What these billionaire investors want you to believe is that they are being incredibly benevolent in their investments. They market their support of a sustainable and climate friendly agriculture as their gift to the world at large. They share stories of how innovation in agriculture will help eliminate world hunger and safeguard the planet for future generations. They speak of the building a better future by harnessing the technology and innovation of the “Fourth Industrial Revolution.” Their marketing game is on point.

There’s a lot of controversy about cows giving “consent” to be bred. I don’t know about you, but last I knew, cattle can’t speak English. So their way of giving “consent” is to provide nonverbal cues to show when they want to be bred.

Taking calves away from their mama cow is a common practice on dairy farms. Why do we do this?

I get a lot of questions about what we feed our cows. The answer to that question is a Total Mixed Ration (TMR). A TMR is a combination of feed ingredients to make up a balanced meal to feed the cows. A TMR helps a dairy cow achieve maximum performance and health.

As a fourth generation dairy farmer who has dedicated my career - and therefore life - to raising and caring for dairy cattle and ensuring high-quality, reasonably priced, delicious dairy products are available in grocery stores, the thought of defending an industry that shows generation after generation we can become more-sustainable while continually improving how we care for our farm animals is exhausting.

Dairy cows are not the same as beef cows. They should not and do not look alike. They are bred, and therefore built, differently and for their own specific purposes.

It’s important to understand cattle vaccines and why we choose to vaccinate our dairy cows. Ultimately, we want to make our cows’ lives better, safer and healthier.

Do you have kids? Ya know how one day they’ll eat their whole plate of food and the next day they won’t even touch their toast? If you think kids are unpredictable, try caring for livestock.

One day you’re getting along just fine and the next day a storm rolls in; adding challenges like the riving rising and pastures flooding.

In short, just like we cut our toenails, cows’ hooves are consistently growing and need trimmed. Basically, it’s good hygiene. We have the cows’ hooves trimmed on a regular basis to maintain welfare and to prevent lameness.

As humans, it’s easy to assume what cows should or shouldn’t like based on our personal comfort preferences and impose our believes on them. I, personally, don’t like sleeping in the dirt or in mud, and if I’d never stepped foot on a dairy farm it would be easy for me to assume that cows wouldn’t like that either.