“Healthy milk products in a safe and profitable marketplace.” That is the goal of every dairy producer. “Yes! There are a wide range of issues.  Recently solutions have had to solve a wide range of challenges and some fairly severe crisis situations.” Thankfully, the modern dairy industry has a long and positive history of finding ways to cope with virus outbreaks and the resulting disruptions.

When the COVID-19 virus was first identified fourteen months ago, there was a swift investigation to confirm that cattle themselves would not be spreaders. Very quickly the next question was, “Is Covid going to have immediate, short-term and long lasting effects on production of healthy dairy products?” As you read this, how close has the crisis of COVID 19 come to your dairy farm? Were you prepared 12 months ago? Are you more prepared today?

DAIRY COPES WHEN EVERYTHING KEEPS CHANGING

The Covid Pandemic is not the first force to drive changes in the world that dairy farmers do business in.  Here are six examples that previous generations faced, worked through and continued beyond. 

1. Our grandparents did not see people with handheld computers. We didn’t expect our herds to be analysed by computer cameras. “What will our dairying grandchildren see?”
2. Our grandparents didn’t imagine cows at robotic feeders. Our grandchildren may see robotic work crews. “Will future housing facilities take robotics even further?”
3. Our grandparents did not see rotating milking parlours. Our grandchildren may develop drive through pick up of small loads of milk for targeted delivery. “How would these innovations affect your dairy future?”
4. Our grandparents did not see large numbers of immigrant workers.Our grandchildren may draw from international teams of dairy farm workers. “Is finding labourers a hurdle or an opportunity?”
5. Dairy farms have handled their own clean-up teams to sanitize housing, store rooms, small handheld equipment and large motorized vehicles. “Is your dairy team, prepared and trained to handle evolving virus situations?”
6. Modern dairies have benefited from the dairy innovators who came before them. “Who will invent, produce and mentor for the next dairy generation?” 

POLITICS, FAIRNESS and FOLLOW THE MONEY

It isn’t hard to find opinions about what should, would or could be done to make lives better.  News, television, radio and local gathering places, pile up what is patriotic, what is political and what is just plain confusing. Where do dairy decision makers get their information?  Located in Canada but with a large US readership, it is a daily challenge for THE BULLVINE to find balanced and confirmable facts. We often ask after news event that affects dairying or agriculture, “What just happened?”

In the overriding politics of division, we read diametrically opposing reports of who has been given money.  Has help reached your dairy?  How much research does it take until someone says, “Small farmers are getting a meagre share of Coronavirus relief.” And someone else declares, “Some farmers are getting too much money.”

It is tempting to claim the high ground in discussions involving the problems that have appeared in the 2020 to 2021 dairy industry.  The truth is that, at the same time, similar problems have arisen, not only in Canada and the US, but around the world.  Politics has become more polarizing and, like the Covid virus that has become a pandemic, no country or political party is immune to it.

DEMOGRAPHICS – TRUTH AND CONSEQUENCES

If dairying in states, provinces, tribes and territories is seen like a herd … with different ages, stages and needs … it is easier to understand why one action cannot and should not be applied identically in every situation. Having said that, is the political assistance that is often touted in news headlines actually helping? Every day every news source has their own version of statistics.  What is real?  What is actual?  Do we really understand what the statistic includes or does not include?

Here are statistics that are researchable:

• S.A. 76% of farmers are white; 17% are Latino; 3.5% are Black.
• White dairy men earn $30,000 White dairy women $27,000 Black $ 27,000.

Here are statistics that vary so much that a definitive answer is just a number.

• Where is the concentration of agriculture debt? Dairy producer debt?
• What is the effect of changing land values on dairying? Changing land zoning?
• By how much has the supply chain disruption, affected dairy industry profits?
• In the long term, how much will the widening economic divide between rich and poor, affect the consuming of dairy products? How will that affect dairy profitability?

RETHINKING DAIRY BUSINESS RESPONSE

We started out with a celebration of the history of dairy creativity and adaptability. To be realistic, we must realize that people, facilities and cows didn’t achieve this progress due to some magical process.  Under ongoing stress, there has to be effective decision making, management plans and investment all wrapped up in a vision of where to find the opportunities and solutions.

The dairy landscape of 2020 and 2021 has so far seen monumental shifts. Climate change brought fires to the west coast, drought to some states, flooding in other areas and an unusual number of severe storms on the east coast and dramatic winter weather in places where prolonged snow had never been experienced before. Sometimes multiple events closely followed each other. This meant no water for drinking and many homes and barns experienced dangers to humans and animals because of lack of heat and the resulting frostbite, burst pipes and hypothermia. Can this be foreseen and prepared for?

DO IT NOW? DELAY? WHO DECIDES FOR YOUR DAIRY?

Once again the problems don’t arrive in exactly the same way and so too the solutions must adapt to particular situations. Food and safety for people first.  Then finding ways to keep animals safe and well-fed despite disruptions. It would be wonderful if the overproduction in one area could provide for the lack in another. Disruption prevents this.  Slow moving requests for help.  Lagging ability to respond where it is most urgently needed. Even the natural ability of dairy generations to solve their own problems without asking for assistance is, in itself, part of the problem.

The human factor complicates the outlook because there are people on the farm, off the farm, at lending institutions and other suppliers that are making decisions based on their perspective on the impact of Covid 19. Who decides where your dairy’s growth point is now?  Nutritionist? Vet? Crop additive supplier?  Different opinions are healthy.  Different facts are destructive. Goals and action plans for your dairy need to be aligned.

BIG DAIRY QUESTIONS NEED EFFECTIVE ANSWERS

Dairy farmers don’t run from hard questions. Finding answers is not simple and boils down to working either independently or through collaboration with those who also share long term goals for dairy sustainability. 

The answers driving dairy success stem from four basic questions:

1. What is actually working?
2. What is not moving forward?
3. What is needed now?
4. Is reaching consensus more important than taking individual corrective action?

These difficult big picture questions need answers:

• Who is responsible for the problems of methane, milk prices or land use? Is cleaning up the climate more or less expensive than cleaning up the aftermath of climate destruction?
• Who defines the costs of action? Who defines the costs of inaction? Who pays?
• How much do you depend on a free trade oriented global market?                                 
• How much do you depend on local markets and government subsidies?
• Who is coping best with changing milk prices, international competition and global market conditions?

NEW and IMPROVED DAIRY DECISIONS and PROTOCOLS

Ongoing healthy dairy farm management means not throwing out the scientific facts with the milkhouse wash water. Conditions change.  Responses can too. Even as you read this article, numbers are changing. Conditions are changing. Deadline dates, figures, dollars and legislation are all dynamic. We know we can’t hold back change but, at the same time, experience tells us to recognize that quickly enacted decisions can have long term effects.  Losing hard won gains in genetics, nutrition and management may take years to regain. We love the ringside and industry wide recognition of dairy leaders, but getting to that level is not a spectator sport. It means hard work, daily decisions and effective personal and dairy team decisions. However, simply managing what receives attention does not mean that your dairy will automatically be successful.

WHO IS SUCCESSFUL IN 2021 DAIRY BUSINESSES?

