Latest News From Karen Bohnert

Bateman’s Mosida Farms in Utah is named the 2024 Innovative Dairy Farmer of the Year by the IDFA because of their ability to innovate and diversify to better care for their cattle and land.

God bless grain cart drivers. They are great mind readers, understanding all those hand signals that are hard to interpret and hard to see, and the person who generally takes all the blame.

Leading financial experts underscore the importance of farmers understanding the do’s and don’ts of a Line of Credit that will help producers during the downside of the rollercoaster markets they have gotten to know.

Travel to Carpenter, Wy., and you’ll see two-thirds of the state’s 9,000 dairy cows, who are milked at Burnett Dairy. You’ll also get to see an upcoming second-generation dairy farmer, Reese Burnett.

For those whose livelihood depends upon working outdoors or in less than favorable conditions, this week looks to be quite difficult with higher-than-normal temperatures and humidity predicted.

Raising teens isn’t for the faint of hearts. Raising teens is not easy and while many of those years are spent watching our children thrive on and off the farm, other times we are just trying to survive.

With the exclusion of firefighters and other personnel responding to emergencies, the Washington State Department of Labor and Industries (L&I) is now issuing a permanent heat rule effective July 17 for outdoor workers.

Workers who help produce sour cream for brands, including Taco Bell, Wendy’s and Hello Fresh, have gone on strike. Teamsters Local 662 members at New Dairy Select Milk, a subsidiary of Borden Dairy are striking.

According to the U.S. Department of Justice’s Office, a California man has been sentenced to more than six years in prison due to his involvement in a nearly $9 million cow manure Ponzi scheme.

With much of the Upper Midwest processing capacity maxed out in terms of milk production, finding a new home for milk is not an easy task. This is causing dairy farms to dump milk due to the oversupply. 

A winning tradition unfolds in the midsection of the country each Memorial Day weekend for the biggest motorsports event in the world. The Indy 500 is a tradition that Indiana dairy farmers get to help orchestrate.

Farming isn’t just an occupation—it’s a lifestyle that includes a rollercoaster of challenges, including the pressure to sustain the family farm. Understandably, many farmers suffer from mental health challenges.

Farm moms are in the fields, milking cows, feeding calves, paying the bills and somehow still manage to put supper on the table. They are very involved in their community and show up at their kid’s school events.

The dairy industry has been impacted by overtime labor rules, rigorous permitting processes and the shortage of water. As a result, cows are migrating toward areas like South Dakota, who has seen tremendous growth.

The Institute for the Future predicts that nearly 85% of the jobs that today’s students will do in 2030 don’t exist yet, underscores how big of a task it is for colleges to prepare students for a changing future.

Miami-Dade Police have arrested six suspects after they were busted for a dairy products theft ring and responsible for more than $1 million worth of stolen dairy items.

Technology is no stranger to the dairy industry. With all the new technologies hitting the market and endless new ways to handle the tasks on a dairy, it can be hard to determine what to implement on your operation.  

I wish grandpas never had to die. Especially the ones that sported bib overalls and rubber boots. I promise you this, the younger generation will reshare your stories and remember your advice long after you are gone.

Not long ago, California dairy producer Ryan Junio prayed for rain. Now he's praying for the massive flooding in Tulare County to stop.

On a high-tech Georgia dairy farm leading 170 employees, you’ll find a farmer with no dairy in his DNA. Nevertheless, Pete Gelber is a dairy farmer who offers a unique perspective on succession planning.

Innovation can be defined as taking two things that exist and putting them together in a new way. This is exactly the case for Bar 20 Dairy the recipients of the IDFA 2023 Innovative Dairy Farmer of the Year award.

While normally any moisture to the Golden State would be welcomed, the massive “Bomb Cyclone” storm hitting California is far from normal. High winds, heavy rain and power outages have impacted California farmers.

Three days before Christmas, on the 22nd of December, the Mueller family's dairy barn in Strawn, Ill., went up in flames and their dairy farm suffered an enormous loss.

The statistics surrounding mental health are alarming. The reasons varied, but while the holidays can be a time of happiness, it also can be challenging. Follow these tips if you notice your mental health worsening.

Krysta Harden shares her decades of participation with 4-H and program that has changed over the decades, with more than half now coming from suburban and urban areas.

