Penn State's Dennis Murphy discusses the top five things dairy producers should know about manure pit safety. Murphy is a professor of agricultural safety and health and is a certified safety professional.

See related information at: www.manurepitsafety.psu.edu

See more videos like this at Progressive Dairyman's YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/pdwebmaster

Editor's note: The following article was written by Sarah Hubbart, communications director of Animal Agricultural Alliance. Hubbart will be submitting a monthly column to our Progressive Dairyman Extra e-newsletter. To submit a question or comment for Hubbart, email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Are you concerned about new campaigns from anti-animal agriculture groups in your state? Do you want to speak out for agriculture but aren’t sure where to start?

Have you ever wanted to respond to a news article that didn’t quite get the facts right about modern agriculture? Do you seek ways to keep your farm secure from “undercover” activists?

Dan Glickman hasn’t left Washington, even though his last public service office as U.S. Secretary of Agriculture during the Clinton administration (1995-2001) ended in 2001.

Glickman has since served as CEO of the Motion Picture Association of America and at several Washington think tanks. He is co-chair of AGree, a recently formed initiative backed by nine of the world’s leading non-profit foundations.

Progressive Dairyman Editor Walt Cooley asked him about the initiative’s goal and his perspective on current ag issues.

In John Frey’s latest column, he talks about the necessity of self-improvement and how the 2012 Pennsylvania Dairy Summit is just one of many opportunities dairy producers and others have to focus on “Being Better.”

Click here to read the full column on the Pennsylvania Center for Dairy Excellence website.  PD

Are you planning to attend the Pennsylvania Dairy Summit? Registrations are due by Jan. 30. Click here for more information.

Editor's note: We asked author Jim Quigley to provide an update to his April 2011 article, "What's new in colostrum research." Click here to read that article. The article that follows is his updated article.

Every dairy farmer understands the importance of feeding enough high quality colostrum to newborn dairy calves. Researchers from all over the world continue to improve our understanding of the critical topic and are providing producers with new tools and information that will improve our ability to manage colostrum on the farm.