dairy farms

Health & Safety

Limited testing of raw milk for bird flu leaves safety questions unanswered

10:47am May 25, 2024

An avian flu outbreak in dairy herds has stoked tensions between the federal government and raw milk advocates. Milk testing could provide assurances and useful data, but some farmers oppose it.

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Will Lambek, left, interprets for Enrique Balcazar, a Migrant Justice activist who helped negotiate the fair labor and living standards agreement with Ben & Jerry's.

National

Ben & Jerry's 'Milk With Dignity' Pact With Farmworkers Seems To Be Paying Off

11:38am August 13, 2018

by John Dillon

Some workers say wages and living conditions have improved. Farms have also committed to providing five annual paid sick days, five paid vacation days and to meet housing health and safety standards.

A foal nurses from a mare at the Lindenhof Stud in Brandenburg, Germany. While mare's milk remains a niche product, its reputation as a health elixir is causing trouble for European producers in a more regulated age.

Mare's Milk For Health? Europeans Look To Horses For Ancient Remedy

8:02am July 12, 2018

by Susanna Forrest

Chekhov and Tolstoy swore by its curative powers. While mare's milk remains a niche product, its reputation as a health elixir is causing trouble for European producers in a more regulated age.

A cow at Carol and Bill Schuler's dairy farm in southwest Michigan.

National

When Robots Milk Cows, Farm Families Taste Freedom

12:53pm April 07, 2018

by Dan Charles

On a growing number of dairy farms, cows, not people, decide when they need to be milked. Robots can do the job day or night. For some farm families, the robots free them from rigid milking schedules.

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A cow is milked at a dairy farm in Granby, Quebec, last month. President Trump recently accused Canada of unfairly blocking imports of milk from the U.S. He was taking aim at a Canadian system that defiantly rejects the free market and protects small farm

How Canadian Dairy Farmers Escape The Global Milk Glut

12:33pm May 03, 2017

by Dan Charles

President Trump recently accused Canada of unfairly blocking imports of milk from the U.S. He was taking aim at a Canadian system that defiantly rejects the free market and protects small farmers.

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Cows graze at Dharma Lea Farm in Sharon Springs, N.Y. Advocates of grass-grazing cattle say it's better for the environment and the animals. But there's another upside: Grass-fed meat and dairy fetch a premium that can help small farms stay viable.

Why More Farmers Are Making The Switch To Grass-Fed Meat And Dairy

11:07am March 22, 2017

by Nancy Matsumoto

Advocates of grass-grazing cattle say it's better for the environment and the animals. But there's another upside: Grass-fed meat and dairy fetch a premium that can help small farms stay viable.

David Fuller has been a dairy farmer since 1977. He gets about the same amount of money for milk these days he did when he started.

National

As Big Milk Moves In, Family-Owned U.S. Dairy Farms Rapidly Fold

1:00pm January 11, 2017

by Rebecca Sananes

Large-scale dairy farms are more lucrative, and national milk production has actually increased. But small farmers like David Fuller, who is auctioning off his last herd, see their way of life dying.

Farmer Aubrey Fletcher of Purdy, Mo., is one of thousands of women who have taken on leadership roles in the traditionally male-dominated agriculture industry. Despite her busy workload, Fletcher has been making the time to meet regularly with a new group

Women Farmers Band Together To Vent, Seek Support And Exchange Ideas

7:00am March 31, 2016

by Suzanne Hogan

The agriculture industry is traditionally male-dominated. But that's changing: Over the past 15 years, the fraction of U.S. farms run by women has nearly tripled.