Taylor Leach
Verified- Digital Content Producer and eMedia Analyst, Dairy Herd Management
- Digital Content Producer and eMedia Analyst, Farm Journal Magazine
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Motivated dairy farmer, communicator and spokesperson. Recovering cow show addict. Digital content producer for @DairyHerd and @FarmJournalMilk.
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Articles by Taylor Leach
The Road Home: Dr. Dairy Farmer’s Return to the Family Farm
Bethany Dado-Senn once couldn’t imagine herself coming back to the family dairy. After years of researching calf health and advising farms as a consultant, Dado-Senn now starts her mornings in the calf barn at her family’s Four Hands Dairy near Amery, Wisconsin. She’s caring for calves, learning more about the rest of the operation and sharing what she knows about dairy science and farm life on social media.
Sorghum Silage Gains Ground as Water Concerns Push Dairies to Rethink Forage
As water shortages squeeze corn silage acreage, new research is improving sorghum’s starch digestibility and its potential as a lower-water forage option for dairies. • October 15, 2026 02:25 PM In the Texas Panhandle, water shortages are changing what dairy farmers can grow to feed their cows. Some dairies that once planted corn silage on 80% to 90% of their acreage now have enough water to grow it on just 20%.
Moo-vie Night Turns This Wisconsin Dairy into a Community Gathering Place
A giant inflatable screen, lawn chairs and a local cause come together for an evening designed to bring the community onto the farm. • October 05, 2026 08:00 AM (Photo: Norm-E-Lane Dairy) As the sun drops over Norm E-Lane Dairy on a mid-August evening, families settle into lawn chairs and blankets spread across the grass. Kids run between yard games, parents unpack coolers and snacks, and a giant inflatable movie screen stands ready in the middle of the dairy.
Short-Stature Corn Could Give Dairy Farmers a New Forage Option
What can a 7-foot corn plant offer dairy cows? Michigan State researchers are evaluating its potential as a dairy forage. • September 18, 2026 10:31 AM Short-stature corn reaches about 7 feet tall, compared with 9–12 feet for conventional corn. (Photo: Rhonda Brooks) Short-stature corn could give dairy farmers another option for producing forage without sacrificing milk production.
2026 MILK Business Award Winners: Three Dairy Leaders Moving the Industry Forward
A tech-forward Colorado dairy, a Wisconsin producer growing her farm and giving back to her community, and a nearly 30-year farm veteran show three sides of dairy leadership. • September 17, 2026 12:37 PM The 2026 MILK Business Award winners are Hunter Ridge Dairy, LLP, Ault, Colo., Leader in Technology; Christine Bender, McFarlandale Dairy, Watertown, Wis., Young Producer; and Chris Granius, Ebert Enterprises, Algoma, Wis., Employee Excellence.
A Robot in a Tie-stall Barn, a Rural Farm Store and an Iowa Dairy that Took a Different Path
On a cold November morning in Maquoketa, Iowa, a used robot clicked to life at the end of a newly built tie-stall barn, and Heather Moore wondered if she and her husband, Brandon, had finally lost their minds. Today, the Moore family operates a 35-cow dairy in eastern Iowa with a tie-stall barn, robotic milking system, creamery, farm store and meat locker.
Beef-on-Dairy Calf Prices Cool, But Demand Holds
Beef-on-dairy calf prices have fallen from their $1,700-plus highs, putting more focus on the economics of beef semen, feed costs and calf revenue. • September 14, 2026 01:45 PM Beef-on-dairy calf prices have come down from their highs, but they haven’t fallen out of favor just yet. While a $1,300 calf doesn’t have quite the same appeal as the $1,700, $1,800 or even $1,900 calves producers were seeing at the market’s highs earlier this year, $1,300 can still be a profitable calf nonetheless.
Why HR and Insurance Are Two Risks You Might Be Overlooking
Most farm owners spend plenty of time thinking about risk. Weather, markets, equipment breakdowns and input costs are part of the everyday challenges involved in running a farm. But some of the biggest risks on an operation can be easier to overlook. What happens if the only person who knows how to run a certain piece of equipment is suddenly gone? When was the last time someone went through the insurance policy line by line?