We are impressed and justifiably proud of those who have success in the show ring or on the national awards scene. But receiving awards and applause does not mean that there were no difficulties. Success is hard work and despite the look of ease, successful operations are built on the way hard decisions are made and how difficult challenges are met. Ironically, successful dairies also know what to do when things are going well. A good question that dynamic dairy managers can answer is, “What did you do with the money you made in good years?” They don’t stop with a shelf of trophies. They don’t stop with the last pedigree.  They don’t limit their goals. Dairy operations that do well are equally proficient in milk production, herd health and financial decision making. A fine example of this kind of continuing success is “ERBACRES SNAPPLE SHAKIRA The New International Superstar”.

WHO PAYS THE DAIRY BILLS?

Coping is what dairies do.  There is so much information overload, crisscross and misinformation that it can adversely affect your bottom line.  Each dairy manager must take responsibility for keeping up on subsidies, refunds, tax relief, and any COVID related financial support. With the disconnection between federal, state/provincial and local governments, some money could fall through the cracks.  That hurts a lot when it’s your money.

As margins have tightened, there has been a year over year decline in licensed dairy farms in the US. In Canada imported cheese volumes rose through the first half of 2020 due to consumer demand and producer organizations expanding quota levels and due to trade agreements. It is tempting to focus on the profit and loss statement and see that there is a profit for dairies in both countries.  But what is that money being used for?  Is money gradually declining in order to keep refinancing real estate costs or other debt?  When does the line of profit come face to face with nothing left? The bills, on and off the dairy, must always be paid. 

THE BULLVINE BOTTOM LINE

The current Pandemic is not the same as the Great Recession.  Dairy managers and their business situations are also not the same.  Previous generations met and surpassed their dairy challenges. Post Covid 19 is not just about human health but also about dairy competitiveness in a world where many layers of dairy production and dairy product consumption have been disrupted.  Geography, environment and politics are throwing new curves. Safety, health and consumer buying patterns are the signposts to follow. As we’ve learned from conversations with readers of The Bullvine, there are three steps needed if we are to build and strengthen the dairy industry we are so passionate about.  First: Remember our dairy legacy.  Second: Respond to current dairy challenges. Third: Take effective forward actions, with renewed dairy passion.

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WHAT MAKES DAIRYING SUCCESSFUL OR NOT IN 2020?

Currently milk producers see milk checks as cash flow and they fear giving up cash flow. And so begins the cycle.  Too much fluid milk. Fluid milk with nowhere to go. Fluid milk ends up being dumped. This repeating cycle has been with us for at least fifty years due to the fact that milk is seen as a commodity.  As a commodity, there is no differentiation between fluid milk products. Every unit is the same as every other unit.  In the competitive market place, a differentiated product is able to stand out from competitors and win the interest of consumers. We can argue the well known health benefits until the cows come home, but we will still be faced with shrinking markets.  Producers need consumers. We can’t afford to stubbornly hold our positions or the day may come when one side or the other withdraws from the fight. Dairy producers need to design their cash flow so that they are not dependant on volume alone for cash flow.

DO HEALTH MIS-PERCEPTIONS CONTINUE TO AFFECT DAIRY MARKETS?                                                                   

When I meet with non-dairy friends, they see all farms through fond memories of fairy tales, nursery rhymes and their relationship with their own pets. Regarding animal care, this last perspective leads some consumers to fall too easily for negative attacks regarding animal treatment on dairy farms.  We need to look at ourselves from their perspective. They don’t produce products from their pets.  They don’t have herds of pets. The idea of herds of the same animal living together or diseases that spread from animal to animal is not usual to their companion animal experience. With enough negative publicity or lack of positive information, consumers may choose another option when sourcing their beverages.

WHAT MAKES YOUR MILK DIFFERENT?

It is up to the dairy industry to explain how milk is different from other beverages. However, we don’t want to be a product that professes difference that the consumer doesn’t accept. Different does not necessarily mean a product is provably better but we must win perceptions. The purpose of advertising and promotion that occurs in our society is to achieve the end result of earning the consumer’s dollar. It is a competition and we must start by recognizing where the competition actually is. We should compete against other non-dairy beverages.  We can learn from those who do the most convincing job?   A good starting question is to ask why many non-dairy beverages try to be perceived as “milk”.  We need to emphasize different taste.  Unique health benefits.  Speak up about the different benefits for different ages of consumers from birth to assisted living. If we continue to be stubbornly undifferentiated, eventually that sameness will drive prices lower and vital consumer support will also decline.

CAN YOU FIND YOUR DAIRY NICHE and GROW YOUR DAIRY INCOME?

We are all consumers and accept responsibility for the buying decisions we make.  Milk producers can earn new consumers by caring enough to recognize and align our milk products with their real concerns. Creating a brand for milk benefits that show it to be safer, healthier and with a wide variety of tastes that appeal to the whole family. If your current niche differentiation is that you are organic, the time has come to admit that it is not enough.  Organic milk is still fluid milk and simply puts milk in a different commodity market. The opportunity must be taken to differentiate your milk by focusing on specific aspects that are sought by specific markets. Generations before us have promoted healthy milk.  Today the appeal needs targeted outreach to the hearts of all consumers.  Pregnant women.  Babies. School children.  Sports diets. It must start with the recognition that members of households have different requirements and personal preferences from the points of view of health needs, taste, sustainable packaging and ease of availability.  The dairy industry can’t assume that consumers are also not a commodity that has only one profile to appeal to.  As well, we can’t assume that all consumers are well-informed on the differences between the facts and fallacies regarding the production of milk and its impact on health. Where does your milk fill a specific need?

WHAT RESOURCES ARE NEEDED TO MAKE A NICHE MILK PRODUCT?

Finding and building a niche market cannot be done for free.  It takes dollars to advertise.  It takes time and money to find the working partnerships.  It takes investment to make profitable changes to the milk delivery line as it moves milk from farm to table.  For this reason, a lack of resources can be the most difficult part of making the transition from commodity to niche product. Wherever your dairy is operating, there are other producers, manufacturers, marketers and retailers. The forward building dairy business will look for the partnerships that not only build their own dairy but the community they serve as well.  Without customers there is no dairy industry. Although I have previously said nothing is free, all dairy businesses have the opportunity to share free virtual content that highlights the health, safety and entertainment value of dairy farming.  Reinforcing a positive dairy milk image is step one. And “Yes!” – I said entertainment value.  With zoos and parks facing the challenges of health and safety, virtual farm experiences from simple to complex, depending on your resources, can fill a niche. Additionally, consumers in restricted times are receptive to experiences to accompany their purchases. Some creative dairy folks are filming virtual calf shows.  There are opportunities to provide experiences from calving to milking lines. At an in-house creative level, dairy kitchen recipes can expand consumer experience and put dairy products on more tables.

WHERE IS DAIRY GOING?

Many business analysts us graphics to show the rising trajectory of successful business decisions. We are convinced by rising income, rising production, reduced costs and reduced debt. That’s on paper. In real life, time doesn’t stop to allow us time to see the future more clearly ahead of time and then change the lines to reflect our positive success. We cannot perfectly control the future.  We cannot perfectly control the consumer market. Perfect answers are not needed.  Forward progress is needed.  Having said that, vulnerability and risk come with every change.  From the size of the investment that is needed, to the development of the equipment, people and advertising, progressive dairy producers must face many issues when daring to be different. These factors include weather changes, pests, currency fluctuations, economics and political support or lack of it.  That is the dairy side.  On the consumer side, there is reduced disposable income, marginalized demographics and those who are vulnerable for other reasons during these unusual times.

