More than 30 years ago, David Jackson leased a dairy and started milking 38 cows. Over the years, he has built his herd and acquired land to build what is now Bentwood Dairy in Waco, Texas, which was recognized as a DFA Member of Distinction in 2013. David and his wife, Jodi, stay busy on this diverse operation consisting of seven farms, 1,850 acres, 560 dairy cows, more than 600 heifers, a beef operation, crops for the dairy and a...
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Moving his index finger across a topographic map on a computer screen, Ray Gene Veldhuis precisely traces the movement of surface water across the undulating terrain adjacent to RV Dairy.
In the grasp of a drought that has resulted in an economic loss of $2.2 billion, farmers in California — especially in the agriculturally rich San Joaquin Valley — desperately covet water in order to protect their economic livelihood. For Veldhuis, however, the precious resource not only sustains his...
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For Jacki Roden, there’s no place like the dairy. When she graduated from college in December 2013, she knew she wanted to return to the family business. And while she was at it, she thought she’d introduce others to life on the farm as well.
Roden started Roden Barnyard Adventures LLC as a way to stay involved with the dairy and pursue her passion for agriculture promotion. Her business offers a hands-on familyfarm experience with tours, summer camps and events at Roden Echo Valley,...
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Dwight and Anita Rokey were not raised on dairy farms, but they knew early on that they had a passion for this type of life.
As first-generation dairy farmers who grew up on diversified hog, crop and beef farms, Dwight and Anita started from scratch when they established Rokeyroad Holsteins in 1999. Today, the couple operates a dairy in Sabetha, Kan., that’s recognized for herd genetics, but Dwight says it took some time to get there.
“We went to Wisconsin on family vacation...
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