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What’s in the box?

Forrest Gump’s momma always said, “Life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you’re gonna get.” In a way, feeding cows is the same. You never really know the true composition of the feeds and diet that make it to the bunk or what makes it into each cow.

As farm ownership progresses through generations, it becomes more and more likely that owners may have one or more children or heirs that are not actively involved in the business.

In the coming years, heat waves may occur more frequently and last longer. Beyond reducing the quality and quantity of forage, high temperatures and humidity also affect productivity and reproductive performance of livestock.

Milk yields are maximized when calm cows are milked with a consistent routine from one milking to the next and from one milker to the next.

Almost 10 years ago, brothers Mark and Paul Berning decided to install an automated calf feeder to assist with one of the tasks at Green Waves Farm in St. Michael, Minnesota.

Collecting and analyzing critical data points, from activity to rumination, for every individual cow can be a struggle for many dairy farms. But this type of information is paramount in maintaining the health and well-being of an entire herd.