THREE KEYS: 1. Responsibility. 2. Innovation 3. Relationship   

The dairy milk producer does not exist in a vacuum.  From the cow in the dairy line to milk on the table, each step depends on effective input from numerous other businesses. As the world, as we know it, is disrupted, innovation will be important as a way to find ways to keep the dairy business line operating successfully from end to end.  It is risky to feel that the producer at one end does not need to be connected to consumer concerns at the other end.  Going forward the dairy producer will survive because of a successful direct to consumer relationship. It takes acceptance of this responsibility to start the ball rolling.  Then comes willingness to change and innovate.  All three steps are needed for a dairy operation to begin the process of producing not just fluid milk but also niche products.  Simultaneously, the dairy industry has to have compassion for the reality that many businesses are completely interrupted or closed due to the global pandemic. These closures may not immediately affect your dairy business, however, eventually the domino effect will, at the very least, affect the purchasing habits of consumers. It makes sense to start early to consider what new infrastructure would enhance your longevity in the dairy industry.

EXPERIMENTATION and NEW TECHNIQUES

 Long before the decision to invest in new niche market infrastructures, a dairy producer considering change needs to allot time for experimenting with milk specializing, learning new techniques that might be necessary and continually analyzing all changes and the resulting effects on improving milk quality. It can take years, and require significant trial and error, to be able to consistently produce milk for an identified niche market. Niche milk quality, rather than supply and demand, should determine prices – but “should” is the key word here.  In theory, consumer will pay premiums for better-quality milk however, price premiums are not guaranteed.  As much as everyone prefers the comfort of a sure thing, today’s business environment means that this surety is unlikely to be achievable.  Through constant evaluation and adaptation, every dairy operation needs to evaluate processes and track data. Tracing of actual results is key to achieving potential markets and improving consumer market penetration.

PARTNERSHIPS, COLLABORATION AND COMMUNITY

Reinforcing the reality that no business, dairy or otherwise, can operate totally in a vacuum, specializing in niche markets will mean reaching out to new partnerships and collaborations. Finding a community of viable partnerships is not easy. Many businesses have had tough years based, at least in part, on the new realities of the Covid Pandemic.  On the bright side, there are great reports of innovation and new beginnings.  From new packaging to green manufacturing, we are excited to see the opportunities for new business partnerships to reach consumers in new ways.

Closer to our own milk industry, it is important to recognize that many non-milk beverages are well along the path of marketing to consumers in new ways.  Specialty micro-breweries. specialty sodas and a booming growth in specialty coffees are fiercely competitive in the beverage market.  We can learn from their successes and failures.  Individually, dairy producers need to consider and implement ways to raise the profile of dairy products. This can be undertaken through support of community events, 4H competitions and vulnerable groups, all of which may vary from community to community.  The important point is to earn, learn and give back to the community where you are. The dairy future will have a strong foundation only if if builds on consumer confidence, relationships and interaction.

The BULLVINE BOTTOM LINE

 In the past volume of production was the priority. If dairy keeps chasing volume, it means also accepting the risk that an outside force could make some dairy operations irrelevant.  We readily acknowledge the uncontrollable impact of forces such as a global pandemic, weather disasters, economic upheaval and politics.  A more controllable possibility is for dairy to adapt and transition toward selling to specialty markets. This means building long-term relationships with buyers and resulting outcomes in milk consumption. There will be opportunities to innovate new products and give dairy a higher profile position. Strong dairy niche markets will provide more stable income and reduced risk. The most important outcome is that the dairy industry will continue to provide safe and healthy food for the entire community.  

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My mailbox and inbox have recently been overflowing with downloads and brochures about HEAT STRESS.  These written pieces are emphasized by capital letters and exclamation marks as many on-line suppliers and consultants provide information, strategies and, of course, their particular product that will combat this costly annual challenge. But great information is no good if it winds up in the garbage.  At the Bullvine we like to remind each other to ask the second question.  “What can I do with this?” If you have the herd contact person, ask the simple question, “What do you think we could do better to handle heat stress in our herd?”  

HEAT STRESS: Early Warning Signs and Symptoms

• Increased breathing
• Open mouth breathing (panting)
• Slobbering
• Trembling and loss of coordination
• If they go down, recovery is unlikely

Take action when the first signs of heat stress are observed.  Survival depends upon effective intervention. Be particularly observant during the evening when cattle are trying to dissipate the heat built up during the day. Record observations and measurements.

HEAT STRESS AWARENESS TOOL: The Temperature Humidity Index 

Cows are large and their daily living processes means that they themselves are producing heat, in addition to the heat of the environment that they are living in. The effects of heat stress on dairy cattle are caused by a combination of high environmental temperature and relative humidity. These combined effects are measured by the THI Temperature Humidity Index. And used to assess the risk of heat stress and prevent harmful effects. Studies of THI have concluded that heat stress in cattle is avoided as long as temperatures are below 64 degrees Fahrenheit and when humidity is under 15%.  The optimal temperature for dairy cattle lies between 23 degrees F and 64 degrees F. At a temperature of 68 degrees F and humidity of 80%, a cow is already suffering from heat stress. It is clear that these conditions are repeatedly exceeded for extended periods of time during warmest months of dairy operation.  We can be sure that even though we humans may be comfortable; our cows are already experiencing heat stress. THI adds important analysis information. (for more information Excellent examples of how THI is formulated can be found online)

NEXT: Get Ready to Refine Results Beyond the THI Index

THI started being studied in the 1950s and has been available since the 1980s. There are apps available for doing the calculations.  One application doesn’t fit all situations.  It is necessary to know the predominant conditions in the area you are in as well as the relative humidity. Results are different in areas of dry heat (semiarid climates) or moist heat.  Present-day dairy operations need to plan ahead for the microclimatic changes caused by global warming and pollution. The actual Index also needs continual modification to more precisely interpret 24-hour results over extended time periods. Moving ahead, combining THI, body temperature and other indices (i.e. activity) will make it possible to individualize and effectively forecast heat stress.  

YOUR DAIRY HERD:  Who Else is Hot?  

Calves:  Two recent studies conducted at the University of Florida reported a lower pre-weaning average daily gain of calves from heat-stressed cows than those from cooled cows. As well, calves that experience in utero heat stress during the dry period maintain a lower body weight at least until 1-year-old compared to in utero-cooled calves. Multiple studies report that calves born to dry period heat-stressed cows had reduced efficiency to absorb immunoglobulin G (IgG) from colostrum, resulting in lower serum IgG concentrations during the first month of life.

Dry Cows: An article by Mark Pearce (Dairy Australia May 2016) stated that heat stress on dry cows has a dramatic effect on the development of mammary tissue in the udder and leads to decreased milk production in the following lactation.

