Dairy

Milk is produced in all 50 States, with the major producing States in the West and North. Dairy farms, overwhelmingly family-owned and managed, are generally members of producer cooperatives. The industry has seen a consistent decline in number of operations, matched by a rise in number of cows per operation. Dairy products range from cheese, fluid milks, yogurt, butter, and ice cream to dry or condensed milk and whey products. (Source: ERS).

Organic dairy cows exhibit signs of heat stress after being turned out to pasture for night grazing in mid-July (Maryland).

Keeping cows cool in the summertime is a major concern for dairy farmers, even in the relatively moderate climate of the Northeast. During humid heatwaves, temperature and humidity levels can rise above a cow’s comfort zone, leading to heat stress. When heat stress occurs, dairy…

Managing Dairy Heat Stress in the Northeast’s Rapidly Changing Climate

scene from Sustainable Dairy Cropping at Penn State virtual tour

Warmer temperatures and longer growing seasons offer Pennsylvania dairy farmers the ability to plant more than one crop in a season. But increasing frequency of extreme rainfall presents new challenges. Double cropping with winter annuals can increase forage production and…

Sustainable Dairy Cropping at Penn State

Cow nose

  Project Area R&G Miller & Sons Inc. operates an organic dairy in the Southern Wisconsin and Northern Illinois Drift Plain region. This area is characterized by gently sloping ground moraines, lake plains, out-wash plains, drumlin fields, end moraines, flood plains,…

R&G Miller and Sons Organic Dairy Farm, Wisconsin Case Study

Dr. Steve McNulty, Director of the USDA Southeast Climate Hub, delivers the opening address at the Hurricane Resilience Workshop

The Southeast Climate Hub partnered with the University of Florida to host a free Building Agricultural Resilience to Hurricanes Workshop on November 15, 2018 in Gainesville, Florida. The workshop brought together over 60 USDA, Extension, and research professionals to discuss…

Building Agricultural Resilience to Hurricanes in the Southeastern US

Goat milking at Does Leap Farm

Capstone students are helping us hear the stories of farmers who are adapting to climate change The Public Communication Capstone is a service-learning course at the University of Vermont (UVM). The USDA Northeast Climate Hub partnered with a team of Capstone students in Spring…

Vermont Farmer Profiles

UVM research team at a cattle farm in Williston, VT

Research at dairy farms in Vermont shows how management practices can affect water quality, economics, and greenhouse gas emissions. Agriculture is a common land use for the well-drained and productive soils of Vermont’s Winooski floodplain. Intense rain and flooding events are…

UVM Dairy Farming Research

Hertzler cows grazing in spring

How does the changing climate impact dairy operations, and what can dairy farmers do to adapt?  Increased heat stress in dairy livestock can reduce feed intake, milk production, and livestock fertility. For a Southern Pennsylvania farm, average annual losses in milk production…

Weather and Climate Considerations for Dairy

Cows on pasture laneway

A rotational stocking system controls the timing and intensity of grazing by rotating animals among paddocks, and gives the pastures time for rest and regrowth. Heavy rain events have increased dramatically in the Northeastern United States. These downpours are causing more…

Managing Grazing to Improve Climate Resilience

Cover image to Adaptation Resources for Agricultire

Changes in climate and extreme weather are already increasing challenges for agriculture. This technical bulletin was developed specifically to meet the unique needs of agricultural producers, and provide educators and service providers in the Midwest and Northeast regions of…

Adaptation Resources for Agriculture: Responding to Climate Variability and Change in the Midwest and Northeast

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