In this episode, Brad is back from Europe—jetlagged but full of insights from farms and conferences in Germany and the Netherlands. He dives into one of the biggest topics he heard about abroad and at home: Inbreeding in dairy cattle.

Brad explains how inbreeding occurs, what it costs farmers economically, and how inbreeding levels have climbed across all major dairy breeds—especially Holsteins and Jerseys. Drawing on recent research from Italy and data from the U.S. Council on Dairy Cattle Breeding, he outlines how increasing inbreeding negatively impacts cow survival, fertility, and long-term profitability.

The discussion highlights startling trends—Holstein inbreeding has jumped from 3.7% in the mid-1990s to nearly 11% today, and some genomic bulls now exceed 16%. Brad also touches on historic bulls whose genetics still dominate today’s herds, like Elevation and Highland Magic Duncan, and explores whether approaches like crossbreeding, linebreeding, or greater genetic diversity in breeding programs could help slow the trend.

Brad concludes with a call to action: farmers, AI companies, and breed associations must prioritize genetic diversity now to safeguard herd health and productivity.

Questions, comments, scathing rebuttals? -> themoosroom@umn.edu or call 612-624-3610 and leave us a message!

Linkedin -> The Moos Room
Twitter -> @UMNmoosroom and @UMNFarmSafety
Facebook -> @UMNDairy
YouTube -> UMN Beef and Dairy and UMN Farm Safety and Health
Instagram -> @UMNWCROCDairy
Extension Website
AgriAmerica Podcast Directory

Brad kicks off a solo episode (recorded before a trip to Germany) and turns the mic to rangeland scientist Anna Clare for a deep dive into “the solar savanna”—treating solar arrays on grasslands as functioning grazing ecosystems. She shares early results from Silicon Ranch’s Cattle Tracker research on integrating cattle (not just sheep) with PV systems. Brad follows with University of Minnesota’s on-farm demos: panel heights that work for cattle, heat-stress reductions, forage performance under panels, and a mobile, battery-equipped shade/solar rig. If you’re curious how and when cattle can safely graze under solar, this one’s packed with data and practical design tips.

Key takeaways

• Solar as savanna: Think of arrays as shade “canopies” over grasslands—manage them as grazing systems with soils, roots, pollinators, and large herbivores in mind.
• Cattle can work under PV: Moving from sheep to cattle is feasible when arrays are designed with animal size/behavior in mind.
• Panel height matters: In controlled mockups, animal interactions dropped 43% from 2.0→2.5 m and 59% at 3.0 m. Cattle never touched panels; most curiosity was with dampers—a design hotspot.
• Ecosystem wins: Under-panel zones showed higher soil moisture and lower soil temperatures, favoring cool-season grasses and legumes; regrowth dynamics can improve after grazing passes.
• Animal welfare benefits: UMN trials showed lower respiration rates and 0.5–1.0 °F lower internal body temperatures during hot afternoons for shaded cows—meaningfully less heat stress.
• Forage production holds up (or improves): Certain mixes (e.g., orchardgrass, meadow fescue; grass-legume combos) produced equal or greater biomass under panels with no drop in nutritive value.
• Design for cattle, not fear: After a decade of on-farm experience, Brad’s team hasn’t seen cattle damage panels; people and tractors are more likely risks than cows.
• Practical layouts: Keep inverters outside fences, route wiring high/inside racking, and allow equipment lanes; rotational grazing and (potentially) virtual fencing fit well.
• Innovation on wheels: A 20 kW mobile bifacial shade rig with onboard batteries can power irrigation, fencing, and even an electric tractor—bringing agrivoltaics to wherever cattle need relief.

Research & projects mentioned

• Silicon Ranch – Cattle Tracker: multi-year cattle-PV integration study; Phase 2 is a 4.5 MW Tennessee “outdoor test lab” comparing array vs. open pasture for behavior, space use, health/performance, plus mirrored ecosystem monitoring.
• Comprehensive literature review (AGU Earth’s Future – in press): Maps intersections among livestock–solar–land, identifies six research gaps (integration, layered ecology, modeling, best practices, social dimensions, collaborative science).
• UMN Morris agrivoltaics demos: Fixed-tilt arrays at 6–8 ft (1.8–2.4 m) leading edge; 0.5 MW pasture array powering campus; vertical bifacial and crop-under-PV pilots coming; EV fast charger powered by cow-shade solar.