KEEP COOL CHECKLIST: Take Immediate Action  

• Check ventilation capacity and reduce any barriers to airflow
• Increase ventilation rate when necessary (mechanical ventilation)
• Make adjustments to achieve effective natural ventilation
• Make sure all water troughs are clean at all times
• Increase access to clean fresh water.
• Keep all feed rations fresh and palatable
• During hot periods, only have the cows on pasture during the night or during the cool moments (evening, early morning) of the day

COOLING OFF:  Dairy Stress Nutrition Strategies  

There are many sources who can provide advice and support when your herd is facing heat stress.  Don’t overlook the effect that targeted nutrition strategies can provide. Don’t consider the cost input without also calculating the dollars lost to dropping production or rising health problems.  Feed special rations (supplemented with additional minerals and vitamins) at least two times a day. In an experiment conducted at the University of Illinois (Pate et al, 2020 Journal of Dairy Science) the following was reported: “Protein in milk declines seasonally, just like butterfat, and the lowest point is reached in summer. “Heat-stress also reduces milk protein and milk fat depression during summer.” Protect against milk protein depression in summer with amino acid balancing and rumen-protected methionine supplement with a high bioavailability. 

COOLING OFF IN THE DAIRY GENE POOL  

Addressing heat stress from a genetic perspective presents a longer term solution. Relatively new on the breeding scene is breeding for the Slick gene in Holsteins.  It produces a shorter and smoother coat.  This is a gene with dominant heritability (like the polled gene) so that it makes it easier to introduce it into a population.  Sires are now available for carriers of the Slick gene. Slick animals in the tropics have been found to have 30% more sweat gland areas and 1.6 degrees Fahrenheit lower surface temperature.  University of Florida research shows Slick gene cows, 60 to 90 days in milk, produce 10 lbs. more milk per day in hot environments.  As well, calving interval for Slick gene cows was 30 days shorter than for normal Holsteins.

HOT STUFF: The Multiplying Costs of Heat Stress.  

In May of 2013 Hoards Dairyman published an article “How Much will heat stress cost you this summer?” It provided very interesting numbers to support the expensive side of dairy cattle heat stress. “It is estimated that heat stress costs the dairy industry anywhere from $900 million dollars to $5 billion each year depending on the calculation used.  The level of stress experience by an animal and resulting financial losses fluctuate as temperature and humidity go up and down.” “Knowing that heat stress does not typically happen for one day only, consider if a cow suffered heat stress for a period of 45 days; the losses for a 500 cow herd grows to $36,000 to $126,000. If the herd is milking 1,000 cows the losses become even more significant ranging from $72,000 to $252,000. These numbers don’t take into account reproduction losses and extended days open.”  These may not be your numbers but they may inspire you to take a realistic look at the financial impact of dairy heat stress on your operation.

FIGHT DAIRY HEAT STRESS:  Get a Move On! 

As we move through human learning regarding responses to the Covid-19 pandemic, we are learning about the effects of crowding and physical distancing.  While heat stress isn’t contagious, crowded conditions are certainly another way that temperature impacts our herds. Cows that have spacious pens or pastures may still come into heated conditions while moving through holding areas. Barn fans are a mechanical solution to the moving air that is needed for groups of animals.  Assessments should be made to determine whether the moving air is actually on the animals or if it is largely blowing down alleys over people movement areas. Sometimes the fans are in the right place but the machinery we use for feeding and cleaning may block effective air flow onto the cows.

HEAT STRESS: Exercise Can Help Cows Adapt to Heat 

Studies have reported that cattle that exercise regularly spend less time in an elevated temperature, so they are less susceptible to hot days.  This can provide the added benefit of more milk components. Tim Rozell, an animal scientist with Kansas State University says, “We see increased protein in milk from exercised cattle. Last year, for example, we exercised pregnant heifers up to three weeks before they underwent parturition, and even 15 weeks or so into milk production, we saw increased protein in their milk, elevated lactose and other improvements in milk production.” Abi Wilson, A K-State master’s student in biology reports, “At the beginning and end of each trial, we take muscle biopsies. We are looking at specific enzymes, hormones and any changes in the skeletal muscle that may enhance their tolerance to heat, pregnancy rates and milk production.”

CLIMATE CHANGE: Will it Make a Dairy Difference?  

According to a recent study, the average number of days that feel hotter than 100 degrees in the U.S. will more than double by 2050. Scorching weather and lack of rain damages the quality of crops and the grass used to feed farm animals. This is even more concerning if weather conditions include the other extreme of too much rain and subsequent flooding. Some scenarios predict that climate change could lead to a 5 to 11% reduction in dairy production per year between 2020 and 2029 after controlling for other factors (see Journal of Dairy Science, Issue 12, December 2015, Pages 8664-8677). Research and extension efforts are needed to promote suitable dairy adaptation strategies.  You might ask, “Do animals beat the heat better by being inside or by being out outside?”  There are arguments to be made that pastured animals may be more vulnerable to the effects of climate change than cows that are housed. This is because housing provides shelter and technological options to mitigate the extremes of weather. There are no absolute answers.

HEAT STRESS: Simply Surviving a Few Hot Periods is NOT a Success Strategy 

Making it through to cooler temperatures may seem like a heat stress win which we might attribute to survival of the fittest.  Unfortunately, that attitude means accepting the long-term damage to current and successive generation of the dairy herd. It isn’t something that may happen.  It will damage your herd.

If the gene pool is too slow or too expensive, you might consider a more economical solution such as misting or water evaporation. For many, the solution of water misting seems obvious but, here again, it will depend on how well you manage the resulting humidity.  The plan is that the solution won’t make the problem worse instead of better. 

THE BULLVINE BOTTOM LINE  

Multiple forces act on dairy cattle to send their body temperatures beyond normal levels. The goal of dairy management is to make it possible for each cow to meet her full potential for milk yield and fertility, without damaging heat stress. More research is needed to identify improved comprehensive cow-side measurements that can indicate real-time responses to elevated ambient temperatures. With this knowledge, effective heat abatement management decisions can be acted upon in the right way, right now!  It’s your call.

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Necessity became the Mother-of-Invention when my grandchildren moved further away from the farm than an easy drop-in distance. That’s when we inaugurated Granny Camp.  It was tremendously successful and gave me many ideas to share with friends and families with kids home on the farm during the Coronavirus.

How to Start “Kids Camp on the Farm”

Make a schedule.  Adults and children should plan together and modify a schedule and then post it.  This is important because after a few days the boss position will be challenged.  However, if it there is an agreed upon schedule that becomes the responsibility target, those issues can be avoided with “Let’s check the schedule.” Just a note.  Variations of Kids Camp on the Farm can become Kids Camp in the City.

Set Up a “How Far We Have Come” Corner

At first it will seem that progress and fun are not too significant.  I still urge you to collect results into a box, a basket or posting area (fridge door, bulletin board, walls).

Every day needs a physical representation of the Kids-Camp program:

• A picture
• A piece of art
• Something to eat
• Something to watch. Find programs that lift family spirits.
• Keep school skills growing. Create a dairy math problem. Dairy because that makes it unique. Perhaps a “Milkhouse Math Problem”.
• Keep school skills growing. Create a “Dairy Diary Journal”
• “Would you rather” feed calves or feed barn cats? Would you rather helps kids humorously identify their farm favorite chores, games, animals and things.
• Delve into creation of Dairy Farm Sound FX. This could be a creative way to take 26 days to alphabetize sounds on the farm. For instance, day number three might include calves, cows and coyotes.
• Set up your own Good News Station. Do real or imagined interviews of farm owners, farm family or staff on the farm. Bring out things that make them unique, hardworking and friendly. Lift everyone up with positive feedback.
• Create a TV ad for drinking milk, supporting farmers or keeping your farm work place clean. Empower kids to have input and to contribute actively.