Why HR and Insurance Are Two Risks You Might Be Overlooking
Most farm owners spend plenty of time thinking about risk. Weather, markets, equipment breakdowns and input costs are part of the everyday challenges involved in running a farm. But some of the biggest risks on an operation can be easier to overlook. What happens if the only person who knows how to run a certain piece of equipment is suddenly gone? When was the last time someone went through the insurance policy line by line?
Why HR and Insurance Are Two Risks You Might Be Overlooking
Most farm owners spend plenty of time thinking about risk. Weather, markets, equipment breakdowns and input costs are part of the everyday challenges involved in running a farm. But some of the biggest risks on an operation can be easier to overlook. What happens if the only person who knows how to run a certain piece of equipment is suddenly gone? When was the last time someone went through the insurance policy line by line?
What Would a World Without Cows Look Like?
Cows are at the center of some big conversations about the future of food. How do we feed a growing population? How do we protect the environment? And what role do livestock play in providing nutritious food and supporting communities around the world? Those questions are at the heart of World Without Cows, a new documentary from filmmakers Michelle Michael and Brandon Whitworth.
Setting the Stage for 2027 Corn Silage
When the last load of corn silage is packed away, it can feel like the biggest job of the season is done. But there’s still plenty to do in the fields before winter. Manure needs to be hauled. Nutrient plans need to be evaluated. And for some acres, there’s a decision to make about whether a cover crop goes in. Those decisions can be easy to push down the list after a long harvest. But what happens in the field this fall can have an impact well into the next growing season.
What Would a World Without Cows Look Like?
Cows are at the center of some big conversations about the future of food. How do we feed a growing population? How do we protect the environment? And what role do livestock play in providing nutritious food and supporting communities around the world? Those questions are at the heart of World Without Cows, a new documentary from filmmakers Michelle Michael and Brandon Whitworth.
Chasing Protein in a High-Fat World
Amino acids could be the next piece of the puzzle for farmers looking to push milk protein higher as genetics continue to drive impressive gains in milkfat. • September 04, 2026 11:05 AM The Missouri Dairy Hall of Honors inducted six members Feb. 1 at an awards ceremony at the University of Missouri Animal Science Research Center in Columbia. (University of Missouri) Milkfat has been on a historic run over the past decade.
If You Give a Kid a Heifer
If you give a kid a heifer, they’ll probably want to take her to the county fair. And if they’re going to take her to the county fair, they’ll need to teach her how to lead. So, they’ll wake up early before the sun and head to the barn. They’ll feed her, clean her pen and make sure she has fresh hay. And because they’re already there, they’ll probably spend a few extra minutes scratching her neck and talking to her, too. Then They’ll Grab the Halter At first, the heifer might have other plans.
Beef-on-Dairy Calves Bring New Mineral Questions to the Feedlot
Beef-on-dairy calves are bringing a different set of management considerations to the feedlot as producers look for ways to capture more growth and carcass value. Growth-enhancing technologies such as implants and beta agonists can help push performance but trace mineral nutrition can influence how well cattle respond. Research from Iowa State University is showing zinc and copper deserve a closer look when growth-enhancing technologies are part of the program.
Not All Farm Loss Comes With a Funeral
From struggling through a difficult season, selling the herd or watching a loved one lose their ability to farm through dementia, farm loss can look different for every family. • August 28, 2026 11:59 AM On a farm, loss does not always come with a funeral. Sometimes it looks like selling the cows. Sometimes it’s handing over the farm during succession, moving out of a longtime farmhouse or watching a parent lose the ability to farm.
The Cull Cow Check Is Getting Bigger. Are You Protecting It?
With cull cow prices near historic highs, dairy producers have more beef revenue to protect and another reason to consider LRP coverage. • August 27, 2026 01:26 PM Dairy_Feedbunk_Headlocks_Holstein_Taylor Leach (Taylor Leach) Cull cow values have become a more meaningful source of dairy revenue as beef demand and beef-on-dairy breeding add dollars to the balance sheet.
Could Dirty Water Be Part of Your SCC Problem?
Water quality can affect more than intake, with bacterial loads in troughs and pipelines potentially contributing to herd health, SCC and milk production. • August 26, 2026 09:53 AM “Unlimited Usage” (Dairy Management Inc) A cow doesn’t care where her water came from. She just knows when she wants a drink. For producers, though, there is a lot happening between the well and the water trough.
