cow slaughter data has declined due to confidentiality rules that prevent publication if there are too few buyers to prevent revealing any one operation’s actions.

(USDA-AMS and USDA-NASS, Livestock Marketing Information Center)

“The lack of reporting due to confidentiality concerns has been a problem in fed cattle reporting for many years,” Anderson says. “On the positive side, the weekly national cow slaughter data includes all of the regions, including those that could not be reported regionally.”

2026 projected cow culling is based on year-to-date beef cow slaughter.

(Oklahoma State University)

Retention vs. Liquidation: The Impact of Record Calf Values

Anderson says record-high calf prices are likely keeping cows on the ranch or dairy that otherwise would have been culled to get one more calf out of them. As those calves are born and move to weaning, there may be an increase in culling as those cows come to market.

“Cull prices tend to peak midyear, so there is room for cow prices to continue to increase over the next couple of months,” Anderson says. “Beyond just the seasonal pattern arguing for higher prices, cow culling should continue to be lower than last year, further supporting prices. Beef cow slaughter is expected to remain well below a year ago. Better milk prices should restrain dairy cow culling even though the herd remains large.”

Analyst Predicts Cull Cow Prices Will Remain Elevated

Adding to the discussion on cull cow marketing strategies, Don Close, Terrain chief beef analyst, explains, “Growing up in sale barns we always used to say the best day of the year to sell a used cow is the first day of baseball season. There is some grounding in that date. As soon as grass greens, after a producer has kept her and fed hay all winter, he isn’t going to sell her if he has grass, especially if he thinks she is bred. Once she has calved and grass is available, the producer isn’t inclined to do much unless it is a drought or injury issue. At this point they will wait until fall weaning and cow-sorting time.”

He also points out another driving factor for cull cow prices is the strength of ground beef prices supported with the beginning of the grilling season — prepared-meat manufacturers’ demand is at its peak. Hot dog and lunch meat sales go up as children are out of school and with ballpark hot dog consumption.

(USDA-AMS, Livestock Marketing Information Center)

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The Best Ordinary Tuesday: Finding Glimmers in the Grind

Tue, 12 May 2026 13:16:37 GMT

We are the people of the next. On a farm, the clock and the calendar are our masters, but they are also our greatest distractions. We wait all day for the end of the day so we can finally pull off our boots. We wait all year for the next year to come, hoping for better margins, better weather or a better balance of the markets. We spend entire lifetimes working for the prize 2-year-old, the record milk production or the bin-busting crop that finally justifies the sweat.

But if we are honest, when those records finally arrive, they often feel like a destination we reached while we were looking out the window at something else. Because the truth of the farm life — the goodness we praise God for — isn’t found in the record books; it’s found on an ordinary Tuesday.

The Success of the Seconds

Success on our 750-cow dairy is usually measured in pounds, percentages and bushels harvested. We track data points with precision, seeking logic in the chaos, but the real successes of a farming life don’t always happen in the margins. Sometimes they are the glimmering moments that we too often take for granted because they don’t come with a trophy or a line on a balance sheet.

Think about the last time you worked cattle together as a family. It’s a task that can easily descend into shouted directions and frayed nerves. But then, there’s that moment where it all just works. No one has to say a word; you move in a silent, practiced choreography passed down through generations. Your father knows exactly where you’re going to move the gate; your children anticipate the next cow in the chute. In that fleeting minute, the legacy isn’t a legal document or a transition plan — it’s a heartbeat.

It’s the five-minute window in between filling the planter when a football appears from the back of the truck. The dust is still settling, the sun is high and, for 60 seconds, you aren’t a manager or an operator; you’re a dad. You’re a kid again yourself. Those spirals thrown over the tongue of the planter are the things we actually long for, yet we often treat them as interruptions to the “real work.”

Community Covered in Plastic

We saw it last fall during the long stretch of chopping. The silage pile was growing, the weather was turning and the exhaustion was setting in. Then, the high school varsity football team showed up — a dozen young men with more energy than sense, ready to help pull the plastic and toss the tires.

In the grand scheme of the year’s production, that couple of hours of help was a small fraction of the labor. But in the grand scheme of life, it was everything. It was the community showing up when the always-on nature of the dairy felt like too much to carry alone. It was the realization that the farm doesn’t just produce milk; it produces the character of the town. If you didn’t stop to see the goodness in those dusty, laughing teenagers, you might have thought it was just another chore finished. But it was the best Tuesday of the month.

The Prize of the Return

Then there is the greatest glimmer of all: the conversation you didn’t dare to script. It happens in the cab of the truck or while walking back from the parlor. Your oldest son, the one you’ve watched grow up in the shadow of this barn, looks at the horizon and says he wants to do what Dad does for a living. After graduating from college this spring, he is planning to come back to the family farm.

In that moment, the low margin and crummy weather lose their power. The audacity and faith required to keep a 750-cow and 1,800-acre operation running are suddenly rewarded. Not with a record milk check, but with the knowledge that the soil you’ve tended and the cows you’ve bred have a future beyond your own hands.

Searching for the Glimmer

The thing about these moments is that they don’t happen for 24 consecutive hours. They don’t last for weeks or months. They are seconds. They are glimmers of hope that we have to actively search for.

If we aren’t careful, we can finish the day thinking it was just another grind — another ordinary Tuesday where the equipment broke or the labor was short. But if we adjust our sails and shift our gaze, we realize that the days we’ve been longing for are happening right in front of our eyes.

The prize isn’t the 2-year-old in the show ring; it’s the 2-year-old grandchild sitting on your lap in the tractor. The record crop isn’t just the bushels per acre; it’s the harvest of memories with family by your side being made while the work was being done.

Praise God for the goodness that being a farmer is — not because it is easy and not because it is always profitable, but because it gives us the eyes to see that an ordinary Tuesday can be the best day we have ever asked for. We just have to be brave enough to stop waiting for the “next” long enough to see the “now.”

Cheese Exports Hit All-Time High in March as Global Appetite Grows

Tue, 12 May 2026 13:00:00 GMT

Records were broken with over 63,435 MT exported in the month of March of cheese alone, an all-time high for single month exports, jumping over 29% from March of 2025. Butterfat and AMF exports also set a single month record at 17,074 MT shipped, 109.9% higher than March of 2025.

The world wants U.S. cheese with a shift in desire for western-style foods, more restaurant and food service demand at a competitive price not found in other countries due to our abundance of supply available her in the United States. Cheese exports are trending higher, with the first quarter of 2026 totaling an increase of 23.2% higher year over year.

Meanwhile, butter production was up 1.2% in March while butter exports year-to-date are up nearly 93.2% from the same quarter last year. Which raises the question if the U.S. can keep up with the export demand despite the increasing production. Churns are running seven days a week with growing milk and cream supply and spring flush is here with outstanding weather for cow comfort.

(USDA)

While cheese and butterfat are the stars of the show, milk powders are the most vulnerable in the export category. Nonfat dry milk (NFDM) and skim milk powder (SMP) broke their four-month year over year growth streak with a decline of 8% lower volume in the month of March 2026 when compared to the extremely high volume traded in March of 2026. All is not lost though, March 2026 was still the highest export volume we’ve seen in five months, it’s comparison to March 2025, being the highest export volume of the whole year, makes the year over year data look poorer than it is.

(USDA)

When looking at the dairy export data, the volume is certainly impressive, however the economic impact is outstanding. The value of dairy products exported reached the high dollar amount of $892.4 million in March, the highest monthly value seen in nearly four years. This is an increase of 6% more value year over year as reported from the USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service.

The biggest markets for U.S. exports of dairy products in total value during the first quarter of the year were Mexico at $675.4 million, up 10% YoY, Canada who declined 19% YoY still came in second with total dollars purchased coming in at $295.4 million, Japan at $156.4 million, up 8%; South Korea at $145.5 million, up 19%; and China dropping 24% in 2026 with ongoing trade negotiations coming in at $123.9 million. All other major customers were under $100 million with anywhere from Colombia up 77% YoY to Philippines down 10% with most showing big increases YoY.

So, while the market wants to focus on the massive amount of production the United States is producing, the export program continues to be a bright light. World demand is continuing to increase, and we have the supply to feed it.

Sarah Jungman is a commodity broker with AgMarket.Net and AgDairy, the dairy division of John Stewart & Associates Inc. (JSA). JSA is a full-service commodity brokerage firm based out of St. Joseph, MO. Sarah’s office is located in Winterset, Iowa and she may be reached at 515-272-5799 or through the website www.agmarket.net .

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Teens Trust Dairy More than Any Other Generation, New Survey Finds

Mon, 11 May 2026 21:51:01 GMT

Consumers continue to rank dairy as one of the most trusted food categories, and new data suggests that confidence is strengthening most among younger consumers at the same time federal policy is expanding access to whole milk in schools.

According to the latest Consumer Perceptions Tracker from Dairy Management Inc., 36% of consumers gave dairy one of the top two trust ratings on a seven-point scale in 2025, a slight increase from the previous year.

(National Milk Producers Federation)

But the most notable shift is happening with teenagers.

The report found teens recorded the highest trust levels of any age group, with 47% rating dairy a six or seven on the seven-point scale. That figure has steadily climbed from 33% in 2023 to 41% in 2024 and now 47% in 2025.

The trend reflects a generational change in how younger consumers view dairy products, at a time when nutrition conversations have increasingly centered on protein, whole foods and minimally processed diets.

(National Milk Producers Federation)

Whole Milk Returns to School Menus

Federal policy is aligning with these priorities through updated school nutrition standards that restore broader access to whole and reduced-fat milk options.

The USDA recently issued a final rule implementing the Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act, restoring whole and reduced-fat milk options in federal Child Nutrition Programs for children and adults ages 2 and older.

The law, signed by Donald Trump in January 2026, reverses previous restrictions that limited schools largely to low-fat and fat-free milk options.

(Evelyn Hockstein/REUTERS.)

“President Trump promised to Make America Healthy Again, and restoring whole milk to schools is a major step toward delivering on that promise,” says U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins.

Rollins framed the rule as both a policy correction and a step toward expanding milk options in school nutrition programs.

“For years, outdated federal rules kept nutritious whole milk off school menus, despite growing evidence showing the importance of healthy fats and nutrient-dense foods for child development,” Rollins says. “USDA is proud to implement the Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act and give schools the flexibility to serve real, wholesome milk options that help children grow, learn, and thrive.”

Industry groups have praised the move, saying it brings federal policy more in line with current nutrition guidance and student preferences.

Michael Dykes, D.V.M., president and CEO of the International Dairy Foods Association, called the rule “a major victory for children’s nutrition and common-sense school meal policy,” adding that USDA acted quickly to give schools and processors “the certainty they need to offer students the nutritious milk options that best meet their nutrition needs.”

“For too long, federal regulations limited schools’ ability to offer the milk options students prefer,” Dykes says. “This rule restores flexibility while aligning policy with the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, which recognize dairy across all fat levels as part of healthy dietary patterns. Importantly, it allows flavored and unflavored milk across all fat levels, helping schools better meet student preferences while improving access to the 13 essential nutrients milk provides in every serving.”

Long-Term Demand Trends

Full fat dairy products such as whole milk, cottage cheese and Greek yogurt are seeing renewed interest among younger consumers. Much of that interest appears tied to higher protein eating patterns and growing attention to minimally processed foods in online spaces.

Teen trust in dairy rising alongside schools bringing back more milk options points to how consumer preferences and nutrition guidance are lining up. Eating habits formed during the teenage years tend to carry into adulthood. Choices made around everyday foods and beverages during that stage often become familiar patterns later in life, even as diets and preferences continue to evolve. When trust builds early, it can carry forward and show up in long-term consumption patterns.

Beef-on-Dairy Calves May Scour Less than Holsteins, New Research Shows

Mon, 11 May 2026 18:44:36 GMT

Beef-on-dairy calves have long been a solid income stream on many dairies, turning into a steady payout when they leave the farm and move into beef systems. More recently, farmers have also started to notice these calves often require fewer individual health treatments than their purebred counterparts, adding to their overall profitability.

Researchers like Melinda Kovacs, a master’s student at the University of Guelph, have started to take a closer look at how these calves perform early in life, when most health challenges tend to show up. One pattern that keeps surfacing is that crossbred calves tend to have fewer digestive issues than Holsteins, especially scours.

In her work, Kovacs found beef-on-dairy crossbred calves have lower diarrhea rates, fewer days with scours and fewer repeat treatments than Holsteins during the rearing phase.

“Producers were finding that the health of these crossbred calves was improved,” Kovacs explained during a recent “The Dairy Health Blackbelt Podcast” episode. “They were finding less health challenges, or these animals were able to recover from disease a little bit better than the purebred calves.”

Fewer Scours Cases Stand Out

The study followed approximately 640 calves housed at a single calf-rearing facility over about 18 months. Kovacs analyzed records from 446 Holstein calves and 194 beef-on-dairy crossbred calves.

Using twice-daily health scoring, Kovacs and her team monitored diarrhea and respiratory disease while also collecting weekly body weights, milk intake and starter feed intake data.

When she compared the two groups at the conclusion of the study, one health challenge stood out immediately.

“We found that the Holstein calves had a higher incidence of diarrhea compared to the crossbred calves,” Kovacs says. “We also found that translated to fewer days with diarrhea.”

Beef-on-dairy calves_Suanne Blackwell

(Suanne Blackwell)

The same trend appeared when she evaluated severe diarrhea cases.

“This is what we were expecting based on kind of our communication with producers,” Kovacs says. “That the crossbred calves would have less diarrhea in the preweaning or the rearing phase.”

For dairy farmers and calf raisers, fewer scours cases can influence nearly every part of calf performance. Diarrhea remains one of the most expensive calfhood diseases on dairies due to treatment costs, lost growth, labor demands and long-term health setbacks.