We Can Lift Each Other by “SEEING A BRIGHTER LIGHT”

Put Christmas Lights up on your barn or along a fence. Of course, we don’t want to put additional strain on the system, so decide at a Camp Meeting how to schedule a recurring “Bright Lite” for an half hour to an hour once a day.  This brings a learning opportunity for everyone as we discuss issues of community responsibility, community cheer and responsible managing of difficult situations.

Farmers Have Always Found a Way.  Let’s Look at “THEN AND NOW”

Scavenger hunts have always been fun on the farm.  Of course, make sure clean hands, gloves and discussion sets everyone up for safety. This could be a written list, if that keeps hands cleaner.  Perhaps you could do two scavenger hunts.  (1) Find 20 things that would have been on a farm 100 years ago and are basically unchanged on your farm today.  (2) Find 20 things that a farmer in 1920 would never have seen on his or her farm. This kind of looking back and hoping ahead could expand over the days at home into Farm Equipment – Then and Now.  Farm Crops – Then and Now.  

“This is Not the Time to Turn Screen Time into Screen Time!”

These unusual times give us an opportunity to rewind home disciplinary and conflict situations that may have moved beyond our control.  Admittedly, I am not a grandparent who has a less-is-better attitude toward TV and screen time. I have learned a lot from patient grandchildren who “help” me adapt to this change. I do request that manners are respected at meal time or during specially scheduled activities.  Having said that, I feel it is hypocritical to withdraw screen privileges from the children, when I myself use and enjoy electronic media for learning, research and entertainment. 

“Speak Up on the Farm”

A wonderful part of confinement to a farm situation is the opportunity to interact with animals. When our contact with friends is dramatically reduced, we can use the barn animals – cows, dogs, cats and others — as an audience for improving our public speaking skills.  For instance, we could set up a judging panel: perhaps three transition cows.  If the kid numbers support it, there could be reporters to take pictures and post headlines. One idea might be to determine the entertainment value by the attention span of the chosen audience. 

“The Farm Act” Expands Entertainment on the Farm

We have been moved by scenes of singers and musicians singing from their balconies in cities that have asked for social distancing during Covid-19. In the past my grandchildren have entertained all of us with some very creative show biz opportunities that can be found in the barn:

• Big Bale BoogiE
• Hay Mow Acrobatics  
• Wagon Wheel Parade (riding mowers)
• Milk Pail Rhythm BanD
• Heavy Metal Rhythm Band (farm tools)

“Honk if You LOVE Dairy”

As essential services continue, the farm may still have visitors coming in and out of the lane. Respecting the health of everyone, this will mean keeping a healthy distance.  Having said that, creative signs might invite new ways to show support:

“Honk if your happy.”

“Wave to us.  We are on the Porch”  

“We are Glad to See You” …. And then ring the farm bell.  

 “Start Your Own MILK MUSEUM”

Keep your kids engaged by using their strengths and talents to focus on the positive side of life on the farm.

• Have tickets.
• Create advertising
• Make shoe box models.

The last example could be up scaled into a soap box derby. Create farm-cars.

“Go Beyond Pin the Tail on the Donkey!”

Stand in a section of the barn and only using your sense of hearing, identify what is going on behind your back.  Farm (and city) mothers are disqualified from this game because we all know they have eyes in the back of their heads.

“Kids in the Kitchen”

If you have never turned your meal planning, creativity and presentation to your kids, this is a delightful way to upgrade the family eating experience.  Perhaps you will encourage farm-only menus.  Or the Morning Milk Smoothie Challenge.  The opportunities and family benefits are exponential to the amount of shared selecting, creating and judging.  Dairy desserts could see the development of family favorite recipes.

“Kids and the COYOTE CAMPFIRE!”

One of the first successes we shared at Granny Camp happened on those evenings when everyone gathered after sunset around a camp fire.  We were working with small children who were not all comfortable with the darkness and sounds of a rural farm.  That soon changed as we began to look forward to the three-part experience:

1. Howling at the moon. Everyone joins in.
2. Listening for the echoes.
3. Share stories past and present and dreamed of.

The BULLVINE BOTTOM LINE

We are well into the changed conditions resulting from Covid-19.  As grandparents, our challenge is the very restricted travel between the US and Canada.  Our personal adjustment has been to move away from face to face contact and to find creative and safe ways to keep our connection to our isolated kids-and-calves loved ones.  Every day will not be perfect. Changed routines bring new issues and anxieties.  Let’s find ways to use farm ingenuity to help the whole family to stay UP ON THE FARM.

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The Health of Your Dairy Herd Is Always Under Attack

Over the past 6 decades, advances in disease control and dairy productivity have required that professionals repeatedly shift their focus to a broader perspective and expand the array of methodologies used. Thus, we have made the leap from the sick individual, to disease control and eradication in groups, to the health and productivity of cows on a dairy, to the health and productivity of a nation’s herd.

The Immune System is Sneaky and Dangerous

Immune Response is a powerful force which impacts the entire dairy herd both positively and negatively every single day. While diseased cows are visible, the immunity challenged cow or calf may sneak under the radar of casual observation. You need to identify these four situations before they take down your herd and your profitability.

1. Clinical diseases. mastitis, lameness, milk fever, retained placenta, or displaced abomasum.
2. Subclinical diseases. These diseases require screening tests, fecal culture or ELISA for diagnosis – ketosis, mastitis, acidosis, and laminitis.
3. Sporadic or endemic infectious diseases.
4. Diseases that have serious consequences for public health. 

DO YOU HAVE A VACCINATION PROGRAM IN PLACE?

Stop reading. 

If your answer was “No!”, do something right now to change your answer to “Yes!”  

If your herd is not meeting your health and production goals, you have an immunity problem.

As with any proactive plan, the first step is always accurate identification.

However, we let ourselves off far too easily!

FIVE Signs That Your Herd Immunity is Under Attack

If an animal ticks 3 of the following 5 boxes. You must act.

Here are five signs:

• Increased culling. How much has it risen?What is your new target? Assign dates.
• Reduced milk or protein yield. Identify the amounts.Benchmark the next step.
• Increased adult cow mortality. How did this happen?What causes are identified? 
• Reduced reproductive efficiency. Is complacency taking over?
• Reduced longevity

So, if one cow ticks three of the five boxes, culling is the next step.  There can be no “heart” ticks. Emotional decision making can have a disastrous effect on the herd.

Do you have a sick animal that is not responding to treatment?

This is a threat to the health of other animals.  Do something about it right NOW.  

You Must Accept That Genetics is the Front Line for Building Up Immune Response

“When all else is equal, the question that differentiates between two cows on your dairy is, ‘how strong is their immune system?  How able are they going to be to respond to that challenge?  Because no matter how well managed a dairy is, every cow is going to encounter both bacterial and viral pathogens almost every day on a dairy farm,” says Dr. Steven Larmer, Senior Manager, Genomics Program (Immunity+). The immune response is heritable at 30%.  This means there is huge potential to positively impact disease incidence simply though genetic selection.

