Dairy farming requires a dedicated and sound work ethic as well as ample knowledge of the dairy industry and its business components, so give yourself an edge with various dairy publications you respect and trust for sound information. You may not have large blocks of free time for reading, but keeping many of these resources close to you will make them easily and quickly accessible when you do find time.

Dairy publications will provide you with information on processes, industry trends and statistics, best business practices, herds and much more. As you research different publications for the ones that will best serve your needs, consider the following sources:

1. Buy dairy books to keep as quick references on your bookshelf.

2. Subscribe to dairy magazines for current news and trends.

3. Take advantage of other dairy farm publications that can help make your farming operation successful.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Purchase dairy books and journals for useful reference and business information

Dairy books and journals can offer you valuable and timeless information that you can find quickly via bookmarked pages and highlighted sections that you'll refer to frequently.

I recommend: Choose Dairy Technology: Principles of Milk Properties and Processes as one of the milk publications you keep on your reference shelf. The book focuses on the changes in raw material as milk transforms into value-added products and the procedures that ensure processing efficiency and product quality. When selecting dairy farmer publications, include business-related resources like Dairy Farm Accounts & Records. An affordable record-keeping book, it comes in a spreadsheet format and includes receipts pages that separate short- and long-term capital items. For international dairy publications, consider the International Journal of Dairy Technology. If you enjoy the technical aspect of the dairy industry, you'll appreciate the many international, peer-reviewed research papers and reviews related to dairy science and technology.

Add dairy magazines to your list of available resources at your fingertips

Order a dairy industry magazine to keep abreast of new information that can give you a competitive edge and improve your efficiency.

I recommend: Subscribe to Dairy Foods magazine, a dairy periodical that started in 1900. The milk magazine provides technical information to dairy processors of fluid milk and dairy-related foods. For a wealth of dairy information, register to receive Hoard's Dairyman, a dairy magazine published 20 times a year.

Use other dairy industry farming publications to your advantage

Read different dairy trade publications for quick facts or in-depth information on specific topics.

I recommend: Visit Dairy Farming Today for access to dairy industry farming publications that include articles, fact sheets and other resources. Order Storey's Guide to Raising Dairy Goats, by Jerry Belanger. One of the most useful dairy goat publications you'll find, the guide covers individual breeds, breeding and kidding, feeding and housing, milking and dairying and health care and disease prevention. When looking for dairy business publications, make sure you subscribe to Dairy Profit Weekly, a newsletter published 50 times a year. Within its pages you'll find lots of pertinent, objective, honest information without advertising or government/organizational bias.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Don't spend too much money on dairy publications to get useful information. Look for free subscriptions to trade publications and websites that permit free downloads of valuable dairy industry publications.