Crossbred Calves Needed Fewer Repeat Treatments

Kovacs also examined therapeutic interventions and found another difference between the groups.

“We did find that the Holstein calves had a higher hazard of being treated multiple times for both diarrhea and respiratory disease,” she says.

Respiratory disease rates themselves were similar between breeds, but the need for repeated treatment was higher in Holsteins. That finding could become more important as dairy and calf-rearing operations focus on reducing antibiotic use while still keeping calves healthy and performing well.

“Perhaps there’s a greater ability of these crossbred calves to recover from diseases compared to Holstein calves,” Kovacs adds.

Why Are Beef-on-Dairy Calves More Resilient?

(Farm Journal)

The study wasn’t designed to pin down exactly why the differences are showing up, but Kovacs thinks genetics likely play a role.

“In the dairy industry, we see a lot of inbreeding depression with the Holstein animals,” she says. “And I think perhaps we have some heterosis or hybrid vigor in these crossbred animals.”

Selection pressure may also contribute to the performance gap. Dairy genetics have focused on milk production traits, while beef genetics have emphasized growth and muscling.

“In the dairy industry, we’ve been genetically selecting for obviously higher milk production, whereas in the beef industry, we’ve been selecting for more growth traits,” Kovacs says. “So perhaps these crossbred calves are benefiting from the growth traits compared to the Holstein calves.”

She also found crossbred calves gained weight faster during the rearing phase.

“The crossbred calves did have higher growth rates, so higher average daily gains,” Kovacs says. “They were about [15 lb.] heavier than the Holstein calves when they were finished this rearing phase.”

Differences Continued Through Harvest

Kovacs and her team later expanded the project to follow some calves from birth through harvest at approximately 13 months of age. She wanted to better understand how calfhood health and management influence later feedlot and carcass performance.

Beef_carcasses

“Right now, there’s kind of a big disconnect between all of the different components of the industry, between the dairy farm of origin, the rearing, the feedlot and the abattoir,” Kovacs says.

The performance differences continued beyond the early rearing phase.

“The crossbred calves, I believe, were about [120 to 124 lb.] more in body weight compared to the Holsteins,” Kovacs says. “Which does have significant implications in terms of the cost benefit of these animals.”

She also identified differences in ribeye area and carcass composition, suggesting the advantages weren’t limited to early growth but carried through to how the animals finished at harvest.

More Research Still Needed

Even with the encouraging results, Kovacs says dairy producers should not assume crossbred calves require less attention or lower-quality care.

“With my findings, we see that they’re maybe more resilient or robust,” she says. “But I think those producers still need to be offering the best care to those calves to ensure their success.”

Kovacs adds that much of the existing calf research has historically focused on purebred Holsteins, leaving major knowledge gaps around nutrition and management requirements for beef-on-dairy calves.

“A lot of research that’s been done in the past has focused on purebred Holstein calves,” Kovacs says. “So, we don’t really know if the requirements of these crossbred calves for both maintenance and growth are the same as for a purebred Holstein calf.”

As beef-on-dairy programs continue to expand across the dairy industry, producers are paying closer attention to which calves stay healthier and perform better from start to finish. This research suggests fewer scours cases early in life may be part of the advantage, adding to the overall profitability of beef-on-dairy calves.

For more on beef-on-dairy, read:

How a Downsized Dairy Turned to AI to Make the Numbers Work

Thu, 07 May 2026 18:31:16 GMT

On a 60-cow registered Holstein dairy outside Baldwin, Wis., artificial intelligence has become part of the management toolbox.

Mary Holle and her husband, Joe, milk in a refurbished 94-cow tie-stall barn at Holle-Oaks Dairy, a family operation that has seen major change in recent years. After taking over the farm from Joe’s parents in 2017, the Holles made a hard pivot in 2024, downsizing from 120 cows to 60.

With her father-in-law ready to step back from daily chores and labor costs continuing to climb, Holle could see the pressure building. The farm had reached a point where something had to change to keep things sustainable for everyone involved. Thus, downsizing the herd became the path forward.

Part of that downsizing process involved bringing in a tool still new to many dairy farmers — artificial intelligence, or AI. It wasn’t an obvious fit, but Holle saw it as a way to work through her farm’s numbers and run different scenarios without adding more layers to an already full system.

A Numbers Mindset Meets a New Tool

Holle, who also serves as the program manager for the Farm and Industry Short Course at UW-River Falls, didn’t come to AI without experience. She’s long leaned into data, building her own systems to track and understand how her farm is performing.

“I’ve been using Excel since I was, like, 10 years old,” Holle says. “I started doing my dad’s dairy herd records, because we didn’t milk test.”

That early passion for data turned into formal training in dairy science and ag business, along with several years of building detailed spreadsheets for her own operation. Today, those workbooks track just about everything on the farm, from feed costs and veterinary expenses to crop yields, soil tests and labor.

“I’ve been building complex equations within Excel for like a decade,” Holle says. “My biggest workbook is 17 pages long.”

Even with all of that in place, she eventually hit a point where spreadsheets alone weren’t enough to work through the number of what-if scenarios she was running. She wasn’t trying to replace the system she already had, but she needed a faster way to test ideas and see how different decisions might actually play out.

That’s when Holle began to use AI. She started experimenting with it by feeding in her own farm numbers, then asking it to run different scenarios and compare outcomes she would normally have to build out by hand. Over time, she used it to work through decisions faster and feel more confident in what the numbers were pointing to.

Running the Numbers

The 2024 transition pushed Holle to take a closer look at her cost structure. With fewer cows, fewer employees and new financial obligations, she needed to figure out what her cost per cow and break-even milk price needed to be for the smaller herd to stay profitable.

“I needed to run a series of scenarios to find the linchpins in the business,” Holle says. “We had to drop our cost per cow and get our break-even down to around $17.80 per cwt. for the smaller herd to work.”

She pulled data from her workbooks, including fixed costs, five-year averages for feed and vet expenses, labor hours, wages and loan balances with payment schedules. From there, she used AI to organize the information and get a better read on what was driving cost per cow.

“I asked ChatGPT, ‘What are the trends, what’s going on, can you put this into context?’” she says.

Working in short windows between chores, Holle ran different scenarios around debt, labor and herd costs to see which changes would have the biggest impact. It didn’t hand her one answer, but it helped narrow the decisions down.

“It told me what needed paid off first and where I’d see the most return,” she says. “I took the results to our banker and he said, ‘That’s ingenious.’”

In the end, the Holles were still the ones giving the final say, but AI helped them sort through information quicker and feel better about the direction they were headed.

Taking AI to the Field

After using AI to work through the financial side of the operation and guide the downsizing decision, Holle started looking at where else it could fit. Crop management was the next place she turned, and it’s something she’s still working through this year.

The farm currently includes about 500 acres in rotation with corn, soybeans, alfalfa and wheat. Similar to her herd management Excel work, Holle had built up soil tests, yield maps and field histories over time, but the information wasn’t connected in a way that made it easy to use. This year, she started using AI to organize it by field and year, then layer in crop history and yield data so it could be compared more directly.

“I didn’t have everything tied together in one place,” she says. “I had the information, it just wasn’t organized in a way I could actually use.”

With a new structure in place, Holle began asking AI more targeted questions around nutrient management and input efficiency. One focus centered around nitrogen — how much was already available in the field and where she might be able to cut back on applications without hurting yield.

“I wanted to know what was already out there before just putting more on,” she says. “If there was a place to save a little money without giving up yield, I wanted to find it.”

She’s also started looking at whether past decisions, like planting BMR corn, may have longer-term effects on nutrient availability. Using AI helped Holle spot patterns and show up to conversations with her agronomists better prepared.

This spring, she and her agronomists used that analysis as a starting point to fine-tune fertilizer and spray programs by field, paying closer attention to residual nutrients and timing. The new plan cut back on total fertilizer and chemical use compared to the previous year. By her estimate, this adjustment will trim roughly $40,000 from her fertilizer and spray bill in 2026.

Keeping Perspective in Place

While Holle sees value in AI, she’s careful about how she uses it. Sensitive information stays out, including personal identifiers, financial accounts and tax data.

“There’s always a step between sensitive information and it,” she says. “Anything personal or financial doesn’t go straight in. It always gets filtered or kept separate first.”

That caution carries into how she uses the tool in day-to-day decisions. Even when AI is helping her work through parts of the farm’s data, it hasn’t taken over decision-making. Holle still relies on her own judgment when something doesn’t line up with what she’s seeing on the farm, especially when context doesn’t show up in the numbers.

“Yes, I think it’s made me a better farmer,” she says. “But it’s a tool for the areas where I don’t know enough. There’s always context it’s going to miss. You can read a person or a situation in ways it can’t.”

For other producers thinking about trying AI, Holle recommends starting small and treating it like any other tool on the farm. Don’t start with big decisions or sensitive financial work. Start with something simple, learn how it responds and build from there.

“Start with emails or documents,” she says. “Something low risk where you can see how it responds and get comfortable with how it handles your information before moving into anything bigger or more complex.”

From her experience, it has less to do with the technology itself and more to do with how organized the farm’s information is going in. If the inputs are messy or incomplete, the results will be, too.

“Garbage information in leads to garbage answers out,” Holle says. “If you don’t know what you’re asking for, you won’t get what you need.”

That also means knowing where the farm stands before expecting any tool to improve it. Clear records, numbers and a good handle on what’s working and what isn’t all matter just as much as the software being used.

“You need to understand your strengths and weaknesses first,” she says. “Know what you’re comfortable handling on your own and where you could use a little more support, so you’re not leaning on the tool for things you already do well or expecting it to fix gaps you haven’t identified yet.”

Faster Decisions, Tighter Management

On her 60-cow dairy, AI hasn’t replaced hands-on management or day-to-day decision-making. Instead, it’s helped her sort through financial choices, tighten input decisions and show up to conversations with advisers with more clarity around the numbers.

For Holle, it’s become a fast, free tool she can pull up anytime to work through questions and run scenarios. And it’s helped her move through decisions faster and keep the operation running a little tighter, without adding more layers to the process.

The Empty Stanchion: The Structural Labor Crisis Threatening U.S. Dairy

Mon, 11 May 2026 13:22:48 GMT

In the rolling plains of the Texas Panhandle and the volcanic soils of Idaho’s Magic Valley, a silent crisis is brewing. It isn’t a disease outbreak, a drought or a sudden crash in milk prices. Instead, it is the steady, quiet disappearance of the human hands required to keep the nation’s dairy industry running.

As the U.S. dairy sector has modernized and expanded, it has hit a paradoxical wall: The more technologically advanced the farms become, the more they find themselves tethered to a labor market that is increasingly broken.

For states like Texas and Idaho — two titans of U.S. milk production — the labor shortage is no longer a seasonal inconvenience; it is a structural deficiency that threatens the long-term viability of the industry and the economic health of the rural communities that depend on it.

The Texas Powerhouse Under Pressure

Texas has rapidly ascended the ranks to become a top-tier dairy state. By 2025, the Lone Star State produced a staggering 18 billion pounds of milk from approximately 705,000 cows. This isn’t just about milk in the grocery store; it’s an economic engine that contributes tens of billions of dollars to the state economy and supports over 250,000 direct and indirect jobs.

However, Texas Association of Dairymen Executive Director Darren Turley warns that this engine is running on a dangerously thin workforce.

“The Texas dairy industry has a persistent and growing need for labor because today’s large, modern dairies are labor-intensive businesses that operate every day of the year,” Turley shares in the association’s latest blog.

In the vast rural stretches of Texas, the labor market is exceptionally tight. Recruiting for long-term farm work has become a monumental task. The jobs are physically demanding, and the always-on nature of a dairy — as cows must be milked 365 days a year — clashes with a domestic workforce that increasingly seeks flexibility and climate-controlled environments.

More Than Just Milking

A common misconception is that dairy labor starts and ends in the milking parlor. In reality, the modern dairy is a complex ecosystem of specialized roles. Beyond the milkers, farms require staff for animal care, feeding, manure management, calf rearing and the operation of increasingly sophisticated machinery.

While robotics and automation are often touted as the solution, Turley notes that technology is a tool, not a total replacement.

“While technology, including a growing number of robotic dairies, may help reduce some labor pressure, there always will be a need for human workers,” he says.

When labor is short, the entire system slows down. Cows aren’t fed as precisely, maintenance is deferred and expansion plans are shelved. For a state like Texas, which is built on the premise of growth, a lack of labor acts as a hard ceiling on potential.

The Idaho Alarm: A Math Problem

Further north in Idaho, the situation is perhaps even more acute. Idaho Dairymen’s Association CEO Rick Naerebout paints a stark picture of the math facing the state’s producers.

“The state has 84 Idahoans for every 100 jobs available,” Naerebout says.

The struggle to find domestic workers is best illustrated by a sobering statistic from last year: Out of 7,500 H-2A agricultural jobs advertised in Idaho, only five were taken by Idahoans. The H-2A program requires farmers to advertise to domestic workers first, but the reality is that the local population is either unable or unwilling to fill these roles.

“Ag jobs are tougher to fill because they are physically demanding and often outdoors,” Naerebout notes.

This leaves dairy farmers in a precarious legal and operational position. Because the H-2A visa program is strictly for seasonal work, the dairy industry — which requires year-round, consistent labor — is effectively locked out of a legal pathway to hire the foreign workers they so desperately need.

The Policy Trap and the Economic Cliff

The crux of the issue lies in the disconnect between federal immigration policy and the biological reality of a cow. A dairy cow does not stop producing milk when the season ends. Yet, the only major agricultural visa program available (H-2A) is built on a seasonal model.