8 Steps to Strengthen Dairy Immune Response.  One Day at a Time. Every Day.

Dairy cows are under constant attack from metabolic and infectious diseases. A strong immune system defends against pathogens that cows come into contact with when stressed by events such as calving, lactation and extreme temperature changes. Take steps to prevent infections, reduce the cost of treatments and boost milk production and fertility:  

• Proactively supplement nutrition during gestation, calving and transition.
• Monitor body temperature and rumen activity during the first 7 days after calving
• Manage extreme temperatures to reduce the negative effects.
• Observe incidents of cows not performing as expected.
• Collect feed samples for nutrient analysis

Nutrition Supports Immunity: Quality Counts. Supplementation Counts.

When the feed you provide your herd does not provide everything that is needed to meet 100% of each animal’s needs, you should provide quality supplementation.

• Dairy herd health and production cannot be achieved by feeding inadequate amounts of minerals, vitamins, energy and protein. These exact requirements are challenging to provide. Collect data. Consult with those who can provide answers
• Monitoring of feed consumption is necessary to assess changes due to weather conditions. Transfer of this knowledge into farm practice is difficult mainly because climatic conditions are considerably more variable than those monitored in laboratories.
• Feed managers must also be aware of the changes in forage quality that results from the influence of summer temperatures.
• Work with your nutritionist to identify how reduced feed intake or reduced forage quality is affecting the components of the milk that is produced.
• Collect feed samples for nutrient analysis. Assess pasture conditions.  

Manage Water for Herd Health

Water is an essential nutrient. When ranking the elements needed for nourishment, water follows only oxygen in importance. However, many times water quality gets overlooked and does not receive the attention that other aspects of the ration receive. Pollutants, dangerous microorganisms and some minerals can affect the production and health of the cow. To check for contaminants, water quality should be evaluated several times a year for coliforms, proper pH levels, minerals, nitrates and nitrites, and total bacteria. 

You Can’t Build Profitable Herd Health on Promises Alone

In herd health, as in human health, it is possible to provide too little supplementation or too much. In the current marketplace, you must place your trust in the honesty of feed and nutrition providers. Of course you want to hear that your feed is going to increase your herd health and your profitability.  However, if delivery of the promised product is slow or non-existent that paper promise is worthless. Don’t get caught in the middle of competing businesses, where you could be susceptible to lowest price wins.  Your profits are built not only on delivery of the product to the farm but upon delivery of results when used. More research and data collection is needed about the quantity of minerals and vitamins consumed, the quantity available (absorbed) and the quantity needed by cows under different situations.

Managing the Dairy Cow Rumen for Better Herd Health

The primary goal is to prevent ruminal acidosis.  It is necessary therefore to use a combination of improved nutrition and good management practices. Although continuous ruminal pH measurements provide reliable results in research settings, consistent results and high costs for on-farm sensors preclude their application on most farms.   

• The most practical indirect markers for a decline in ruminal pH are the observation of chewing and feeding activities, as well as the monitoring of milk, faecal and blood variables. Here again, specificity and precision of these measurements, limits diagnosis.
• Monitor portion sizes and ensure the amount of feed consumed is neither excessive or inadequate.
• Add long fiber particle to boost saliva production.
• Reduce the volume of easily fermented grains or carbohydrate consumed in each meal.

Manage Dairy Cleanliness for Better Herd Health

Housing does not have to expensive but it does need to be built in ways that allow for maintenance of hygienic conditions and easy access by staff for efficient cleaning and feeding.

• Ensure that all pens are as clean as possible. Use a strong disinfectant. Let fresh air ventilate each pen.
• Cattle produce large amounts of manure and urine. If it is not dealt with in a timely and proper manner, it becomes a source of disease for both humans and livestock and also impacts the production of clean milk.
• It isn’t often that dairy producers adequately consider the nutrient content of manure when it is applied to fields. Few individuals test the soil on any regular basis. Producers most often apply manure to the land because it is available. You can change this now.
• Contaminated hands are the biggest risk in spreading biological/bacteria. They can also carry microbes to other sites, equipment and staff.
• Have farm workers who are handling these animals wash their hands, change their clothing and clean their footwear before working with other animals on the farm.

Any piece of equipment or inanimate object that touches your cows can become a carrier of disease.

What system do you have in place to prevent this from happening?

Watch Out for Immunity Headlines and Scare Tactics

Vaccines for animal diseases are nothing new thanks to Louis Pasteur in 1879. What is new are headlines and trends that are leading pet owners to refuse vaccines. This means that although some eradicated diseases (i.e. Rabies in the U.K.) are on the rise.  Allowing vaccine preventable disease to decimate food animals would not only be a severe hit to the economy, it would threaten food security all around the world wherever these animals are a source of protein. 

The HEALTH Focus Has Shifted to Prevention

Perhaps the single biggest advance in dairy health in the last 25 years has been the paradigm shift to focus on disease prevention, rather than treatment. Great progress has been made in understanding the biology of energy metabolism and immune function dairy cows in transition, the time at which the majority of disease occurs.

THE BULLVINE BOTTOM LINE

The dairy focus today rests mainly on the production system until the milk truck leaves the farm. The next challenge will be to broaden the perspective once again, this time to encompass the entire food system, including issues of food safety, product development, environmental issues, consumer demands, food supply and security, and the role of the dairy industry in society as a whole.

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Suicide in the agriculture community is an unfortunate reality and is an issue farm families have to be concerned about. It’s time to end the stigma.  Let’s start by ending the silence.

“What are We Talking About?”

As dairy farmers, we spend the majority of our time working and when we do get to socialize in person, in our communities or online, it sometimes is easier to talk about the current price of milk than it is to bring up mental health issues.  I don’t personally know Jessica Peters but I want to give her heartfelt thanks for sending out her thoughts about mental health in agriculture. She was interviewed by Hoard’s Dairymen and can be found on facebook/com/sprucerow.  Thank you Jessica for calling us to action, “It is time to speak up.”

“There is A Global Gathering Place Online”

Online, the Twitter hashtag #DoMoreAg serves as a global gathering place for struggling farmers to reach out for support.  Politicians, industry leaders and mental-health advocates credit farmers opening up on the platform for pushing this crisis and its severity into the spotlight. Farmers talking, asking and listening is bringing attention to the problem of suicide.

“Depression is Not a Choice or a Shortcoming”

We find that our dairy family and friends are impacted by this difficult issue. The first place to start is by correcting misinformation.

• Nobody is immune to mental health issues, either young or old.
• Mental health issues are not just a phase. They are not a choice.
• Mental health issues do not define a person.

Intervention is definitely needed if someone becomes suicidal. Before that crisis time,

training in social problem solving skills, creating a sense of belonging, and providing social support could reduce the likelihood that someone will attempt suicide.

“Take This One Action”

Rural communities and individual farmers find it hard to reach out when faced with this topic. One suggestion is to set up a local farm meeting simply to acknowledge how everyone is doing.  There is no need for speakers and formal presenters.  Simply provide some time for people to talk to each other. Sharing in a safe place we can admit that we all face challenges.  We all need support and encouragement.

