The Bullvine

Profitable but Drowning: The Interest Rate Crisis Reshaping Mid-Size Dairy
The cows haven't changed. The math has. Why good dairies are suddenly fighting to survive. Executive Summary: Well-managed mid-size dairies are f […]
The $4/cwt Your Milk Check Is Missing – And What’s Actually Working to Get It Back
You know that moment—scrolling to the bottom of your milk statement, already doing the math in your head? Mike Boesch's DMC said $12.29. His deposit s […]
The $42,000 Transition Mistake: Why Blanket Protocols Are Failing Your Best Cows
What if your transition disease rate isn't 20%—it's 35%? That measurement gap costs $42K/year. Worse: your best cows pay the genetic price. EXECUTIVE […]
$15 Milk Is Coming: The German Butter Signal Every Dairy Farmer Needs to See
German butter at €0.77. U.S. milk at $15. The math is already done—now it's decision time. Executive Summary: German butter crashed to €0.77—down […]
Bred for $3 Butterfat, Selling at $2.50: Inside the 5-Year Gap That’s Reshaping Genetic Strategy
Bred for $3 fat. Paid $2.50. The 5-year genetic timing gap just got real—and the smartest dairies are already adapting. Executive Summary: Octobe […]

The Man Who Made Sure 11,500 Dairy Farms Had Somewhere to Ship Their Milk Gary Hanman built more than a cooperative. He built a promise that no matter how dark things got, someone would always come for the milk. I've written about dairy farmers…
Wisconsin’s First H5N1 Case: The 5-Day Spread No One Sees Coming—And How to Catch It Wisconsin's first H5N1 case: healthy cow, full production, zero symptoms. Virus has already been spreading for 5 days. What farms with better outcomes did differently—and when they did it. EXECUTIVE…
Dairy’s National Average Is a Lie: Texas +50,000 Cows, Washington -21,000 – Your 90-Day Plan Here's the thing about national averages—they can hide more than they reveal. While USDA reports 3%+ growth, one state added 50,000 cows and another lost 21,000. Let me walk you…
Ferrari Genetics, Go-Kart Support: Why 30,000-Pound Cows Are Gone by Lactation Three Today's dairy cows have more genetic potential than any generation before them. And yet we're dropping race-car engines into go-karts and acting surprised when the wheels start coming off. Your…
$15 Milk Is Coming: The German Butter Signal Every Dairy Farmer Needs to See German butter at €0.77. U.S. milk at $15. The math is already done—now it's decision time. Executive Summary: German butter crashed to €0.77—down 35% in five months—and that price signal typically…

Beef-on-Dairy’s $6,215 Secret: Why 72% of Herds Are Playing It Wrong
64-year low in beef cows. $1,100 dairy-cross calves. 2.5 million replacement heifers. Do the math. E445 Beef-on-Dairy’s $6,21 […]
Zero Mastitis Tubes Since March: The Protocol Change That’s Emptying Hospital Pens
Your antibiotics aren't failing. The bacteria are hiding—in fortresses 1,000x stronger than the treatment you're using. Here' […]
Trembling Hands, A Decade of Faith, 200 Fewer Cows: Three Paths to the Same Truth
Trembling hands at Expo. A decade of faith. 200 fewer cows. Three families. One truth about what excellence really costs. E44 […]
She Won’t Win Shows, But She Pays the Bills: The Rise of the $3,000 ‘System Cow.’
The 'System Cow' won't win a banner. But she might save you US$180,000 a year. E442 She Won’t Win Shows, But She Pays the Bil […]
The 18-Month Window: Why Your Lender Knows Your Dairy’s in Trouble Before You Do
The math says 2,800 dairies will close this year. Your lender already knows if you're one of them. Do you? E441 The 18-Month […]

They Called Him the Three-Legged Bull. He Created the Modern Red Holstein: The Untold Story of Hanover-Hill Triple Threat-Red 53 years ago, a man bet his career on a red calf everyone else called a defect. He was right E433 They Called Him the Three-Legged Bull. He Cre |…
Four Bets. Five Legends: The Holstein Visionaries Who Built Everything You’re Breeding Today Four breeders made four impossible bets. Every Holstein alive today is the payoff. Here's what they knew that we forgot. E340 Four Bets. Five Legends: The Holstein Vision | RSS.com…
The $640 Question: Why Some Dairy Farmers Are Rethinking Everything They Know About Dry-Off Wisconsin trial: 47% fewer deaths, 70% less leakage, $640 more per cow. The dry-off method? Backwards from everything you know. E421 The $640 Question: Why Some Dairy Farmers Are |…
The Robot Truth: 86% Satisfaction, 28% Profitability – Who’s Really Winning? When satisfaction rates soar but profitability plummets, the dairy industry's automation revolution reveals uncomfortable truths about who really wins The Robot Paradox reveals dairy farming's uncomfortable truth: while 86% of…
Trembling Hands, A Decade of Faith, 200 Fewer Cows: Three Paths to the Same Truth Trembling hands at Expo. A decade of faith. 200 fewer cows. Three families. One truth about what excellence really costs. E443 Trembling Hands, A Decade of Faith, 200 Fewer |…