Naerebout points to two primary friction points: the lack of a year-round visa and the political volatility surrounding immigration. In Idaho, attempts to implement worker verification systems at the state level failed, but the fear remains. Meanwhile, federal crackdowns on immigration create an environment of uncertainty that discourages workers from entering the sector.

The consequences of failing to fix this immigration issue are not just confined to the farm gate. Naerebout warns of a massive economic multiplier effect.

“If we remove 50% of the workforce, it would induce a recession the size of the 2007 to 2009 recession,” he says.

In Idaho, removing 27,000 workers who are currently without legal status would trigger the loss of an additional 25,000 jobs held by American-born citizens in sectors like construction, hospitality and retail.

Seeking a Federal Fix

The solutions proposed by industry leaders like Naerebout and Turley are pragmatic, yet politically difficult to achieve. There are two primary avenues for relief:

Visa expansion — This involves transitioning the H-2A program or creating a new visa category that accounts for year-round industries like dairy and fresh-pack produce. This would provide a legal, transparent pathway for foreign workers to fill vacancies that domestic workers have rejected.
Legalization of the existing workforce — This involves acknowledging that the current dairy workforce is already largely comprised of immigrant workers who are trained and essential. “Have them go through a background check and pay a penalty, but let them stay,” Naerebout suggests.

The Stakes for the Consumer

Ultimately, the labor crisis on the dairy is a consumer crisis. When labor shortages raise costs and limit production, the price of milk, cheese and butter inevitably climbs. In Texas, where the population is booming, the demand for dairy is higher than ever. If the state’s dairies cannot run at full capacity, the supply chain becomes fragile.

As Turley puts it: The labor need is a structural issue, not a short-term inconvenience.

“Unless labor supply improves through policy changes, better recruitment, automation or all of the above, Texas dairies will continue facing pressure to protect productivity and profitability,” he says.

The American dairy farmer has proven to be incredibly resilient, surviving market crashes and environmental challenges. But you cannot milk a cow with a vacancy. Without a federal resolution to the workforce shortage, the great rebalancing of the dairy industry may not be a matter of prices or protein; it may be a matter of who is left to do the work.

Danone to Close New Jersey Plant-Based Beverage Facility

Fri, 08 May 2026 17:19:40 GMT

Danone is planning to close a dairy-alternatives manufacturing facility in Bridgeton, New Jersey, later this summer. The facility currently manufactures beverages sold under the Silk and So Delicious Dairy Free brands.

According to the company, production from the Bridgeton plant will be redistributed to facilities in Mt. Crawford, Virginia; Dallas, Texas; and Jacksonville, Florida. The French food company confirmed the site will close Aug. 4.

“This change is part of a broader effort to transform our network and enables our investment in critical capabilities across our core U.S. footprint for the long term,” Danone said in a statement to Just Food.

The closure comes as the company works through challenges in its North American plant-based segment. During Danone’s 2025 earnings discussion in February, CFO Juergen Esser described the company’s North American plant-based performance as “unsatisfactory” in 2024.

Market data suggests growth in the dairy-alternative category has slowed. According to a report from the Good Food Institute, plant-based dairy-alternatives remained the largest plant-based food category in the U.S. in 2025, generating $2.7 billion in sales and accounting for 13% of total retail milk sales.

However, overall plant-based dairy alternative sales declined 2% year-over-year.

Expanding Dairy Capacity

The Bridgeton closure contrasts with several recent investments Danone has announced across its broader dairy network.

Last month, the company unveiled plans to invest approximately $23.5 million to expand skyr production in France. In November, Danone also announced a major investment at its Boucherville, Canada, facility that will increase yogurt production capacity by 40% and raw milk processing capacity by 20%.

The company also shared plans in August 2025 to expand its yogurt manufacturing facility in Minster, Ohio, which produces brands including Oikos, Activia, Dannon and Danimals.

Waiting for the Vet: How to Manage Udder Vein Lacerations on Farm

Mon, 11 May 2026 13:56:00 GMT

Few situations on a dairy are more alarming than finding a cow actively bleeding from an udder vein laceration. Blood loss can happen quickly, and in severe cases, the situation can become life-threatening before a veterinarian arrives.

The first priority is staying calm enough to control the bleeding and stabilize the animal.

While udder vein injuries are among the more dramatic bleeding emergencies producers may encounter, many of the same principles apply to other significant lacerations on farm. Rapid bleeding control, minimizing movement and protecting the injured area can all improve outcomes while waiting for veterinary care.

Udder veins are particularly vulnerable because of their size. High-producing dairy cows require significant blood flow to support milk production, which means damage to those vessels can result in substantial blood loss in a short amount of time.

According to Dr. Erika Nagorske, these cases are memorable because of how quickly they escalate.

“Their udder vein goes from their udder up toward their chest right on their belly line,” Nagroske says. “It is garden hose-huge because dairy cows milk so much and need a lot of blood flow.”

Control the Cow First

As with many emergencies, the first step is containment.

Move the cow into a safe, confined area where she is less likely to panic, move excessively or injure herself further. A chute or small pen is ideal if available. Limiting movement helps reduce additional trauma and makes it easier to assess the source of the bleeding.

This same principle applies to many lacerations, particularly those involving limbs or areas where movement can repeatedly reopen the wound.

If the cow is already weak or beginning to wobble, minimizing stress becomes even more important. Heavy blood loss can cause animals to deteriorate quickly.

(Erika Nagorske)

Apply Pressure Immediately

Direct pressure is the most important first response.

Use clean towels, cloths or any absorbent material available and apply firm pressure directly over the source of bleeding. Even temporary clotting can slow blood loss enough to buy valuable time before veterinary care arrives.

For smaller lacerations elsewhere on the body, pressure alone is often enough to reduce bleeding until the veterinarian arrives. In more severe injuries, especially those involving larger vessels, additional intervention may be needed.

“If you have hemostats or true vet tools on hand, great. Otherwise, vise grips,” Nagorske says. “And it sounds very archaic, right? But it’s either we’re looking at either a dead cow or not a dead cow.”

If trained and comfortable doing so, producers may be able to carefully clamp above and below the damaged portion of the vein to slow bleeding until the veterinarian arrives.

Avoid Unnecessary Movement

Once bleeding is somewhat controlled, keep the cow as quiet and still as possible.

Walking the animal unnecessarily or repeatedly moving her between locations can worsen blood loss or disrupt clot formation. The goal is stabilization, not treatment.

Nagorske notes these situations can become especially difficult if the cow goes down before bleeding is controlled.

“That’s what’s hard about those bad bleeders,” she says. “They lay down, then you can’t get to the source of bleeding.”

What Not to Do

In high-stress bleeding emergencies, well-intentioned actions can sometimes make the situation worse.

Do not leave the cow uncontained
Do not repeatedly remove pressure to check the wound
Do not force the animal to walk long distances
Do not delay calling the veterinarian
Do not assume bleeding has stopped completely just because it has slowed

Keeping the animal calm, controlling bleeding and minimizing additional trauma can make a substantial difference in the outcome.

Be Prepared

Udder vein lacerations are not everyday events, but preparation matters.

Having towels, clean cloths and basic restraint or clamping tools accessible on the farm can make the initial response more effective while waiting for veterinary care. Reviewing emergency protocols with employees ahead of time can also help reduce panic during high-stress situations.

Most importantly, call the veterinarian immediately. Rapid intervention gives the cow the best chance of recovery and can prevent a serious situation from becoming fatal.

California Dairy Study Raises New Questions About How H5N1 Spreads

Fri, 08 May 2026 15:46:21 GMT

For months, discussions around H5N1 in dairy cattle have focused largely on infected milk and contaminated milking equipment. New research from California suggests the transmission picture may be far more complex.

In a study published this week in PLOS Biology , researchers investigating 14 H5N1-positive California dairies found evidence supporting several possible transmission pathways, including aerosols generated during milking and contamination within dairy wastewater systems. The study also identified signs of subclinical infection in some cows, raising new questions about how easily infected animals may be missed during outbreaks.

The findings add to growing evidence that the dairy environment itself may play a larger role in H5N1 transmission than previously recognized.

Infectious H5N1 Virus Detected in Dairy Parlor Air

One of the study’s most significant findings came from air sampling inside milking parlors.

Researchers collected aerosol samples during milking and detected not only viral RNA, but infectious H5N1 virus in some air samples. Viral material was also identified in exhaled breath collected from infected cattle.

Environmental sampling findings included:

Infectious virus recovered from parlor air samples and wastewater systems
Viral RNA identified in cow breath samples
Evidence of infection in some cows without obvious clinical signs

The distinction between viral RNA and infectious virus is important. Detecting RNA alone does not confirm viable virus is present, while recovery of infectious virus suggests aerosolized particles could potentially contribute to transmission.

The authors stopped short of concluding that airborne spread is a primary transmission route on dairies. However, the findings raise new questions about respiratory exposure risks in enclosed milking environments.

Milking parlors routinely generate aerosols through animal movement, splashing fluids, equipment use and high-pressure cleaning systems. The study suggests those environments may warrant closer attention during outbreak investigations and biosecurity planning.

The findings also have implications for worker safety. Since the U.S. dairy outbreak began, human infections linked to dairy cattle exposure have generally been mild, with conjunctivitis among the most commonly reported symptoms. Aerosol exposure during milking has remained a persistent concern for occupational health experts.

Wastewater Systems are a Possible H5N1 Exposure Route

Researchers also detected widespread contamination throughout dairy wastewater systems.

H5N1 viral RNA was identified in parlor drains, wastewater sumps, lagoons and reclaimed water systems. Infectious virus was recovered from some wastewater-associated samples as well. This finding may be particularly relevant for modern dairy operations, where reclaimed water is frequently reused for flushing and other management purposes.

The authors noted wastewater systems could create additional opportunities for virus movement within the farm environment through splashing, aerosol generation, contaminated surfaces and possible wildlife exposure. Wild birds have already played a major role in the global spread of H5N1. Contaminated wastewater or standing water could represent another point of interaction between dairies and wildlife populations.

The study does not establish wastewater systems as a major driver of transmission. However, it does suggest environmental contamination pathways may deserve more attention as researchers continue investigating how the virus behaves in dairy systems.

Some Infected Cows Showed Few Clinical Signs

The study also identified evidence of subclinical infection.

Some cows tested positive for H5N1 despite showing limited or no obvious clinical illness. In several cases, cows produced H5N1-positive milk without severe visible mastitis signs. Researchers also detected antibodies in animals without previously recognized disease.

Infection patterns within udders added another layer of complexity. Researchers noted some patterns did not fully align with expectations if transmission were occurring solely through contaminated milking equipment.

If milking equipment was the only major transmission route, infections between udder quarters would likely appear more predictable. Instead, the findings suggested additional exposure pathways may be involved.

These subclinical infections could complicate surveillance and outbreak detection efforts. Farms relying primarily on visibly sick cows may miss infected animals, particularly during the early stages of transmission. That has implications for testing strategies, animal movement decisions and outbreak response planning.

The findings also highlight how differently H5N1 behaves in cattle compared to poultry, where highly pathogenic avian influenza often causes rapid and severe disease.

Biosecurity Implications Continue to Evolve

The authors emphasized more research is needed to determine which transmission pathways are most influential on commercial dairies. Still, the study broadens the conversation around H5N1 biosecurity.

Early outbreak discussions focused heavily on milk contamination and fomite transmission through milking equipment. This study suggests aerosols, wastewater systems, environmental contamination and subclinical infections may also play a role.

That could influence future discussions around:

Parlor ventilation
PPE use during milking
Wastewater handling
Environmental sanitation
Surveillance strategies
Monitoring apparently healthy cows

The paper also underscores how much remains unknown about H5N1 adaptation in dairy cattle. Researchers identified mutations in some environmental samples that have previously been associated with mammalian adaptation, though the significance of those findings remains unclear.

This study offers an updated look at a disease situation that continues to evolve rapidly — and suggests transmission on dairies may involve a broader network of environmental exposures than initially believed.

How McCarty Family Farms Hedges Fuel Costs to Protect Dairy Margins

Fri, 08 May 2026 13:17:13 GMT

The great rebalancing of 2026 has taught dairy producers a vital lesson: You cannot control the wind, but you can certainly adjust your sails. While much of the industry’s focus remains on milk checks and component values, a silent predator often lurks in the shadows of the balance sheet — the fuel pump.

For an operation like McCarty Family Farms in Rexford, Kan., the 2025 Milk Business Leader in Technology Award winner, which milks thousands of cows across multiple states, the scale of production is matched only by the scale of its energy requirements. With feed trucks, tractors and skid steers running 24/7, fuel is not just a line item; it is the lifeblood of the operation. And in an era of global energy volatility, leaving that lifeblood to the whims of the spot market is a risk Ken McCarty, co-owner and manager, is unwilling to take.

The Math of the Spike

To understand the McCarty strategy, one must first understand the stakes. On a modern, large dairy, the equipment never stops. The sheer volume of TMR moved and the constant management of manure requires a fleet that consumes thousands of gallons of diesel every week.

For large herds, like McCarty’s, a 50¢ spike in diesel can derail a quarterly budget. In reality, that half-dollar move isn’t just an inconvenience; it represents a massive shift in capital that could have been reinvested in herd health, technology or labor. By locking in fuel prices, McCarty isn’t just buying diesel; he is buying the psychological and financial stability required to manage a complex organization.

The 18-Month Horizon: A Layered Approach

The McCarty strategy is defined by its proactivity. While many producers wait for a good day at the local co-op, McCarty and his team are looking 12 to 18 months into the future. They don’t view fuel procurement as a single transaction but rather as a continuous process of layering.