“We Have to Rethink Support Programs”

There are many negative triggers in life and whether you carry the burden of one or of many, you can be assured that there is assistance. In the farm community, the expressed reasons are – debt, alcohol addiction, environment, low produce prices, stress and family responsibilities, apathy, poor irrigation, increased cost of cultivation, private money lenders, use of chemical fertilizers and crop failure. Supporting someone means having an understanding of the causes. It means understanding the possible impacts and the kinds of information that is needed. 

“Information.  Too Much.  Wrong Kind.  Too Little”

It is often the stated goal of any industry forum, magazine or editorial to inspire discussion and to be an impetus for action. This works well when discussing measureable outcomes with visible parameters.  Breeding charts, feeding strategies or effective storage solutions respond to this type of open analysis. However, when it comes to health issues and, specifically mental health issues, the topic can have repercussions. It is natural to feel uncomfortable with difficult conversations about mental illness and suicide.  However, completely avoiding acknowledgement of the topic might lead to community pushback and suspicion, while too much of the wrong kind of information could be as counterproductive.

“If you think you may attempt suicide, get help now.”

• Call 911 or your local emergency number immediately.
• Call a suicide hotline number.
• In the U.S., call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (1-800-273-8255) anytime of day.
• Use that same number and press “1” to reach the Veterans Crisis Line.

“We Have to Learn how to Ask for and How to Give Support.”

That was the opening to a recent conversation with a farming friend. As more and more negativity piles on our already overloaded senses, we feel less able to cope. In an effort not to hurt or burden others, we retreat into ourselves becoming more and more isolated.

Depression, anxiety, and other mental health issues can be very isolating.

“You Don’t Have to Suffer Silently. It’s Okay to Ask for Help”

Getting people to talk about a subject that tends to be taboo and about which many hold mistaken and prejudiced ideas will help the dairy ag community to learn about the risk factors so that they can identify and learn to address them. Here are some signals to be aware of:

• Withdrawing from social contact and wanting to be left alone
• Increasing use of alcohol or illicit drugs
• Changing normal routines, including eating or sleeping patterns
• Doing risky or self-destructive things, such as using drugs or driving recklessly 

“Don’t Ignore the Warning Signs.” 

Warning signs aren’t always obvious, and they may vary from person to person. If you begin to see negative changes in your behavior or in someone else, they are signs stating to the world that something is wrong:

• Talking about suicide — for example, making statements such as “I wish I were dead” or “I wish I hadn’t been born”.
• Feeling trapped or hopeless about a situation
• Preoccupation with death, dying or violence
• Having mood swings, such as being emotionally high one day and deeply discouraged the next.

“Find Out Who to Get in Touch with RIGHT NOW.”

Suicidal thinking doesn’t get better on its own.  If you’re feeling on the edge, but are not immediately thinking of hurting yourself:

• Reach out to a close friend or loved one.
• Contact a minister, spiritual leader or someone in your faith community
• Call a suicide hotline
• Make an appointment with your doctor, other health care provider or a mental health
• If you find it too hard to list these numbers for yourself, ask a friend or family member to help you with this task. 

“When to See a Doctor for Depression”

Sharing your feelings with trusted family or friends may help in the short term. When more help is needed, don’t give up. Doctors, psychologists and psychiatrists can provide treatments and self management strategies beyond what those close to you can do. This is a proactive step but there could be issues! It takes courage to reach out but in today’s health community the current waiting list might be quite lengthy.  Here is an added burden for people who are already finding it hard to cope. The ag industry and healthcare at large needs to be more adequately prepared to meet the mental health needs of the community. Depression can make a person feel completely helpless.  Their energy becomes so drained that they haven’t enough left to ask for help.  When you are worried about a friend or loved one, offer support by encouraging them to speak to a health professional. If they’re not able to do it on their own, ask for their permission to ask on their behalf. 

“Take Care of Your Body and Mind.”

One of the ways we identify with those who are struggling is for the reason that we recognize the ways everybody tries to manage our mental health.  Here are four ways to offer help.

• Encourage the person that you are worried about to get enough sleep. Although they may feel that working 24/7 is a way to avoid facing root causes, in actual fact, it may worsen the problem.
• Be aware of Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)which most often occurs in response to the onset of the shorter days and colder weather of winter, known as winter-onset SAD.
• We all need to exercise regularly, although it may seem redundant to hard working farmers.Exercise that loosens and relaxes muscles counteracts the buildup of tension and helps both mind and body.
• Time and worry steal attention from self care. Be sure to regularly eat healthy foods. 

“Do You Need More Help?”

• Jessica Peters – You can find her on Facebook at Spruce Row Dairy or on Instagram at @seejessfarm. She talks from the heart and from personal experience.
• For a list of mental health resources across the province of Ontario, 
• Living is a Solution. Suicide is Not! Dr. Sournya Naik 
• SUICIDE PREVENTION, Ruth Benson, IASP
• Fact Sheets on Suicide, Centre for Suicide prevention,

“Plan Postvention to Provide Support, Intervention and Assistance”

Postvention refers to a series of activities undertaken within the community to respond to a death, suicide or other public crisis with the intention of

• facilitating the grieving;
• helping with the adjustment process;
• stabilizing the environment;
• reducing the risk of negative behaviors;
• limiting the the risk of further suicides through contagion.

All efforts need to work simultaneously to get the community back to the pre-crisis level of functioning, while developing new skills for dealing with new or repeated challenges in the future. 

THE BULLVINE BOTTOM LINE

Assuming a connection between weakness and depression makes it difficult for people with this form of illness to ask for the help they need.  The agricultural and dairy community must break down the stigma around mental illness. Far from being a sign of weakness, living with and recovering from depression takes a lot of personal strength. You are not alone.  The goal is to help yourself and others to come out on the other side with a more constructive, productive and effective way to face mental pain.

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We are almost one month into 2020 and here at The Bullvine we are eager to be a relevant resource and sounding board for the new dairy year. For some of us, the indulgences of the holiday season are affecting both our waistlines and our health goals.  It would be wonderful if we could grow our businesses as easily. In fact, we can, if we take what we know and turn it into actions.

“Taking a Risk Can Work but The Entire Dairy Team Must Work Too!”

Dairying in 2020 will have struggles as dairy farmers face multiple risk ranging from volatile milk prices, trade wars and declining milk demand. Throw in more recent risk of being slammed in the press or facing health and production risks from changing climate and environmental factors.  The good news is that these symptoms of distress are fixable. None of them are easy, but the pathway is possible. Dairy operations must start by pulling the team together and taking the necessary action steps. Is the goal more milk with less work?  Increased fed efficiency per pound of milk produced.  Lower bulk tank SCC.  Raise first service pregnancy rate.  Dramatic improvements can occur in as few as 12 to 18 months. We must stop searching for headlines that deny the challenges and then buckle down as dairy managers always do. Get to work.

“Effective 2020 Change Starts at the Top”

Whether you are the actual top, meaning ownership of the dairy or whether you are the manager, change starts at the top.  More clearly.  Change starts in the heads of those at the top.  Whatever is wrong with your dairy in 2020, it is functioning exactly as you have designed it. The first step to better dairy profitability is to accept that you are responsible for where you are today.  You are also responsible for creating a 2020 plan of action that works. Then make sure that it is communicated to every person who is part of the process. Know it. Do it.

