The Back 40

By Jeannette E. Warnert, Conservation Agriculture The timeworn water tower that stands in front of the Giacomazzi Dairy in Kings County is a hallmark of the farm’s endurance. It proclaims, “Since 1893.” Dino Giacomazzi, the fourth generation to run the operation, said cows have been producing milk and the land producing feed every single day [...]

Wisconsin is experiencing some deep budget cuts to land and water conservation efforts, which is being felt by state conservation offices at the county level. As the article below states, cuts at the county level will have an immediate impact on Wisconsin agriculture. Cap Times writer Margaret Krome traveled around Wisconsin, asking farmers how these [...]

Poet, novelist, songwriter … cheesemaker? Cheesemakers and vendors across the country are finding creative, clever, interesting, and fun ways to describe their products. Photo: Pdphoto.org In the dairy case, ripe prose By Jeff Gordinier, The New York Times They can tell you about torment. They can describe long, frustrating hours sitting in dark, stinky basements [...]

For decades, California cheesemakers have enjoyed a competitive advantage, because they milk they use to make their products was less expensive than milk in other states, allowing them to price their cheese much lower than products produced in other states. This is due to the fact that California sets its own milk prices when other [...]

U.S. House Minority Leader Mitch McConnell made an 11th hour inclusion of a 9-month extension of the 2008 Farm Bill into the “fiscal cliff bill.” This move gives Congress until the end of September 2013 to get a new bill in place, but many individuals and organizations are not pleased with this outcome. The extension continues the [...]

The article below tells the story of the continual loss of family dairies in Oregon, which half dropped by half in the past 20 years. But, really, it’s a familiar story across the United States. For reasons such as economics, including fluctuations in milk and feed prices, and massive time commitments, farmers are leaving the [...]