The process begins with a deep dive into data. Working closely with their fuel seller, they evaluate historical usage patterns. They don’t just look at what they used last year; they account for upcoming changes, whether that’s an expansion in acreage, a shift in equipment efficiency or a change in the beef-on-dairy program that might increase hauling requirements.

Once the known demand is established, the layering begins. As forward months become available on the market, the McCarty team begins to book physical gallons. The goal is to reach approximately 90% coverage by the start of the budget year on Jan. 1.

Mitigation, Not Speculation

Perhaps the most important takeaway for other producers is the McCarty philosophy on winning. In a world of high-frequency trading and market gurus, it is easy to fall into the trap of trying to time the bottom of the market. Ken McCarty is quick to dispel that notion.

“We have never viewed this as a money-making strategy,” he says. “Instead, it is purely a risk mitigation strategy.”

For McCarty, the goal isn’t to hit the absolute lowest price of the year — a feat that is more about luck than skill. Instead, the benchmark is historical consistency. If the farm can land in the bottom third or bottom half of the 5- to 10-year historical average or even just maintain consistency year-over-year, the strategy is a success. This consistent-cost model allows the farm to set its milk margins with confidence, knowing that this large input on the farm is already settled.

The Hidden Exposures

Even with 90% of their consumed fuel locked in, McCarty acknowledges the limits of the hedge. The farm remains exposed to indirect fuel costs — the market effects on purchased goods and, perhaps most significantly, milk freight increases.

This distinction is crucial for producers to understand. Locking in the diesel for your own tractors doesn’t protect you from the fuel surcharges applied by the third-party haulers moving your milk or the trucks delivering your distillers grains. This reality reinforces why being aggressive on the fuel you can control is so important; it narrows the window of vulnerability on the variables you cannot control.

Beyond the Contract: Efficiency as a Hedge

While forward contracting provides financial protection, McCarty is also focused on the physical side of the equation: consuming less. Every gallon of diesel not burned is a gallon that doesn’t need to be hedged.

The farm is constantly searching for ways to reduce its energy footprint. This includes everything from optimizing feed routes to reduce idling time to investing in newer, more fuel-efficient equipment. In this view, energy efficiency is the ultimate long-term hedge. It is a permanent reduction in exposure that pays dividends regardless of what happens in the energy markets.

“We have lived through times like this in the past and have no desire to repeat it, so ultimately, if we can be in the bottom third or bottom half of the 5- to 10-year historical average, or at least consistent year-over-year, then we are satisfied,” McCarty shares. “Of course, we are constantly searching for ways to consume less fuel and energy in general as an additional method of reducing our exposure to energy markets.”

Lessons for the 500-Cow Producer

While the McCarty scale is vast, the principles are entirely scalable for a modern 500-cow operation. Whether you are milking 40,000 or 500, the great rebalancing of the market means that margins are found in the details.

Compeer Financial ag economist Megan Roberts concurs with McCarty and says hedging isn’t about hitting the top or the bottom of the market; it’s about avoiding the economic risk of doing nothing.

“Risk management strategies, including hedging, are less about predicting the market and more about carefully managing exposure, using consistent, incremental decisions to smooth volatility in a way that fits the needs of your dairy operation,” she says. “Every farm is different, but in today’s environment, having a clear plan in place and following it with discipline is a wise strategy.”

In the end, the McCarty’s approach to fuel is a reflection of its approach to dairy farming as a whole: disciplined, data-driven and focused on the long game. By taking the volatility of the energy market off the table, it allows McCarty’s to focus on what truly drives the farm’s success: the health of the cows and the quality of the milk.

In a year where milk prices are shifting and trade policies are in flux, the lesson from McCarty Family Farms is clear: Protect what you can, manage what you must and never leave your margin to chance.

The Unified Front: Dairy’s Generational Evolution and the Path to 2026

Thu, 07 May 2026 13:28:46 GMT

The atmosphere in Oak Brook, Ill., at the 2026 Dairy Sustainability Alliance Spring Meeting was one of focused optimism. When Dennis Rodenbaugh, president and CEO of Dairy Farmers of America and chair of the Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy, took the podium, he told the crowd they weren’t just listeners — they were the people redesigning the future of American farming. His message was clear: The U.S. dairy industry has moved past the era of defense and has firmly planted its flag in the territory of proactive leadership.

For years, the dairy industry found itself reacting to external pressures, often operating from a defensive posture. Rodenbaugh reflected on a time when the sector felt it was on its back heels, responding to narratives shaped by those outside the farm gate. However, the 2026 meeting marked a definitive departure from that stance. The current leadership, he argued, is no longer content to follow prevailing narratives. Instead, they are prioritizing the celebration of dairy’s intrinsic value — nutrition, stewardship and community impact.

Sustainability: A Legacy, Not a Label

One of the most compelling segments of Rodenbaugh’s address was his reframing of sustainability. To the modern ear, the word often sounds like a product of 21^st-century corporate mandates or NGO pressure. Rodenbaugh dismantled this notion, asserting sustainability in dairy did not begin with the invention of Scope 3 emissions reporting or government regulations.

“U.S. dairy farmers have been practicing sustainability decade after decade,” he reminds. For the farmer, sustainability is synonymous with stewardship. It is the practice of protecting natural resources not for a quarterly earnings report, but for the next generation. This generational thinking is the ultimate form of innovation. The goals of soil health, water conservation and animal care were not imported into the industry; they were born in the soil and passed down through lineages of farm families.

The Power of Alignment and Shared Responsibility

The Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy exists to solve a problem that no individual actor can tackle alone: scale. Rodenbaugh emphasizes real progress only happens when responsibility is shared and execution is aligned across the entire supply chain — from the cooperative to the processor to the retail partner.

In an increasingly fragmented world, the dairy industry has found strength in a coordinated roadmap. This alignment ensures food remains accessible, affordable and nutrient-dense. Rodenbaugh warns without this collective effort, individual farms or customer segments risk becoming isolated and vulnerable. By working through the alliance, the industry protects its license to operate and ensures the billions of people relying on dairy for nutrition are not let down.

By the Numbers: The Efficiency Miracle

To ground his vision in reality, Rodenbaugh points to the staggering efficiency gains the industry has achieved since the mid-20^th century. The modern U.S. dairy cow is a marvel of biological and technological innovation. Compared to her mid-century predecessors, today’s cow:

Produces five times more nutrition.
Uses 65% less water.
Requires 90% less land.
Maintains a 77% lower carbon footprint.

These figures aren’t just statistics; they are proof of a journey of improvement. However, Rodenbaugh cautions against defining sustainability too narrowly. While greenhouse gas emissions and carbon sequestration are vital components, they are only pieces of a much larger puzzle.

The Social Fabric of Dairy

Rodenbaugh proposes a holistic definition of sustainability that connects the environment to the economy and social stability, outlining a virtuous cycle: Farmers produce nutrition; that nutrition drives human health; healthy people build stable communities; stable communities support innovation; and innovation, in turn, drives further sustainability.

This circularity of health positions the dairy farmer as the cornerstone of community stability. When the dairy industry thrives, the environment thrives and the people fed by that industry are empowered to innovate. This is the narrative Rodenbaugh urges the alliance to champion — one where the cow is a solution to global nutritional and environmental challenges, not a contributor to them.

Inclusion: From 100 to 10,000

Perhaps the most critical challenge addressed was the participation gap. As sustainability standards and expectations are developed — sometimes by entities outside the U.S. or outside the industry — there is a risk of leaving certain producers behind.

Rodenbaugh is adamant that for sustainability to be successful, it must be inclusive.

“The 10,000-cow dairy and the 100-cow dairy need to be recognized as both being essential to our future,” he says.

The dairy industry must create pathways where farmers of all sizes can participate in environmental markets and adopt new technologies. New value must be generated to support the necessary investments on the farm. If the bar is set so high that only the largest operations can clear it, the industry loses its diversity and its soul.

The Frontier: AI and Sound Science

Looking toward the future, Rodenbaugh expresses excitement about the role of artificial intelligence in energizing and coordinating these efforts. AI offers the potential to better track measurements, meet the reality of on-farm practice and accelerate the trend of efficiency.

However, he tempered this technological optimism with a call for humility. The planetary systems the industry interacts with are enormously complex. Therefore, the industry’s strategies must remain grounded in sound science and guiding principles.

Confidence must be earned through research and a commitment to on-farm viability. The goal is not to meet a fleeting trend, but to build a permanent, pragmatic framework that works for the land and the checkbook.

As he closed his remarks, Rodenbaugh looked out at the record-breaking attendance of the spring meeting. The high turnout was, to him, evidence the industry sees the value in coordination. While other sectors may have struggled to find their footing in the sustainability conversation, dairy has emerged as a leader — not just within agriculture, but across the global corporate landscape.

The 2026 meeting served as a reminder the alliance is more than just a name; it is the room where the future of food is secured. By aligning on facts, embracing their history as stewards and ensuring every farmer has a seat at the table, the U.S. dairy industry is not just surviving the sustainability movement — it is defining it.

Turn Repro into Cashflow with These Three Fixes

Wed, 06 May 2026 15:25:58 GMT

There is a hidden cashflow lever that a lot of dairies can pull today to increase income in the next 12 months, and it is buried in your repro program.

With the value of a calf right now, we want cows getting pregnant as quickly as possible and turning as many calves over as possible. Those calves are an immediate source of income as soon as they hit the ground. That makes pregnancy rate (PR) the “North Star” of the breeding program. The target I want to get dairies to hit is 40% pregnancy rate (PR), and if a dairy isn’t there, here are the three areas I focus on to get more cows pregnant sooner:

Training: You may have a skilled breeder inseminating cows, but even a good breeder can benefit from a refresher course to gain PR points. It’s not uncommon for me to spend time along side the breeder and find that protocols have drifted and become costly habits. For example, on a recent farm visit, we found that semen was being deposited in the uterine horn. One simple retraining and repro improved within a couple of months.
Timing: Shot compliance is paramount. While some people may start out in the appropriate time range, by the time they are done giving shots, the timing is way off. Not only is the timing of shots key, but it’s also important to train employees to do some heat detection and catch good standing heats. These cows are the low-hanging fruit for getting additional pregnancies before a cycle passes by.
Technique: Cow handling technique is the other area where errors occur, compliance wanes and efficiency can be lost. I see a lot of people walking the pens and trying to give shots while the cows are moving. You might get the shot in the cow, but not the full injection. Not to mention, the additional stress you are creating for that cow and the entire pen. If you are trying to catch cows coming out of the parlor, try locking up the first group and releasing them to open up lockups for the last cows coming back to the pen, which are the ones most likely to get missed.

Focusing on these three key areas can pull the lever on pregnancy rate and thus, give you more calves on the ground that can turn into cash quickly.

Diesel Prices Are Breaking Records Across Multiple States, And Relief May Not Come in 2026

Wed, 06 May 2026 12:53:40 GMT

On Tuesday, President Trump stated that high gasoline prices are a “very small price to pay” for the ongoing war with Iran, arguing they are necessary to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon. He predicted prices will “come crashing down” once the war ends. But for farmers and ranchers, diesel prices have risen more than gas, putting a further strain on already high input costs for 2026.

Trump on Oil Prices:

I looked today, it's like at 102 and that's a very small price to pay pic.twitter.com/2V8LC93wFj
— Acyn (@Acyn) May 5, 2026

To start the week, diesel prices went on another run with the national average diesel price is just 20 cents away from reaching a new all-time high. And across the country, a growing number of states aren’t waiting to get there. About six states are already seeing the national average price of diesel reach record highs.

From the Great Lakes to the West Coast, roughly a half dozen states have already smashed previous records, as a late-April dip in prices quickly faded and a fresh surge took hold.

“Diesel now averaging about $5.65 a gallon nationally. That is only about 20 cents away from a new all-time record high,” says Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis at GasBuddy . “So even though we had that short-lived break, we’re right back knocking on the door of records again.”

That “break” didn’t last long. De Haan says even though diesel prices saw a bit of a respite for April, with even prices starting to trend down in mid-April, those prices re-accelerated in the last week.

New records for diesel in:
Michigan, $6.01
Illinois, $6.01
Wisconsin $5.67
(Indiana 0.2c/gal away), $6.03
(Ohio ~19c/gal away), $5.93 https://t.co/DV0387vvMR
— Patrick De Haan (@GasBuddyGuy) May 5, 2026

Now, the rally is showing up in state-by-state records, especially in the Midwest.

“Looking at it state by state, Great Lakes states have seen some tremendous refining issues that have really caused prices to rise dramatically,” he says. “Michigan has now set a new all-time record high for diesel over $6. Indiana is just a few tenths of a penny away from setting a new all-time record. Illinois has set a new all-time record. Wisconsin has set a new all-time record.”

And it’s not just a regional story. States in the West were some of the first to not just see the highest prices, but now also hit record levels.

“Out on the West Coast, Arizona set a record a couple of weeks ago, and Washington state is at an all-time record,” he adds. “So there are probably about a half dozen or so states that have set new all-time records, and again, the national average itself is just 20 cents away.”

Perhaps the most telling shift, though, is there’s no longer a low-price refuge.

“No states any longer have diesel averaging below $5 a gallon,” De Haan says. “Texas was the last holdout, and it now is above $5 per gallon. So across the board, $5 diesel is now essentially the floor, and in some areas, that’s actually the cheaper end of the spectrum.”

At the high end, prices are reaching extremes with California’s average diesel price now surpassing $8 per gallon.

Global Tensions Cloud Relief Outlook

With prices continuing to climb, farmers are looking for relief. What would it take to reverse course? That answer remains tied to global uncertainty.

“Relief may be a little bit elusive,” De Haan admits. “It really just depends on the daily developments in the situation between the U.S. and Iran—whether the Strait is open or not, or whether we’re in phases of escalation.”