President and CEO of the U.S. Dairy Export Council (USDEC), Krysta Harden shares that even through the toughest of times, U.S. dairy exports grew, and she believes that number will continue to rise. 

The 2022 Milk Business Conference keynote speaker Alex Weber will grace the stage on Wed., Dec. 14th at the Paris Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas.

California dairy farmer, Steve Maddox found a newfound love for Amazon Prime, who hauled premium alfalfa dairy hay from his Logan, Utah hay ranch to his Riverdale, Calif. dairy farm.

Global Dairy received a gut punch when the derecho plowed through its South Dakota farm last week. The storm’s impact took out their main parallel parlor that milks 1,700 cows after its roof collapsed.

While the cows seem less fazed with a big-name country star holding a concert in their backyard, Gar-Line Dairy Farm is thrilled. The Minnesota dairy farm is a 2022 Farm Tour stop for the Sept. 24 Luke Bryan concert.

The roads have been cleared and the sun is now peeking out in North Dakota after dairy farmers spent the bulk of their Easter weekend pushing snow when the storm of the century – Snowmageddon – plowed through.

The challenges that farmers face can be overwhelming. Factor in Mother Nature's wild ways, and there is only so much a farmer can do. Texas dairy farmer, John Boer worries about the outlook of his corn.

Like many dairies, Desperado Dairy and Du Brook Dairy had a difficult time retaining dependable workers. That changed in 2018, when the dairy teamed up with the Florence West Prison to help fill the vacant positions.

Gunfire was the result of a crime spree that spanned five rural Tulare County California dairies last week. Tips on what to do if your dairy has been robbed and how to develop and implement a farm security plan.

Five years to the day after her father’s cows left, Mitzie Blanchard moved back to the family farm. The determined young woman raised a successful herd of cows and four sons who learned the true meaning of hard work.

Great supervisors and leaders are rare and, in most cases, have worked very hard to become outstanding. It takes knowledge and, most importantly, practice! Bob Milligan shares several time-tested leadership strategies.

Joe Burrow might be best known for his strong arm that is leading his team to the Super Bowl. However, the NFL quarterback is also taking advantage of the spotlight to help draw much needed attention to food insecurity.

Consumers are asking more than “Where’s the beef,” the slogan for the fast-food chain, Wendy’s, that debuted in the 1980s. Consumers now want to know where a piece of beef came from and the story behind it.

Fueled by a pandemic, teachers are quitting at a higher rate. Thankfully Olivia Zurcher doesn’t add to that statistic. Born and raised on her family's dairy farm, Zurcher combines her love for ag with teaching.

New York ranks fourth in the nation for milk production. If the recent state board recommendations are approved by the state labor commissioner, New York will also rank in phasing in a 40-hour overtime threshold.

Named IDFA 2022 Innovative Dairy Farmer of the Year, the Hildebrand's have been at the forefront of innovation — from their processing plant to multifaceted industry partnerships to tapping into the A2 milk market.

The day before Christmas, producers Kent and Coreena Meyer opened a letter from their milk processor, Wakefern Food Corp., owner of Readington Farms informing them they no longer would be picking up their milk.

The debate to lower New York’s agriculture overtime limit to 40 hours has been postponed. New York dairy farmers anxiously await the proposed ultimatum, knowing if passed many farmworkers would find work elsewhere.

The problem seems straightforward—you need someone to milk cows, feed cows or feed calves. Insert COVID-19 and labor shortages now into the picture and the answer to fill those vacant positions seems complex.

The 18th Annual MILK Business Conference has a great line-up of speakers and sessions to help dairy producers capitalize on and further develop their strengths to work for them.

Along with much planning, open communication, hard work and strong values have allowed Steinhurst Dairy to pass the torch from one generation to the next despite a string of grief and mountains of heartache.

The heartland is bright, beaming with illuminated lights. Dairy farmers are part of a ‘2% club’ that works hard and helps put food on the global table. The lessons learned propel farm kids far in life.

Caring for calves, milking cows, chopping corn – pretty much every farmer remembers exactly what they were doing and where they were at on 9/11. Dan Baginski is of no exception.

“You see this out West. You never think it’s going to be in your backyard,” says owner Marianne Eachus. “The devastation is just … everything is gone.”

Optimizing productivity and improving efficiency are top goals that are talked about in farm meetings. The big-ticket question is, “What can help a dairy producer launch their operation to the next level?”