Before Dolly Parton Was a Star, She Was a Tennessee Farm Kid
“Dolly was a farmer just like her daddy. He farmed the soil, she farmed songs and happiness.” • August 25, 2026 03:49 PM (Inset Photos: Public Domain, Background: iStock) Before the rhinestones and spot lights, country music icon Dolly Parton was a Tennessee farm kid who knew how to milk cows and tend to the crops. Parton, who passed Aug. 25 at age 80, was raised as the fourth of 12 children in rural East Tennessee.
Before Dolly Parton Was a Star, She Was a Tennessee Farm Kid Original
Before the rhinestones and spot lights, country music icon Dolly Parton was a Tennessee farm kid who knew how to milk cows and tend to the crops. They raised much of their own food on 40 acres, leaning on gardens, livestock and crops to help feed their large family. Parton later summed up her childhood years in a 1967 interview with Music City News. “We owned the whole big farm. We just farmed and that’s all we did,” she said of the family’s time in Locust Ridge.
COWS Act Could Bring New Manure Management Options to Farms
A proposed federal program could give dairy producers more options for managing manure while helping offset the cost of equipment, infrastructure and conservation practices. • August 24, 2026 12:05 PM The Manure Challenge promotes startup companies with innovative manure-management solutions. (Farm Journal) Manure management looks different from farm to farm. Some producers rely on lagoons. Others separate solids, compost manure or scrape alleys.
A New Measure of Success: Time, Dirt and Family
Dalton Farms is proof that growth is not always measured in acres, cattle numbers or gross sales. For Edward and Rebecca Dalton, growth has come through rebuilding after loss, rethinking what success should look like and building a farm business that gives their family more of the one thing they value most: time. Near Wakeman, Ohio, the seventh-generation operation spans 2,000 acres of corn, wheat, soybeans and spelt.
When Siblings Share the Farm but Not the Same Vision
Farm families do not always fall apart because siblings cannot work together. Sometimes the harder part comes years later, when the farm has grown, the siblings have grown older and the next generation starts asking where they fit. Brothers who once came home from college and built a farm side by side can eventually find themselves in their 60s, working alongside children in their 30s and 40s. Spouses enter the picture. Some children want to farm. Others do not.
When Siblings Share the Farm but Not the Same Vision Original
Farm families do not always fall apart because siblings cannot work together. Sometimes the harder part comes years later, when the farm has grown, the siblings have grown older and the next generation starts asking where they fit. Brothers who once came home from college and built a farm side by side can eventually find themselves in their 60s, working alongside children in their 30s and 40s. Spouses enter the picture. Some children want to farm. Others do not.
Beef-on-Dairy Cattle May Have More to Gain at Lighter Weights
More than 72% of dairy farms now breed part of the herd to beef sires, putting dairy calves into the beef supply in numbers the industry can’t overlook. Those crossbred cattle now make up more than 20% of cattle entering U.S. feedlots. A recent Farm Bureau Markets Intel report looks at how those calves perform once they reach the feedlot.
Where Employee Training Gets Lost in the Shuffle
When employees come and go, keeping everyone trained can get tricky. But having the right tools can make it easier to keep training on track. • August 17, 2026 11:56 AM Employee training can be tough to keep up with on a dairy, especially when new people are constantly coming through the door. DairyKind is one tool farms can use to make the process more manageable, with short, video-based courses for onboarding employees, keeping training accessible and tracking completion.
150 Water Buffalo, 3 Robots and a Different Kind of Dairy
Water buffalo, robots and a second chance come together at this unconventional British Columbia dairy. • August 14, 2026 12:59 PM (Life’s Photography - Academy Farms) Visit just about any dairy farm in North America and you’re likely to find familiar faces, with Holsteins and Jerseys making up the bulk of the cows. But head to Academy Farm near Surrey, British Columbia, and the herd looks a little different.
Keeping the Farm Together Takes More Than a Will
Who gets the farm is only one piece of an estate plan. For farm families, the bigger questions can start much earlier. Who can make decisions if an owner becomes incapacitated? Can the operation keep running if a parent needs long-term care? How should land be divided between farming and non-farming children? What happens when siblings have different ideas about what should happen next? Those questions carry even more weight when land represents a large share of the farm’s value.
Keeping the Farm Together Takes More Than a Will
Who gets the farm is only one piece of an estate plan. For farm families, the bigger questions can start much earlier. Who can make decisions if an owner becomes incapacitated? Can the operation keep running if a parent needs long-term care? How should land be divided between farming and non-farming children? What happens when siblings have different ideas about what should happen next? Those questions carry even more weight when land represents a large share of the farm’s value.