The Strait of Hormuz remains a critical chokepoint for global energy supply, moving roughly 20 million barrels of oil per day.

“Nothing else matters to the oil market more than this waterway,” he emphasizes. “We’ve seen attacks that have pushed oil prices higher, which in turn pushes diesel wholesale prices up. You may get a little bit of day-to-day relief, but there really is no ‘coast is clear’ until there’s some sort of definitive resolution.”

And even then, he says a turnaround won’t happen overnight.

“If there is a definitive signal to the market, if the Strait reopens and both sides are aligned, prices could start falling within 48 hours,” De Haan explained. “But the rate of decline is likely to slow after that initial drop.”

Prices Likely to Remain Elevated Through 2026

Not only is the rate of decline projected to be slow, but De Haan says diesel prices aren’t likely to drop back to pre-war levels by the end of the year.

“Roughly half of the increase we’ve seen over the last couple of months could come down within the first few months of positive news,” he said. “But the other half could take many more months. We may not get back to pre-conflict diesel prices until late this year—or even into 2027.”

For agriculture, that prolonged stretch of elevated prices carries real consequences.

“When you look at what comes out of a barrel of oil, diesel only makes up about 25%,” De Haan explained. “Gasoline is a larger portion, so it’s been less impacted. Jet fuel, which is an even smaller share, has been hit the hardest. So it’s almost inverse to how much is produced.”

Why Diesel Is Climbing Faster Than Gasoline

If it feels like diesel prices are rising faster and hitting harder than gasoline, there’s a reason rooted in how a barrel of oil gets used.

“Diesel has seen more of the sticker shock compared to gasoline,” says De Haan. “And a lot of that comes down to what comes out of a barrel of oil.”

Not all fuels are created equally in supply. Gasoline makes up the largest share of a refined barrel, while diesel represents a smaller slice, making it more vulnerable when supply is disrupted.

“Gasoline is the top product flowing out of a barrel of oil, so it’s been the least impacted,” De Haan explains. “Diesel, on the other hand, only accounts for about 25% of a barrel, so it’s been more impacted when there are supply issues.”

That imbalance becomes even clearer when looking across the full spectrum of refined fuels.

“The most significant impact has actually been to jet fuel, which is only about 9% of a barrel,” he adds. “So if you look at it inversely—the smaller the share of the barrel, the bigger the impact we’re seeing right now.”

For agriculture, that dynamic matters more than most sectors.

Diesel isn’t optional on the farm. It’s essential. From planting to harvest, it powers tractors, trucks and the supply chain that moves commodities across the country.

“Diesel is the fuel that drives agriculture,” De Haan say. “And that’s why these price increases are so impactful, not just at the pump, but all the way through the economy.”

And while prices are already elevated, the full effect is still working its way downstream.

“Consumers really haven’t even seen the full onset of some of these higher prices yet,” he adds. “That’s going to continue to trickle through in the weeks ahead.”

Demand Holding...for Now

Even with these high prices, so far, demand hasn’t shown many signs of slowing.

“We have not seen much meaningful decrease in demand yet,” De Haan says. “We’ve seen very little, if any, diesel demand destruction so far, which tells you the economy is essentially preparing to pay these prices because it still needs the fuel.”

But there are warning signs ahead.

“If diesel nationally hits $6 a gallon, that’s likely when we start to see consumption slow,” he says. “For gasoline, that number is about $5 a gallon. We’re getting very close to those thresholds.”

Until then, the pressure continues to mount. And for farmers heading deeper into the growing season, that pressure is becoming harder to ignore.

A Late First Cutting Can Cost You All Season

Tue, 05 May 2026 22:04:11 GMT

With spring fieldwork underway, farmers are juggling a long list of jobs. Planters are rolling, fields are getting prepped and every good weather window is maximized.

At the same time, alfalfa fields continue to grow and are inching closer to first cutting. This timing tends to line up with some of the busiest stretches, and when alfalfa reaches the right stage, it becomes the priority, causing other fieldwork to get set aside. And the challenge with planning first cutting is working within a short window where crop conditions can change in a hurry.

First Cutting Sets the Tone for the Year

According to Kimberly Cassida, a Michigan State University forage specialist, the first cutting often represents a third or more of total seasonal forage production. And in shorter growing season regions, it can approach half of a farm’s total yield. Because of that, timing has a strong impact on feed supplies and ration flexibility throughout the year.

Early in the season the crop changes quickly and the decision to cut comes down to balancing higher yield against declining forage quality.

“For any kind of a forage crop, we always have to deal with a trade-off between yield and quality,” Cassida says. “As our forage crop is increasing in yield over time, it’s becoming more mature, and when it’s more mature, that means it has more fiber, more lignin, more cell wall and more stem compared to leaves.”

(Farm Journal)

Neutral detergent fiber (NDF) increases as the crop matures, while digestibility declines faster in first growth than in later cuttings. Crude protein also declines with maturity, which reduces both energy and protein value when harvest is delayed.

“We like to keep NDF around 40% for dairy-quality hay,” Cassida says. “And that level can change by nearly one percentage point per day.”

What to Look for in the Field

Once you understand how fast quality can change, the focus shifts to determining when the stand is ready to cut. Instead of waiting for a certain date, fields can be walked to assess plant stage, height and how development is progressing.

Plant cues and simple measurements do most of the work in narrowing timing. A few field indicators include:

Stage of growth: “For highest quality, we would like to be harvesting alfalfa at late bud and no later than one‑tenth bloom,” Cassida says. “Once you see purple flowers across the field, you’re past that mark.”
Plant height: First‑cut alfalfa for high‑quality feed is often in the harvest window when bud‑stage plants are about 28 to 32 inches tall. Cassida notes that many growers aim for a point where “bud‑stage alfalfa is about 26 inches tall” as a dairy‑quality target.
Bud development: Look for visible buds with little to no purple bloom showing. A few scattered flowers are acceptable; widespread purple signals you are moving out of the dairy window.
Field variability: Check multiple areas of the field. High spots, low spots, and traffic lanes can all mature at different speeds.
Rapid change in warm weather: In first cutting, quality can slip fast. RFQ can drop four to five points per day, which Cassida linked to “about $10 per day in value per ton” when hay is headed for premium markets.

Together, these help identify when the crop is entering the harvest window where yield and quality are still in balance.

Regrowth Starts the Clock

The first cutting doesn’t just affect one harvest. It ends up setting the timing for the rest of the season and how the remaining cuttings fall into place.

“This date also determines your second, third, fourth and potentially fifth cutting windows,” Cassida says.

(PDPW)

Once the first cutting is made, regrowth starts the clock for the rest of the season. When harvest is delayed, later cuttings can become compressed, reducing flexibility and making it harder to hit optimal timing later in the year.

Delays can also affect plant recovery and overall productivity.

“If you are forced to delay the first cutting due to environmental conditions, this could have negative consequences with a slower regrowth and perhaps a reduction in future yield production,” Cassida says.

Working Within the Window

First cutting carries more weight than any other harvest in the system. It represents a large share of total forage yield, sets the pace for the rest of the season and changes quickly once the crop reaches the bud stage. Weather variability, stand differences and rapid spring growth all influence timing. But combining plant stage, height and regular scouting helps narrow the window.

For most farms, the goal is not just getting it done, but getting it done in a window where yield and quality are still aligned.

Not Done Yet: Despite Packer Investigation Price Shock, Cattle Prices Could Keep Climbing Through 2030

Tue, 05 May 2026 16:12:18 GMT

Fresh policy headlines injected new uncertainty into cattle markets this week, but they haven’t changed the bigger picture driving beef prices higher.

On Monday, Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche and Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins announced an intensified antitrust investigation into the so-called “Big Four” packers — JBS, Cargill, Tyson Foods and National Beef — which together process the vast majority of U.S. cattle. The probe, which the Trump administration says includes millions of documents and a push for whistleblower testimony, underscores growing concern in Washington over market concentration, pricing behavior and the impact on both producers and consumers.

That news sent cattle prices sharply lower.

While policy developments like Monday’s news can dominate the markets on any given day, they don’t necessarily alter the deeper supply-and-demand forces shaping the cattle market. And right now, those forces remain firmly intact: Record-high beef demand and historically low cattle supplies mean these strong cattle prices aren’t just here, but they may be here to stay through the end of the decade.

Cattle Prices Not Done Climbing Yet

Oklahoma State Extension livestock economist Derrell Peel says he’s never been this bullish for this long. And the reason is such strong fundamentals at play. The market’s direction is still being driven far more by biology and consumer behavior than by policy headlines. And while the investigation may shape the industry over time, it does not immediately create more cattle or reduce beef demand, which are two factors that remain at the core of today’s price strength.

The result is a market where short-term volatility — whether sparked by policy, disease concerns or geopolitical events — continues to play out against a longer-term bullish trend. And as long as supplies stay tight and consumers keep buying beef, the broader trajectory points toward the same conclusion: Cattle prices may not be done climbing yet.

What makes the current environment so unusual is not just the volatility in cattle prices, but how long demand has held together despite those increases. Consumers have continued to buy beef even as retail prices climb and supplies tighten, resisting the typical shift toward lower-cost proteins like pork or chicken. That resilience has been a cornerstone of the market’s strength, helping sustain the rally even as production constraints persist.

The Supply Side of the Story

Even with that looming concern, the supply side of the equation continues to dominate the broader market narrative. In fact, one of the most striking aspects of the current cycle is how little progress has been made toward rebuilding the U.S. cattle herd, despite strong price incentives that would typically encourage expansion.

“This is the longest in my entire career that I’ve basically had the same outlook,” Peel says. “This thing really started in the fall of 2022, as far as the current price run that we’re on. It continues. And the story hasn’t changed, and we really haven’t changed anything yet that sets up the idea that it’s going to change anytime soon.”

That consistency reflects a deeper theme within the industry. While high prices might suggest an imminent increase in production, the biological and economic realities of cattle production make rapid expansion difficult, especially when producers remain cautious.

“Very, very limited at this point — so essentially no,” Peel says when asked if there are signs the U.S. cattle herd is starting to rebuild. “I mean, we just have very limited indications of a little bit of interest in heifer retention, but not a lot happening yet. We’re watching the weather at springtime. There’s a lot of concern about drought conditions that could derail anything we might want to do anyway.”

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Without meaningful heifer retention, Peel explains the process of herd rebuilding cannot truly begin. And until that process starts, he thinks the market remains locked in a pattern of tight supplies and upward price pressure.

“The bottom line is we really haven’t started the clock yet on the things that would eventually lead to a top in this market,” Peel says.

That delay has pushed expectations further into the future, extending the timeline for when increased production might finally ease the market. Each passing season without expansion reinforces the same dynamic: limited supply supporting prices.

“Oh, yeah, we keep pushing it out,” Peel says. “You know, I’ve already extended it probably two years. We’re still waiting again for that clock to start at this point. So until we see some definitive signs of substantial amount of heifer retention, you know, the path continues as it is.”

Even if producers were to begin retaining heifers immediately, the lag time between that decision and its impact on beef production would stretch for years. That built-in delay is a defining feature of the cattle cycle and one reason why price trends tend to persist once they are established.

“And it’ll be some months after that,” Peel says. “Typically, a year to a year and a half after we start heifer retention would be when we would expect these markets to peak out. So we’re on a timeline now where, if we start saving heifers right now, it’s going to be the end of the decade before we really change overall beef production significantly.”

The Bullish Run in Cattle: How Long Can It Last?

That long runway helps explain why Peel remains firmly bullish — even at today’s record price levels. In his view, the market simply hasn’t reached the point where supply can begin to catch up with demand.

“Still predicting higher highs, as scary as that is for me to say,” Peel says. “We’re at record-high prices, and I expect that we’re going to go higher. I don’t think the peak in prices happens in 2026. I think it’s somewhere after that.”

Those supply constraints and demand dynamics point toward a market that could remain elevated well into the latter part of the decade.

“It’s really hard to say right now until we sort of know how it’s playing out,” Peel says, referring to how the eventual peak might unfold. “It’s all really kind of ahead of us as far as that goes. I don’t see it happening. We’re on such a slow build that I think it’s going to be more of a measured approach rather than a sharp peak.”

Still Some Uncertainty Ahead

Still, while the long-term outlook remains bullish, the short-term environment is anything but stable. Day-to-day market action continues to be shaped by uncertainty, with external shocks triggering rapid price swings that can complicate marketing decisions for producers.

“In the meantime, we’re dealing with a lot of risk and uncertainty in this market,” Peel says. “So we’re in this unusual situation where we have a bullish outlook and yet a really strong need for producers to be doing risk management just because the market is so volatile on a short-term basis.”

One Risk: High Gas Prices

One of those risks is the fact outside economic pressures are beginning to build. Gas prices recently jumped 33¢ in a single week, reaching their highest level since July 2022. While that may seem disconnected from cattle markets at first glance, fuel costs play a direct role in shaping consumer purchasing power, especially when increases persist over time.

“Economists define demand as willingness and ability to purchase products,” Peel says. “The willingness is there. But the ability, high gas prices is probably the biggest threat out there.”

That distinction between willingness and ability is critical to understanding where the beef market could be headed next. So far, consumers have shown little hesitation in purchasing beef, even at elevated price levels. However, sustained increases in everyday expenses like fuel can gradually erode disposable income, forcing households to make tougher decisions at the meat counter.

“If the current geopolitical situation persists and keeps gas prices high for another few months, at some point in time it may impact consumer incomes enough that it forces them to make more adjustments,” Peel adds. “And that would be the biggest threat to beef demand at this point.”