Who it’s for

Developers, ranchers, extension pros, and policy folks exploring dual-use solar that keeps grasslands working and cattle comfortable.

Questions, comments, scathing rebuttals? -> themoosroom@umn.edu or call 612-624-3610 and leave us a message!

Linkedin -> The Moos Room
Twitter -> @UMNmoosroom and @UMNFarmSafety
Facebook -> @UMNDairy
YouTube -> UMN Beef and Dairy and UMN Farm Safety and Health
Instagram -> @UMNWCROCDairy
Extension Website
AgriAmerica Podcast Directory

Emily is back from medical leave (hooray!) and she and Brad dig into an essential topic for every operation: emergency planning. You can’t predict every detail, but you can make the first decisions easier when seconds count.

What we cover:

• What an emergency plan is (and isn’t): a concise, written set of steps and key info you can default to under pressure.
• Start with a farm map: access routes, gates/fences, livestock locations, hazardous/flammable materials, and utility shutoffs.
• Make the red sheet easy to find: an emergency contact list (911 first), then vet, sheriff/emergency management, insurance, milk hauler, feed/suppliers, and owner/manager.
• Stock the right supplies: standard first-aid kits, a trauma kit with a tourniquet, and consider an AED; plan to keep kits replenished.
• Three scenario buckets to plan for:
  1. Shelter in place (blizzards, extended outages): backup power/fuel, blocked access routes, pared-down chore list, role assignments, keeping people safe.
  2. Evacuation (fire, flood, tornado damage): best escape routes for people/animals, which gates to open and in what order, a designated meeting point (and Plan B), and who calls whom.
  3. Medical emergencies (injury or health event): known conditions (EpiPens, diabetes, heart issues), where supplies/AED live, basic first-aid/CPR training, clear directions for EMS, and—on larger sites—who meets the ambulance at the road and whether a safe helicopter landing area exists.
• Mind the paperwork: review insurance coverage before you need it.
• Keep it simple and living: a few clear steps beat a thick binder no one reads.

Resources mentioned:

• University of Minnesota Extension: Operations contingency plan templates for livestock operations.
• Extension Disaster Education Network (EDEN): disaster-specific farm resources.
• Cultivating Change Foundation (Emily & Joe Rand received the Cultivator of Change award).
• Save the date: Ag for All Conference for LGBTQ+ farmers, ag professionals, and allies — March 7, 2026, Waite Park/St. Cloud, MN.

Have questions, comments, or scathing rebuttals? Email TheMoosRoom@umn.edu
.

Chapter markers (optional)

• 00:00 – Emily’s back! (and why breaks matter)
• 03:18 – Why farms need emergency plans
• 05:41 – What an emergency plan actually is
• 08:07 – How plans help when stress spikes
• 10:45 – Simple planning story (cats + hamper)
• 12:03 – What belongs in the plan (map, shutoffs, hazards)
• 15:11 – The red emergency contact list
• 19:06 – First-aid vs. trauma kits (tourniquets)
• 24:44 – Shelter-in-place: questions to answer
• 26:11 – Evacuation: routes, gates, meeting points
• 28:04 – Medical emergencies: AEDs, training, EMS access
• 32:35 – Keep it living, keep it simple
• 33:00 – Resources + wrap-up

Questions, comments, scathing rebuttals? -> themoosroom@umn.edu or call 612-624-3610 and leave us a message!

Linkedin -> The Moos Room
Twitter -> @UMNmoosroom and @UMNFarmSafety
Facebook -> @UMNDairy
YouTube -> UMN Beef and Dairy and UMN Farm Safety and Health
Instagram -> @UMNWCROCDairy
Extension Website
AgriAmerica Podcast Directory