Keeping the Farm Together Takes More Than a Will
Who gets the farm is only one piece of an estate plan. For farm families, the bigger questions can start much earlier. Who can make decisions if an owner becomes incapacitated? Can the operation keep running if a parent needs long-term care? How should land be divided between farming and non-farming children? What happens when siblings have different ideas about what should happen next? Those questions carry even more weight when land represents a large share of the farm’s value.
Keeping the Farm Together Takes More Than a Will
Who gets the farm is only one piece of an estate plan. For farm families, the bigger questions can start much earlier. Who can make decisions if an owner becomes incapacitated? Can the operation keep running if a parent needs long-term care? How should land be divided between farming and non-farming children? What happens when siblings have different ideas about what should happen next? Those questions carry even more weight when land represents a large share of the farm’s value.
Feed Markets Are Getting Less Friendly for Dairy
Milk prices may have found some footing, but the outlook for dairy margins is getting more complicated. Over the next six to 12 months, Ben Buckner, chief grains and dairy analyst with Ag Resource Company, sees plenty of milk moving through the system. He also sees a feed market with more potential to push costs higher. This combination could make margin management even more important heading into 2027. “There’s going to be a lot of milk produced,” Buckner says.
What’s Keeping Heifers From Making it to First Calving
By the time a fresh heifer walks into the parlor, much of her future has already been shaped. Growth rate, disease pressure, breeding performance and size at first calving all stack up long before a milking unit goes on. Michael Overton, DVM, views this stretch as an investment window. “Heifers represent our future for the dairy, so they should be considered an investment,” he says. “But it’s an investment with a cost, and it’s a significant cost.
Why Corn Silage Acres Are Built for Cover Crops
For many dairies, corn silage harvest wraps up a long growing season and kicks off a busy stretch of manure hauling. For crop and forage consultant Brendon Blank, it also opens the best window to grow something useful after the chopper leaves — forage for the bunk, cover for the field and activity below the soil surface. “The sooner you can get a cover crop in after corn silage harvest, the better,” Blank says.
Life After Cows: One Family’s Decision to Choose a Different Future
By mid-March, the work of selling the herd was nearly finished. The last cows had been sorted, the truck was on its way and the collars that once tracked activity across Sheridan Dairy lay scattered across the feed alley. For Ashley Kennedy, the empty barn made the decision to sell out feel final. “My dad and I were standing there, waiting for the trucker after sorting the last load,” she recalls. “To see the empty barn and the collars all over the floor, it was like, ‘Oh my God, we did this.
Before You Cull, Make Sure Your Mastitis Test is Telling the Truth
Mastitis is still one of the most common and expensive problems on farms, even after improvements in reducing subclinical cases over the past 20 years. Because several different forms of bacteria can cause it, the right diagnostic test can help producers catch infections earlier and make better calls on treatment, prevention and culling. “Finding mastitis before it turns into a bigger problem is the best way to limit the damage,” says Pamela Ruegg, the David J.
Before You Cull, Make Sure Your Mastitis Test is Telling the Truth
Not every mastitis test gives the same answer. Learn how to choose the right tool for treatment, prevention and culling decisions. • July 27, 2026 09:59 AM Mastitis is still one of the most common and expensive problems on farms, even after improvements in reducing subclinical cases over the past 20 years. Because several different forms of bacteria can cause it, the right diagnostic test can help producers catch infections earlier and make better calls on treatment, prevention and culling.
Your Dry Cows’ Heat Stress Could Affect Their Great-Granddaughters
When dairy producers think about heat stress, milk production, reproduction and feed intake often come to mind first. But research continues to show the cost can stretch beyond the cow standing in the pen today and into the next generations of the herd. For Jimena Laporta, Ph.D., associate professor and lactation physiologist at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, heat stress during the dry period is no longer only a concern for the dam.
Pagels Ponderosa’s Boot Camp Brings the Next Generation of Ag Closer to the Farm
For a group of middle school students in Kewaunee County, Wis., the first week of summer starts at Pagels Ponderosa Dairy. Instead of easing into the break, they spend four days moving through the farm’s dairy, crop, technology and animal-care spaces as part of a summer school program built around hands-on learning. By the time they leave, students have taken apart engines, explored drones, learned how rations are built and have spent time with cows and calves.