That potential shift has not yet materialized, but it represents one of the few risks to an otherwise bullish outlook. For now, demand remains strong, helping support prices even as supplies remain historically tight. But the longer external cost pressures linger, the more likely it becomes that consumer behavior could begin to change.

New World Screwworm Risk

Animal health concerns have been one of the more visible drivers of that volatility, particularly when it comes to New World screwworm . Even unconfirmed reports or isolated cases have proven capable of moving markets, highlighting just how sensitive current conditions are to uncertainty.

“These animal health issues are certainly one of them,” Peel says. “We’ve got a lot of things going on right now that are kind of like that. We get news, and markets don’t like uncertainty. And so that’s what we’re dealing with here.”

Peel says in some cases, the uncertainty is worse than the reality, which means the market is even more sensitive to any type of news.

“But the market is also very resilient. So when we do see these impacts, whether it’s from New World screwworm or concerns about infrastructure or geopolitical events, whatever it is, the market tends to react, but then it bounces back pretty quickly,” he points out.

But for producers, Peel says volatility is a major risk.

“And the challenge for producers is to not get caught where you have to be marketing something in the middle of one of these short-term shocks in the market,” he says. “And so that’s the challenge for them to try to manage around that volatility.”

Is the U.S. Prepared?

From a policy and preparedness standpoint, Amy Hagerman, Extension specialist for agriculture and food policy at Oklahoma State University, emphasizes risks like New World screwworm extend beyond cattle imports alone. The pathways for introduction are broader, requiring a more comprehensive approach to monitoring and response.

“This is a pest that likes anything that’s warm-blooded,” Hagerman says. “And so it’s going to catch a ride with anybody that it can catch a ride with.”

Yet, there’s a general assumption that even though the Southern border remains closed to live cattle imports, that if NWS enters the U.S., it won’t be because of cattle. Instead, it could enter the U.S. via wildlife or something else.

“I think a higher level of awareness, education and vigilance is really important, whether we’re talking about pets for somebody who has vacationed in Mexico, or even individuals, or whether we’re talking about wildlife,” Hagerman says. “We’ve seen a real effort, publicly and privately, to kind of enhance that awareness.”

The latest NWS case, according to Hagerman, is less than 70 miles from the U.S. border and points to the urgency of ongoing monitoring efforts in the region.

“As somebody who does a lot of emergency preparedness, I can tell you that all plans never survive interaction with reality,” she says. “But I do think we’ve put a lot of effort, a lot of time into preparing for this — setting up the infrastructure and educating producers because this is going to be a producer-management issue by and large.”

Possible Permanent Changes of Flow of Cattle From Mexico to the U.S.

Peel adds that while such issues may be costly and complex at the individual level, their broader market impact may be limited compared to supply fundamentals.

“I think the risk here for the impact of New World screwworm is not so much a broader market one, because it’s going to be a very costly issue for producers individually to manage, for regional efforts to control it,” Peel says. “It’s probably not going to impact the overall market all that much.”

Beyond animal health, trade policy remains another uncertain variable. The continued closure of the southern border to live cattle imports has already reshaped supply flows, and prolonged disruption could lead to more permanent structural changes.

“I think we could,” Peel says when asked whether trade patterns might shift for good. “I mean, arguably the biggest impacts of all of this in terms of the economic impact of the border being closed, we’ve already felt up to this point.”

“You know, we probably didn’t get 700,000 or 800,000 head of Mexican cattle last year that we would have gotten,” Peel adds. “And so, you know, we’re past that now, but the thing is, those cattle have been dealt with. They’re using them in Mexico. They have infrastructure to utilize those cattle in their domestic market.”

Peel says the longer this goes on, the more supply chains and production systems need to adjust to the fact the normal or historic trade flows have changed.

“The risk is that maybe we lose it permanently. It changes things on a permanent basis,” Peel says.

No matter the day-to-day noise, the market remains defined by a rare combination of strong demand, constrained supply and mounting external pressures. While higher fuel costs could eventually test consumers’ ability to keep paying record prices, the lack of herd expansion continues to underpin a bullish outlook, one that may keep cattle prices elevated through the end of the decade.

Every Generation Has to Figure it Out

Tue, 05 May 2026 15:15:56 GMT

The dairy industry is changing fast. Some would argue dairy is changing faster than any other part of agriculture. Either way, the pattern is the same: the farms that win tomorrow will do it with a different skill set than the farms that won yesterday.

I’m not trying to predict the future. I’m simply pointing out what history keeps teaching us: every generation has to figure out what matters most, then build the skills to match.

Before my Granddad passed away, I asked him how he survived and even thrived when he got started farming. You see, he started his farming career on poor, sandy soil on the wrong side of the tracks... in the Thirties. Yet he made it through. He said everyone was poor, and everyone struggled, but he was a very good mechanic, and he could drive straighter than most. Because he could drive straight and plant straight, cultivation was better, and his yields were higher. This wasn’t a huge advantage, but it was enough.

Before my dad passed, I asked him the same question. He said that Granddad was a great mechanic, but he found that he made more money in the office with a pencil and understanding of his finances than with a wrench. He sharpened his pencil and figured out a way to place the second irrigator in Minnesota on our poor sandy soil. It didn’t take long for that poor soil to become valuable.

Today, my brother has a mechanic, an agronomist, and an accountant. What is his role today? His main role is organizing others who do the work and finding talent. Sure, he has to have a working knowledge of many areas, but in many cases, there are managers on his team with more expertise in their specific areas.

Our business model believes every farm needs a Ready Next Generation. Ready to take on the challenges of the future, not the past. Without foreseeing the future, we can safely predict that a Ready Next Generation will need a different skill set than what their fathers and grandfathers can teach them. There is no singular solution. Every farm will have to discover the relevant skills of the next generation and what the dairy will need. Then find a way to prepare them.

We are blessed to observe and work with many great family farms. One trait that sets farms apart is a hunger for knowledge. Getting off the farm when necessary to stretch mental muscles. Take an online course. Talk to business owners from other parts of agriculture, parts of the country, other countries, or other industries. You never know who has the answer.

So no, I don’t know the future. But I believe change will come as in past generations. It will take a ready and willing Next Generation with new skills, to make sense of it all and thrive. Just like our fathers and grandfathers did before us.

The Corn Silage Factors that Show Up in Milk Production

Mon, 04 May 2026 18:14:55 GMT

For most dairies, feed remains the largest expense, and corn silage continues to form the foundation of the ration. That makes it worth taking a closer look at what shapes silage performance and where management decisions can improve return.

On a recent Dairy Signal episode, John Goeser, dairy nutrition and management consultant at Progressive Dairy Solutions Inc., and Luiz Ferraretto, assistant professor and Extension specialist in dairy nutrition at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, , walked through how corn silage management is evolving. Their discussion covered feed hygiene, chop height, and other management decisions in the field and at feedout, and how those choices connect back to cow performance and milk production.

Their focus stayed on understanding how agronomics, harvest decisions, and feeding management show up in the bunk and ultimately in the tank. Rather than chasing trends, the goal is to evaluate what works within each farm’s system.

Back to Basics: Fiber and Starch

Many producers are taking a closer look at what defines good corn silage. Ferraretto brings the focus back to the fundamentals that drive performance in the ration.

“From a corn silage perspective, I think there are two main things we need to focus on,” he says. “First is fiber and the other is starch.”

Fiber and starch together often make up close to half the plant. But total nutrients alone do not tell the full story. What matters is how much of those nutrients the cow can actually use.

“If we talk about fiber, we need to understand digestibility,” Ferraretto says. “And if we talk about starch, we need to understand digestibility, because having a nutrient there but not being available does not help us either.”

(North Dakota State University Extension)

Goeser says it’s easy to focus too narrowly when evaluating forage quality.

“We are enamored with discussing fiber digestibility,” he says. “But it is only one component. There are really four components that drive forage quality with corn silage and equate to the milk per ton we’re ultimately going to look for.”

Those include fiber content, fiber digestibility, starch content and starch digestibility. Looking at all four together provides a clearer picture of how a crop will perform in a ration.

He also encourages producers to think beyond forage quality alone and consider total return.

“We need to take into account the agronomic costs and considerations, the acres needed to feed the herd, as well as the intake and milk production in our economic scenarios,” Goeser says.

Feed Hygiene: An Overlooked Limiter

Even high-quality silage can fall short if feed hygiene isn’t managed well. Spoilage yeasts, molds, mycotoxins and other unwanted organisms can be introduced at harvest or develop during storage and feedout.

“Feed hygiene i ncludes all the anti-nutritional components that can show up in forages or in the ration when it’s fed to cows,” Goeser says. “Even when forage quality is good, spoilage organisms can still be present. Those microbes can disrupt rumen energy use and reduce performance, almost like water in diesel fuel.”

Ferraretto points to yeast as a common concern in corn silage systems.

“If there’s a lot of yeast contamination for whatever reason, you should expect lower milk production,” he says. “That can be tied to lower intake, reduced palatability and also impacts on fiber digestibility.”

(Trey Cambern)

One of the challenges is that spoilage is not always obvious.

“These are not things we can see,” Goeser says. “We need laboratory testing. Infrared cameras can also be very helpful, because when we’re talking about yeast, we’re really talking about spoilage yeast.”

He notes that yeast counts can range widely across farms, sometimes reaching tens of millions of colony-forming units per gram.

“If we have 10,000 or even 30 million CFU per gram, that means there can be millions of yeast organisms in just a small amount of feed,” Goeser says. “Now think about how much of that feed a cow eats every day, and how quickly that adds up.”

Ferraretto adds that controlling contamination starts with basics in harvest and storage. Clean surfaces, good packing, and consistent feedout all help reduce spoilage risk. Soil, dust and manure contamination can add to the problem.

“A lot of different avenues could act and compromise some of the hard work that you put into preparing that silage,” Ferraretto says.

Managing Stability at Feedout

To help limit spoilage, both Ferraaretto and Goeser point to inoculants and organic acids as tools that can support stability under the right conditions.

For corn silage, Ferraretto highlights Lactobacillus buchneri–based inoculants.

“The Buchneri type inoculant shift fermentation towards acetic acid at a certain point,” he says. “Acetic acid actually delays the proliferation of these molds when we are feeding cows after opening the silo.”

Better stability can show up as reduced heating at the bunk and more consistent intake.

Jerseys

(Trey Cambern)

“If you’ve ever been to a feed bunk, put your hand in the TMR, and you saw that the TMR is very warm and the cows don’t want to eat, that’s what we’re talking about,” Ferraretto says.

Goeser adds that the benefit can extend beyond the bunker and into the TMR.

“Silage has a longer shelf life,” he says. “It can really be valuable… so much so that it can carry into the total mix ration and actually increase the shelf life of the total TMR to a measurable amount.”

For wetter forages, inoculants alone may not fully control spoilage. Organic acids may be part of the solution.

“I usually think about propionic acid as the potential savior when you have all that silage warming up,” Ferraretto says. “You can kind of stabilize that for palatability a little bit.”

Application rate matters if you want to see a real response. Too little product won’t move the needle on stability or spoilage control, even if the ingredient itself works.

“One or two pounds per ton isn’t going to make a difference,” Goeser says. “Fifteen to twenty pounds per ton would be equivalent to what a fermentation would create.”

Chop Height: A Measurable Tradeoff

Chop height is one of the most direct ways to influence fiber digestibility, but it comes with a clear yield tradeoff. Ferraretto shares results from a meta-analysis that breaks down the impact in numbers.

“For every 10 inches of increase, you have about 2.5 percentage units increase in NDF digestibility, about the same amount increase in starch, but then you have a half ton decrease per acre in dry matter yield,” he says.

On an as-fed basis, that equates to roughly 1.5 tons per acre lost for every 10-inch increase in cut height.

Goeser says that tradeoff deserves attention.

“To me, that’s something that we should be looking at each year,” he says.

Harvesting corn silage.

(Farm Journal, Inc.)

Response depends heavily on crop conditions. More mature corn tends to benefit more from higher chop height, while immature corn shows less response. Drought-stressed fields are generally less suitable.

“Drier plants benefit more than immature plants when you are increasing chop height,” Ferraretto says.

Field conditions also play a role. In fields with disease pressure or significant lower canopy dieback, leaving more of that material in the field can improve forage quality going into the silo.

“If we had a diseased field, it may be beneficial to raise that cutter head up just to limit some of that less digestible material,” Goeser says.

Connecting the System

Corn silage performance comes back to how the whole system works together. Hybrid selection, plant health, soil fertility, harvest timing, and feed management all influence what ends up in the bunk and in milk production. Ferraretto and Goeser emphasize that no single decision drives results on its own.

For dairy producers, the opportunity is in seeing how these pieces fit together across the season and not treating any one of them in isolation. Small improvements in multiple areas can add up over time, and measuring how those changes show up in intake, milk production, and overall feed efficiency helps fine-tune decisions year after year.

From Defense to Damage: Cattle Bunching on Dairy Farms

Mon, 04 May 2026 16:28:11 GMT

As temperatures rise and fly pressure builds, cattle bunching becomes a familiar sight. Often dismissed as a seasonal nuisance, it is actually a vital signal to interpret. What begins as a defense against stable flies quickly triggers a cascade of production and welfare challenges.

The economic impact is significant. Research indicates milk production declines by 0.6 kg per cow daily for every stable fly per leg. Furthermore, the presence of bunching itself is associated with a 0.45 kg daily loss. By the time this behavior is visible, production losses are already well underway.

Bunching is a predictable response to environmental stressors. While fly pressure is the primary trigger, factors like heat load, airflow and pen design determine the behavior’s intensity. Once a threshold is exceeded, bunching appears quickly and can spread across an entire pen.

Ultimately, bunching is not the problem; it is clinical evidence the system and the herd are already under immense pressure.

Why Do Cows Bunch?

Stable flies (Stomoxys calcitrans) are blood-feeding insects that target the lower legs, delivering repeated, painful bites. Cows respond with a sequence of defensive behaviors: stomping, tail flicking and eventually, clustering.

This clustering is not random; it’s strategic.

By grouping tightly, cows reduce the number of flies landing on any one individual — a dilution effect. Animals compete for positions toward the center of the group, where exposure is lowest, creating the characteristic movement often observed in bunched pens.

Behavioral changes begin early. Around five flies per leg, cattle reach what is commonly considered an economic injury level, with measurable impacts on both behavior and production. More recent work suggests the threshold for behavioral change may be even lower under field conditions.

This is a coordinated response to discomfort, and in modern dairy systems, that response comes with trade-offs.

How Cattle Bunching Impacts Health and Performance

What begins as protection can quickly become part of the problem.

As cows bunch, they create localized conditions that amplify other stressors:

Airflow between animals is reduced, limiting the effectiveness of ventilation and cooling systems.
Heat builds within the group, increasing the risk of heat stress even when barn-level conditions appear acceptable.
Feeding behavior is disrupted. Cows are less willing to leave the group, and competition at the bunk increases. Reduced dry matter intake can occur before any visible drop in milk production.
Resting behavior is reduced. Increased fly pressure raises standing time, and bunching compounds this effect. Reduced lying time leads to less rumination and contributes to increased lameness risk over time.
Hygiene deteriorates. Clustering often occurs in areas with higher manure accumulation, increasing exposure to mastitis pathogens.

A behavior intended to reduce fly bites ends up amplifying heat stress, disrupting intake and compromising welfare.

Why Bunching Varies Between Pens

One of the more telling aspects of bunching is how uneven it can be. Within the same barn, under the same management, one pen may bunch consistently while another remains relatively unaffected. Bunching is strongly influenced by microenvironmental conditions that can differ across short distances.

Differences in airflow can create pockets where flies accumulate. Manure buildup increases local breeding pressure. Variations in shade, moisture or surrounding environment can further influence where flies — and therefore cows — concentrate.

Over time, these small differences become consistent patterns. The same pens bunch, often in the same locations, day after day. Cows are responding to environmental gradients that are easy to overlook but highly relevant to their comfort.

How to Diagnose the Cause of Cattle Bunching

When bunching behavior appears, a structured evaluation can help identify the underlying cause:

1. Fly pressure

Assess leg counts or trap counts where possible. Even relatively low counts can be meaningful, and increases beyond five flies per leg indicate significant impact.

2. Heat load

Review temperature-humidity trends and observe when bunching occurs. Heat amplifies both fly activity and cow response.

3. Airflow

Look for uneven ventilation or dead zones within the pen. These often correspond directly with bunching locations.

4. Stocking density

Overcrowding increases competition and accelerates clustering once cows begin to group.

5. Pen-level variation

Compare affected pens with those that remain stable. Differences in surroundings or management often explain the pattern.

This approach reframes bunching from a nuisance behavior into a diagnostic entry point.

When to Act on Cattle Bunching

One of the most useful aspects of bunching is how early it appears. Cows respond to environmental stressors faster than most monitoring systems detect them. As a result, bunching often appears before changes are obvious in bulk tank data or performance metrics. That creates an opportunity to act sooner.

When bunching emerges at consistent times or in specific areas, it provides a reliable signal that conditions have shifted. Adjusting fly control, improving airflow or modifying cooling strategies at that point can prevent escalation and limit cumulative losses.

Cattle bunching is a visible signal the system is under pressure. The goal is not to stop cows from bunching, but to understand why they are doing it and respond before defense turns into damage.

The Year of the Woman Farmer: Becky Nyman’s Global Impact and Local Roots

Mon, 04 May 2026 12:51:01 GMT

In the quiet, early morning hours in Hilmar, Calif., the air is thick with the familiar scent of a working dairy. For Becky Nyman, a fourth-generation dairy farmer, this is the center of her universe: a multi-site, family Jersey dairy operation. And, while her boots are firmly planted in the California soil, her vision is fixed on a horizon that spans continents.

Nyman is a woman of two worlds. In one, she manages the complex regulatory and employee landscape of a high-performing dairy operation alongside her brother, Brad. In the other, she sits at the head of the table as the first female chair of the U.S. Dairy Export Council (USDEC), representing the interests of U.S. producers in high-stakes trade discussions from Paris to Beijing.

Her journey is more than a personal success story; it is a blueprint for the modern dairy leader — one who successfully bridges the gap between the family farm and the global marketplace.

The Road Back to the Farm

Like many farm kids, Nyman’s path wasn’t a straight line back to the barn. After graduating from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo and earning a master’s degree in agribusiness from Texas A&M, she spent nine years in the corporate world. By her late 20s, she was living in San Francisco, commuting to a downtown office and building a career far removed from the farm landscape of her youth.

“I didn’t realize being on the farm was really an option until I was 30,” Nyman recalls. “My dad was talking to me and said, ‘You know, there’s a place for you on the dairy if you want to come back.’”

It took time to process the shift, but in 2011, Nyman traded the city skyline for the family corrals. She joined Brad, who had moved straight into operations after college. Their partnership is a study in complementary strengths: Brad handles the daily operations, while Nyman leans into the regulatory and employee side of the business.

“I tell people I try my best to be a lawyer and an accountant,” she says with a laugh. “And I still need help from real lawyers and accountants, but that’s the role I fill on our family farm.”

(Photo by Becky Nyman)

A Culture of Perseverance

To understand Nyman’s leadership style, you have to understand Hilmar. It is a dairy-centric community where the spirit of cooperation is woven into the history of the land. It is where Hilmar Cheese was born from the shared vision of Jersey dairy farmers who saw the value in their milk’s unique components.

“Hilmar is special,” Nyman says, nodding that is where her family ships their milk. “My 90-year-old uncle recently told me that, growing up, his dad would make him go milk cows for the neighbor after her milked his own cows because they needed the help. That’s what community does — you use your strengths for the overall good.”

That sense of community is anchored by a single word that has echoed through four generations of Nymans: perseverance.

“It’s the first word that comes to mind,” she explains. “My grandfather was an immigrant who made his way to California. Every family gathering, we heard stories of perseverance. In international trade, that translates easily. You win some, you lose some, and the path is hard, but you keep going for the betterment of the industry.”

The Farmer’s Voice at the Global Table

When Nyman sits down with USDEC, she often finds herself in a unique position. In rooms filled with policy experts and corporate executives, she is often the only active dairy farmer — or one of a very few.

“Having that perspective of being on the ground is my strength in the room,” she says. “People want to hear the reality of it. They want to hear what it’s like from the source of the food. In theory, certain trade ideas look good on paper, but I can speak to the practical challenges facing the American dairy producer.”

One of her “aha” moments came during a high-level trip to China. While meeting with the Ministry of Commerce, Nyman chose to speak not just of logistics, but of community.

“I talked about how dairy farmers and agriculture, in general, have more in common than we do different all around the world,” she recalls. “One of the ministers actually took my comments and folded them into his own. He used my words to find common ground. It was an eye-opening moment — he heard me, and he realized that our shared interests were stronger than our disagreements.”

(Photo provided by Becky Nyman)

The 2026 Export Landscape: Year of the Woman

And in 2026, the work of USDEC has never been more critical. The year started with a bang, showing year-over-year double-digit growth. U.S. milk solids equivalent volume increased 12% in January — the biggest January on record. This growth was driven by cheese, butterfat and a surprising surge in nonfat dry milk.

At the recent 2026 USDEC Annual Membership Meeting, Nyman felt a renewed sense of optimism.

“Trade creates opportunities for farmers to stay on the farm and for future generations to return to it,” she told members.

The meeting highlighted several key themes Nyman is bringing back to Hilmar:

Exports are Essential: With 96% of the global population living outside U.S. borders, exports are the key to price stability and long-term growth.
The Fat Boom: Rising butterfat levels are creating both complexity and opportunity for global competitiveness.
The Protein Craze: The world’s hunger for nutrient-dense, sustainable protein — from whey to high-quality milk proteins — is not slowing down.

Perhaps most meaningful to Nyman was the recognition of the International Year of the Woman Farmer. As the first woman to lead USDEC, she views the milestone through a lens of service rather than status.

“I’m humbled about being named the first female chair,” Nyman says. “I try not to think about the title as much as just trying to do as much good as I can for our producers.”

This mindset of action over accolades is what she hopes to pass on to others.

“For many young women, opportunity starts with seeing what’s possible — and seeing themselves in it,” she says.

Her advice to the next generation of women in Hilmar and beyond is simple but brave.

“Say yes when opportunities come your way, even if it’s uncomfortable or you don’t think you’re qualified. Lean forward and never stop learning,” Nyman says.

(Photo provided by Becky Nyman)

Sustainability and the Future

In Hilmar, Nyman is practicing what she preaches on the global stage. Her operation is part of a digester cluster, where neighboring dairies came together in 2024 to share resources and infrastructure for renewable energy.

“We do what makes sense for the business,” she says of her sustainability efforts. “We do what is feasible. When I’m on international trips, I share the framework of our FARM program. It helps the world understand that we have a structure of responsibility, but I also tell them we do these things because we want to be responsible, not because of a mandate.”

The Bottom Line: It’s All About People

Whether she is navigating a complex regulatory filing in California or a trade barrier in a foreign capital, Nyman believes the dairy industry is, at its core, a people business.

“The people involved are equally, if not more, important than the cattle,” she says. “Navigating how to provide a stable working environment and fulfilling careers for our employees translates directly to trade. We are providing ingredients for industries in other parts of the world to grow and create jobs there. We are a reliable source for what they need to feed their people.”

Nyman’s journey from the family corrals to the global stage is a testament to the power of a unified voice. She serves as a reminder that the resilience of the dairy industry is fueled by families who persevere, communities that collaborate and leaders who aren’t afraid to say “yes” to the daunting, yet rewarding, work of feeding a growing world.

As she moves forward in her role as USDEC chair, Nyman remains focused on the “why” behind the work: ensuring the next generation of Nymans — and the next generation of U.S. dairy farmers — have a clear and sustainable path back to the land.

Where Crossbreds Fit in Today’s Genetic Evaluations

Fri, 01 May 2026 18:26:15 GMT

When crossbreeding started picking up steam in U.S. dairy herds, the genetic toolbox wasn’t really built for the cows’ producers had in their barns.

Genetic evaluations worked well for purebreds, but for Holstein–Jersey crosses and other combinations, the system only went so far and accuracy dropped. That gap is what the Council on Dairy Cattle Breeding (CDCB) set out to address.

In a recent episode of the CDCB Cow Cast, George Wiggans, longtime USDA research geneticist and current CDCB technical advisor, walked through how genomic evaluations and Breed Base Representation (BBR) have changed the way crossbred dairy cattle are evaluated.

Why Crossbreds Didn’t Quite Fit

For a long time, dairy genetic evaluations were built around purebred populations, which worked well when most herds were fairly uniform and selection stayed within a single breed.

Evaluations were done within each breed, so crossbred animals didn’t always line up as well in the system and their results were less accurate. As crossbreeding became more common in commercial herds, especially in Holstein–Jersey systems aimed at balancing production and components, those gaps became more noticeable. The system could still generate numbers, but they didn’t always reflect what was happening in mixed-breed cows.

Meanwhile, the industry’s data foundation was still developing. For decades, most genetic progress came from what Wiggans calls the basics.

“We still relied on traditional evaluations, which pulled together data from farms across the country and even around the world to figure out which animals perform best,” Wiggans says. “Then we would take all that information across the traits we measure and combine it into a profile or index that would help predict how profitable an animal would be.”

That system has long been used in dairy genetics, but it didn’t always handle animals with mixed-breed backgrounds as smoothly.

Genomics Opens the Door

Genomics changed how geneticists approach evaluations. Instead of relying only on performance records, the system now uses DNA to connect specific parts of the genome to trait outcomes.

Wiggans says this is done using what are called reference populations.

“The concept is that by having a large reference population, we can assign genetic values to these segments of the chromosome,” Wiggans says. “So, when we put it all together and add it all up, we can say, we think that this is going to be the cow’s productivity for each of the traits we analyze.”

He explains genomic evaluation as building a kind of genetic mosaic, where pieces of DNA get value based on data from large groups of known animals. This worked well for purebreds, but for crossbreds there was still a missing piece: a consistent way to describe breed makeup in a way national evaluations could use directly.

BBR Gives Crossbreds a Place

To address that gap, the industry developed Breed Base Representation, or BBR.

“Recognizing that we would like to extend the genomic evaluations to crossbreds, we needed some way of identifying what the breed background was of an animal,” Wiggans says.

BBR uses genomic data to estimate how much of each breed is in an animal.

“We used kind of an interesting approach here… Why don’t we use the same idea to estimate how much Holstein, Jersey, Guernsey, and other breeds are in an animal,” Wiggans says.

Purebred animals serve as the starting point because their genetics are clearly defined.

“We treat a purebred animal as fully belonging to its breed, like giving it a ‘1’ for that breed and a ‘0’ for all other breeds,” Wiggans says. “Then we use genetic markers, called SNPs, to estimate how much of each breed is in mixed animals.”

From there, each animal gets a breed breakdown.

“So, an animal could be 75% Holstein and 25% Jersey,” Wiggans says. “That’s what Breed Base Representation, or BBR, reports.”

BBR breaks an animal’s genetics into breed percentages, giving producers a clearer way to understand and compare crossbred animals. He adds that the approach is considered highly accurate because it’s based on large amounts of genetic data from many animals.

Putting Breed Mix into One Number

BBR describes what breeds are in an animal. The next step is turning that information into a usable evaluation.