Pagels Ponderosa’s Boot Camp Brings the Next Generation of Ag Closer to the Farm
For a group of middle school students in Kewaunee County, Wis., the first week of summer starts at Pagels Ponderosa Dairy. Instead of easing into the break, they spend four days moving through the farm’s dairy, crop, technology and animal-care spaces as part of a summer school program built around hands-on learning. By the time they leave, students have taken apart engines, explored drones, learned how rations are built and have spent time with cows and calves.
The Right Fatty Acids for the Right Goals
Fat supplements are often added to dairy rations to help meet the energy demands of high-producing cows. But newer research shows the value of these products depends on more than how much fat they contain. Nutritionists may see very different responses from products that look similar on paper, depending on the specific fatty acids those products deliver.
The Maryland Dairy That Built a Future Around Ice Cream
On a summer Sunday more than two decades ago, Kate Dallam opened the door of her brand-new farm store and froze. “The entire place flooded with people. Some were even outside waiting in line,” she recalls. “My stomach dropped and I wasn’t sure if I was cut out for this.” She laughs about that moment now, but it was the beginning of what Broom’s Bloom Dairy in Bel Air, Maryland, would become.
The Beef Boom Won’t Protect Milk Markets Forever
Strong beef prices are giving dairy producers an added cushion as milk prices soften, but market analysts say the opportunity comes with a growing need to protect margins on multiple fronts. During a recent dairy market webinar hosted by Standard Nutrition, Ever.Ag analysts Mike North and Kathleen Wolfley outlined an environment where beef-on-dairy revenue, cull cow values and relatively affordable feed costs are helping offset weaker milk futures.
MILK Business Awards: Recognizing the People Moving Dairy Forward
From high-tech dairies to young producers and long-time employees, the MILK Business Awards spotlight the people and operations shaping where dairy goes next. • July 06, 2026 10:39 AM MILK Business Award winners reflect the range of leadership across the dairy industry, from innovation and technology to employee dedication and young producer growth. (Farm Journal) Innovation, leadership and hard work are at the heart of every successful dairy.
Why One Dairy Bet Big on High-Oleic Soybeans
On many dairies, soybeans aren’t necessarily a crop grown in the rotation. But at Golden E Dairy in Kewaskum, Wis., they’ve become a strategy for lowering feed costs, increasing components and gaining more control over the operation’s future. What started with Chris Elbe reading about high-oleic soybeans at his kitchen table has evolved into a farm-wide investment.
The Price of Your Fourth of July Cookout Just Hit a New Record
Americans firing up the grill this Fourth of July can expect to spend more at the grocery store, with higher prices for beef, chicken, pork and fresh produce pushing the cost of a traditional holiday cookout to a record high. The survey includes holiday favorites such as cheeseburgers, chicken breasts, pork chops, potato chips, pork and beans, potato salad, fresh strawberries, lemonade, chocolate chip cookies and ice cream.
A Beef-on-Dairy System Built for the Finish Line
When Louie and George Kieler’s father, Lawrence, first started milking 16 cows in a stanchion barn in 1947, nobody talked about genomics, beef-on-dairy programs or raising crossbred calves to finish. But nearly 80 years later, all three have become part of Kieler Farms’ business strategy. Today, the southwest Wisconsin dairy milks about 2,100 cows in a rotary parlor, farms close to 4,000 acres and finishes roughly 1,300 beef-on-dairy cattle each year.
Want Fewer Lame Cows? Start With Your Hoof Bath
Lameness is one of the dairy industry’s most persistent health challenges. While technology has improved the industry’s ability to detect lame cows earlier, Abbie Goldenberg, Director of Sales and Marketing at Farm Inc., says producers shouldn’t lose sight of an even more important goal: preventing those cases from happening in the first place. “I’ve always said that a cow needs a solid foundation in order to function for a producer to the best of her ability,” Goldenberg says.
From Soil to Yogurt: How MVP Dairy is Building Sustainability for the Next Generation
At MVP Dairy, two fourth-generation farm families with more than 100 years of farming history have come together to build a system where every decision is made with the next generation in mind. • June 22, 2026 01:16 PM Before a cup of yogurt reaches the grocery shelf, its story starts in the soil and in the barns on farms like the McCarty family’s, which have been built over four generations and are focused on sustaining the operation for the fifth.
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