“By having this BBR that we’ve discussed, we can say, well, let’s just do a weighted average,” Wiggans says. “We’ll multiply each evaluation by the percent of each breed that it is, add it all up, then that will be our evaluation of this animal.”

Each breed contributes to the final score based on how much of that breed is in the animal. A higher percentage of a breed means it has more influence on the outcome. The final result is one evaluation number for crossbred animals that reflects their actual genetic makeup, instead of forcing them into a single-breed category that doesn’t fully represent them.

Crossbreds are Now Part of the System

As genomic testing has expanded, crossbreds have become a bigger part of the national dataset.

“So, not surprisingly, Holstein numbers were over 9 million last year, with Jersey coming in second,” Wiggans says. “But what stands out is that crossbreds are now the third largest group. So, providing evaluations for crossbred met a real need in the industry.”

Today, crossbred animals are included in the evaluation system. Tools are now in place to better reflect how they are bred and managed on today’s dairies. As genetic evaluations continue to evolve, Wiggans expects crossbreds to remain part of the picture.

“We’re working on strategies to take this into account so that the evaluation simultaneously considers both the genetics and her traditional data,” he says. “We expect that we’ll still offer evaluations for these animals, so that the BBR will continue to have a role in the evaluations.”

The result is a system that better matches the cows’ producers are working with every day, bringing crossbreds fully into the genetic conversation.

The Great Rebalancing: Why 2026 Milk Prices are Defying the Supply Tsunami

Fri, 01 May 2026 12:48:04 GMT

As the calendar turned to 2026, the U.S. dairy industry found itself standing at a complex crossroads. For producers, the view out the tractor cab window was one of cautious optimism, tempered by the sobering reality of a global market that was, quite literally, overflowing. The story of the 2026 dairy market is not one of a simple boom or bust, but rather a great rebalancing — a period defined by record-breaking production, a revolution in protein demand and the looming shadow of international trade negotiations.

The Tsunami of Milk

The entry into 2026 was defined by a singular, staggering fact: There was a lot of milk. The industry was coming off a 2025 campaign that saw U.S. production grow at a pace rarely seen in recent history. For the full year of 2025, production had climbed 2.8% over the previous year. However, it was the second half of 2025 that truly signaled the coming tidal wave, with production up nearly 4% compared to the same period in 2024.

For example, in Idaho, the state has seen consistent growth rates of 5% to 8% per month year-over-year for the last 18 months. For 2025, Idaho is projected to be up 7.5% in total milk production.

“That 7.5% is on a very big base,” explains Rick Naerebout, chief executive officer of the Idaho Dairymen’s Association. “It equates to roughly 3.5 million lb. of milk a day more this year than we had last year. We’ve definitely turned on the milk production.”

This isn’t just an American phenomenon. Europe, too, saw a 4% surge in the latter half of 2025. By the time the industry reached January 2026, the momentum was undeniable. Production was up 3.4% year-over-year, fueled by a national herd that had expanded by 189,000 head.

As the spring flush approached — that annual period where cows reach peak production — the sheer volume of milk began to test the physical limits of the supply chain. In California, the nation’s dairy powerhouse, the system began to buckle. Reports of milk being dumped due to capacity constraints sent a chill through the industry. It was a stark reminder that even when prices are stable, the physical reality of moving and processing millions of pounds of a perishable product remains the industry’s greatest logistical hurdle.

The Protein Pivot: Why Prices Held Firm

In any other era, a global oversupply of this magnitude would have sent prices into a tailspin. Yet, as Ben Laine, senior dairy analyst with Terrain noted in his report, the market took a sharp turn higher, sooner than many experts expected. The savior of the 2026 balance sheet was not a shortage of milk, but a fundamental shift in what the world wanted from that milk.

“Consumers want more protein. There has been a convergence of GLP-1s, new Dietary Guidelines and marketing dollars aimed at developing new products that have accelerated the demand shift. And high-protein dairy products are well-positioned to meet that need,” he says.

The industry has indeed witnessed a protein boom. Consumer demand for high-protein yogurts, ultra-filtered milks and milk protein concentrates reached a fever pitch. This demand fundamentally altered the value of the milk components. Whey, once considered a humble byproduct, became a market leader, benefiting from a steady, multimonth climb in value.

This protein pivot created a fascinating ripple effect. As more milk solids were pulled into the production of high-protein consumer goods, there was less surplus skim left to be dried into nonfat dry milk. This scarcity in the skim market provided a sudden, unexpected lift to nonfat dry milk prices. By early 2026, the market was optimistic that Class III and Class IV prices could be supported despite the heavy supply. However, this strength was uneven. While whey and protein-heavy products soared, cheese and butter remained stubbornly low compared to 2025 levels, creating a disjointed market that signaled volatility ahead.

“The support for milk prices right now is being driven by high whey and nonfat dry milk values as opposed to cheese and butter. Since that’s a reversal from the norm, the market might spook easily at any unexpected signals from the data over the next couple of months,” Laine adds.

The Export Lifeline and USMCA Shadow

While domestic protein demand provided the floor, it was the export market that provided the ceiling. In 2025, exports played a critical role in driving demand. U.S. dairy exports grew by 3.8% on a total solids basis, coming just shy of the record set in 2022. The total value of these exports reached a staggering $9.51 billion.

“Over the last two years, the majority of the new cheese made in the U.S. has gone into the global market as international demand surged. The international demand is also helping pull U.S. milk overseas,” says William Loux, senior vice president of global economic affairs at USDEC.

However, as the second quarter of 2026 began, the industry’s eyes turned toward the borders. The United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) was scheduled for a joint review in July. For the U.S. dairy farmer, the stakes could not be higher. More than 40% of the total value of U.S. dairy exports flows to our North American neighbors — $2.58 billion to Mexico and $1.31 billion to Canada.

Although, Loux doesn’t anticipate any disruption to trade with our dairy partners.

“2025 was unequivocally a successful year for exports. The U.S. continues to establish itself as an essential supplier to global consumers, helping meet the growing global demand for dairy products, in particular cheese, dairy proteins, and, surprisingly in 2025, butterfat,” Loux says. “Market access is vital to U.S. dairy exports. In order to continue supplying high-quality nutritious products to consumers around the world, the U.S. must continue to maintain and expand our trade agreements. Those agreements have not only proven to benefit U.S. dairy farmers and exporters but also have enhanced local supply and dairy product manufacturing in our partner markets.”

The Forecast: A Volatile Path to 2027

Looking at the numbers, Laine’s outlook for the remainder of 2026 suggests a more favorable environment than originally feared, but one that requires a steady hand on the wheel.

In Terrain’s most recent quarterly outlook, Laine forecast Class III milk prices to average $17.00/cwt, while Class IV is forecast to reach a robust $19.50/cwt. As we move into the second half of the year, the forecast remains resilient, with Class III averaging $16.75 and Class IV holding strong at $19.20.

However, the long-term horizon suggests a gradual cooling. By the first half of 2027, the forecast dips slightly to $16.60 for Class III and $17.80 for Class IV. These numbers reflect an industry that is successfully navigating a period of high supply but is also wary of the cracks appearing in the durability of the recent price moves.

“Markets continue to move and have surpassed those forecast levels, but with the risk of more volatility. I’d view that as an opportunity to take some risk off the table rather than banking on prices continuing to rise,” Laine says.

Strategy in the Face of Uncertainty

The lesson of early 2026 is clear: the market is rewarding those who are proactive. The jump in prices during the first quarter was not a guarantee of future riches, but rather a window of opportunity for risk management.

With volatility expected to ramp up as the spring flush peaks and trade negotiations intensify, the reliance on tools like Dairy Revenue Protection and other hedging strategies has never been more vital. The great rebalancing of 2026 means that while the outlook has improved, the margin for error has narrowed.

“Keep an eye on what consumers are looking for, both here and abroad, and work it into your marketing plan,” Laine says. “During major shifts like we’re seeing now, that might mean more active risk management, but it also means keeping an eye on where the demand for protein is showing up in revenue streams on the farm. At this point, that might not be protein prices on the milk check directly, but it could include ongoing opportunity for beef calf sales.”

Success in this environment isn’t just about producing more milk. It’s about understanding the global flow of protein, the geopolitical climate of North American trade and the discipline to take risk off the table when the market offers a favorable price. As the spring flush continues, the U.S. dairy farmer remains — as always — a resilient fixture in a world that is increasingly hungry for what they produce.

Chocolate Reclaims the Top Spot as America’s Favorite Ice Cream Flavor

Thu, 30 Apr 2026 19:14:44 GMT

Chocolate is back on top as America’s favorite ice cream flavor, according to the International Dairy Foods Association (IDFA) National Ice Cream & Frozen Novelty Trends Survey. After briefly ceding the No. 1 spot to vanilla in 2024, chocolate has reclaimed the lead in 2026. Butter pecan also continues its climb, moving ahead of vanilla among U.S. consumers.

The biannual survey reflects responses from more than 2,200 U.S. adults and tracks how Americans choose ice cream and frozen novelties, from flavors and formats to toppings and traditions.

IDFA’s latest results point to a mix of nostalgia and indulgence shaping consumer preference. Classic flavors remain strong, while richer, more decadent options continue gaining traction.

Top 5 flavors among U.S. consumers:

Chocolate
Butter Pecan
Vanilla
Cookies and Cream/Oreo
Caramel/Salted Caramel

Compared with previous years, the rankings show continued movement toward richer, mix-in driven flavors, while traditional staples still anchor the category.

“Americans’ love for ice cream is as strong as ever,” says Michael Dykes, D.V.M., president and CEO of IDFA. “From timeless favorites like chocolate and butter pecan to newer indulgent options, ice cream continues to bring people together and create moments of joy across the country. As we look ahead to National Ice Cream Month, it’s clear this remains a staple in American life.”

The Sweetest States: Where America Loves Ice Cream Most

Other findings from the survey show how consumers enjoy their ice cream:

Cone preference leads among formats, with 40% of Americans choosing cones, followed by sandwiches at 24% and mini cups at 14%.

(Source: 2026 IDFA National Ice Cream & Frozen Novelty Trends Survey)

Waffle cones or bowls remain the most popular vessel across generations, with Gen Z splitting more evenly between bowls and waffle bowls compared to older groups.

Hot fudge ranks as the top topping at 31%, followed by whipped cream at 27%, caramel sauce at 21%, and chocolate sauce at 18%. Flavor remains the primary purchase driver, with 70% of consumers saying it is very important, ahead of price and portion size.

When asked about iconic ice cream memories, respondents most often pointed to neighborhood ice cream trucks, followed by birthday ice cream cakes and visits to local scoop shops.

Separating Signal From Noise in a Data-Heavy Dairy

Thu, 30 Apr 2026 16:22:54 GMT

The beauty and curse of farming in the technological age comes in the form of 0’s and 1’s. There never seems to be an end to the measurables we collect and breakdown on a farm.

As our capabilities grow in terms of systems and software, this mound of data continues to grow.

But how do we know what is important?

Many seasoned herdsmen that I work with often bemoan just how hard it is to train the next generation of farm workers. “They just don’t have cow sense.” “They’re too deep in the numbers, and not the cows.” “Why can’t they just see it?”

What they are describing is a little-known skill they already possess known as Signal to Noise Positivity (SNP). Our seasoned herdsmen have developed an unconscious skill that allows them to differentiate between meaningful information (signal) and irrelevant information (noise). However, they had a significant advantage of developing this skillset during a time when the “noise” or extra irrelevant data was much less overwhelming.

Our farms are full of positive noise and signals that can be valuable in animal management. Feed intakes, milk production, lbs. of solids, rumination, SCC, milk deviation, etc. etc. all represent measures that indicate if things are headed in the right or wrong direction.

However, each of these factors is not important in each situation. Irrelevant noise from time to time causes new decision makers to make incorrect decisions based upon that noise rather than the more meaningful signals.

Taken together Signal and Noise Ratio (SNR) indicates whether positive noise is more or less likely to stick out. A higher SNR, or more meaningful noise vs irrelevant noise, means the decision maker is more likely to ID the important data whereas a low SNR means more confusion in the data.

But on today’s operations it is extremely difficult to learn how to increase a SNR and use it as our data pool, and subsequent noise grows.

For example, your herdsmen today may work a fresh pen and ID a sick cow with the following information; 7 DIM, rapid breathing, temp is 103 on the parlor meter, milk production is down 30 lbs., her ears are droopy, her rumination is down 40%, her eating time is 2%, and her activity is 50% what it was yesterday. These symptoms when taken together could be indicative of 5+ infectious diseases in a fresh cow and can rapidly confuse new workers.

However, an experienced herdsmen knows the most important part of all this noise is the 7 DIM signal which limits the likely diagnosis to only 2 or 3 possibilities. Their unique SNP ability filters the signal from the noise so no matter how much data we pile on top of the signal they can ignore the unimportant noise.

So how can we improve the SNP for new workers?

First, we need to eliminate multitasking. This only adds noise to the scenario and scatters attention. When working sick cows or doing other health tasks, new employees need to focus upon that singular task until deemed to have developed a sufficient SNP.

Second, we need to encourage monitoring of longer-term trends and react less to the hour to hour or day to day fluctuations. Certainly, there are cases that will change hour to hour but when training we need to help employees understand common cases and that cows generally will trend toward “healthy” or “sick” no matter how complex or simple our data collection system is.

Third, we need to expose these individuals to training from others who have advanced SNP skills. Many times, this involves an outside consultant such as your herd veterinarian who can use hands on training and also create SOP programs to help the individual navigate the noise.

Signals of disease are not always strong. However, by reducing noise for new team members we can increase the correct disease diagnosis while still implementing the latest in smart technology.