“Who Should Go? Who Should Stay?”

Even if your dairy team has recognized dairy stars, a bloated dairy team pulls the rest of your operation down. Dairy superstars have to work twice as hard when teamed up with a poor performer.  The hardest working dairy staff probably won’t say anything.  They will just suck it up and work twice as hard and burn out that much faster.  Do you have some staff that are just poor performers? You must have at least one or two…Come on, be honest.  If you do, then you need to let them go. 

Letting people go is not an easy task for most dairy managers. We extend endless second chances. Let go and improve your bottom line.  It will also improve team morale.  The cattle herd and the dairy humans will both benefit. ‘Happy employee make happy cows” and we all know “Happy cows make milk.” Move forward with well-considered cow culling and staff cuts.

“Learn to Dairy by the 2020 Numbers”

If we expect to realize our 2020 resolutions, we must be prepared to gather and use all the data.  One business source categorically states that 4 in 10 businesses don’t have a budget.  Success or failure follows the numbers. First get the data measurements for your dairy operation and then respond to what the numbers say. You don’t want to measure yourself against oft quoted “averages”.  What you want are the actual numbers of your own dairy farm.  Know where you are at this exact time. It is important to target each step from where you are now to where you need to be.  For example, targeting 110 pounds per day milk production may be a long way off.  Don’t mimic the actions of the herd that is almost there already. You can’t get there by feeding a 110-pound ration to a cow that is currently producing 80 pounds of milk. To do so risks failure and also risks health issues. Target each small step. Start today.

“Not All Dairy Consultants Are Long Term List Ready”

Make list of the suppliers to whom you pay money.  Make a corresponding list of the exact service or services they provide that make your dairy profitable.  Make a simple note of the last time each one met or exceeded your expectations.  Do they provide actionable advice?  Do you count on them for reliable delivery and excellent follow-up on the paperwork?  Don’t value suppliers on the basis of perks like a trip to an exotic meeting location, sports tickets or a new jacket or cap.  These giveaways are pleasant but they don’t put money into your dairy bank account.  Is your value as a customer being recognized by those who count on your checks? A 2020 dairy vision requires us to challenge the entire dairy team, including the ones who are off the farm.  Keep the ones that meet changing needs and eliminate those who have become more social than business driven.

 “Cut The 2020 Fat”

We need to continue this conversation because dairy operations that will remain financially viable in 2020 are already experts in cutting expenses. At boardroom tables around the dairy industry, CEOs and Financial Planning Departments have distributed lists, enumerating projected expenses and projected profit targets based on the needs and expectations of their head office gurus.  The trickle down effect has every area manager and salesperson looking for ways to reach those targets.  Dairy customers – such as your dairy farm — represent a number that they must check off on their road to success.  For years, we assumed this was a win-win situation.  The veterinarians, feed company, processor and many others, provided something we needed.  We used it.  We produced a healthy product. It was a win-win.  In 2020, we need to check each of these inputs more carefully and make sure that we are actual receiving a value-added input. If not, we must cut the fat.

“From Reflex Resolutions to Real Dairy Reality”

Many of us indulge in making New Year’s Resolution.  Before we even see February 2020 we know whether our plans are achievable or if we are already crying over spilled milk.  Remarkable success needs to build from a foundation that focuses on actual dairy logistics that we can do better, faster, cheaper.  This is what our individual dairy value proposition is built on. We say we are intelligent dairy managers but dairy success doesn’t arrive just because we were good at breeding show winners, or because we have a PhD in AgBusiness or because we are descended from generations of dairy farmers. What do we do that is EXCEPTIONAL and IMPORTANT to our dairy’s success?  If you can’t answer these questions, the question of our ability to produce relevant success is also unknown.

“Technical Transformation Will Continue to Shape 2020”

We now browse the internet for information, take pictures with our smartphones and send emails from our laptops.  This is digitization.  If we truly expect to transform our dairies we have to go beyond a few technical process upgrades and embrace digital transformation. Farmers are increasingly using drones, daily satellite based images and near autonomous robots. Digital transformation is a process. It will make huge strides in satisfying the end customer of our dairy products.  And – when all is said and done -satisfying the end customer is the very reason why we are in the dairy business.

“The Difference Is in The Details”

Although you may think the preceding proposals are difficult, there still remains the important task of summarizing your 2020 vision into a clear and concise action document.  This gives you clear talking points to present to every financial advisor, farm consultant, vet, nutritionist, and geneticist that you work with. Details must be written down. Shared. Remembered and Repeated.

“Is this 2020 dairy decision making so difficult that it’s impossible?”

No! What makes this visionary foresight possible is simply getting started?  Start sharing it with people who know what dairy success looks like. Start with yourself and your staff. Revise and refine.  Once you have adjusted your draft, get back to your team and put it into action.

“You’ve Got to Give, In Order to Earn What You Take”

When we break it down this way, the changing dairy industry economics become easier to manage. We can’t just explain a desire for change. Instead, we need to actively define people’s expectations. We need dairy customers to feel like we’re giving, not taking. We need to feel that our dairy suppliers are adding value, not trying to extract it. We have to show customers that, our goal of a healthy food product is in complete alignment with their expectations. Yes, we must show the foresight that shows them the that we’re always looking out for them and their needs.  They can expect to be taken care of. The same must be true of the other members of the supply team.

THE BULLVINE BOTTOM LINE

Leading a 2020 dairy operation into the future is all about what you are looking for.  Eyes wide open doesn’t mean being blind to serious issues and risks.  It does mean working every single day to make the conditions, cows and dairy teams the best they can be. Attainable and sustainable.  Here’s to seeing our dairy business with ever greater clarity this year.

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“We farmed before the invention of electricity, tractors and silos and never dreamed that a time would come where we could be watching live weather forecasting, while we worked the farm fields in air-conditioned comfort.” My father, George Heatherington, 1999.

This opening quote may not include the modern technology that you now take for granted, but the point is that not so long ago, automation had not yet made it to the farm. However, as each new invention came along, it prompted new ways of working.  Then, as a result, specialization of animal genetics and crop production started to evolve. The chain from farm gate to consumer also expanded. It quickly grew to include refrigerated transportation, advanced processing plants, focused milk marketing and giant retail grocery chains.  Even as this was happening, those moving off the farm began to romanticize, “the way it was.”.

“Big or Small … Food Production is the Goal”

Everyone chimes in on what size farms should be.  Sometimes it is a contentious issue. Having even a distant connection to the farm tends to make us want the small, gentle and familiar ways to remain.  But that is unrealistic. The only real goal is that there must be enough healthy food for the consumer. The UN estimates that the world population will rise to 9.7 billion in the next thirty years.  Old ways aren’t fast enough, big enough or safe enough to meet those needs. One of the noticeable differences is that we are going to lose the heritage farm scenes that fed small numbers. But that doesn’t mean that modern farmers are going to stop putting generations of homespun passion into dairy production.  The systems must change. Evolving with the times has always been part of dairy farming history, but human farmers and dairy cattle are still the driving forces behind milk production even as it responds to the necessity of going high tech.

“Here Come the Robots!”

Technology is in our cars, our schools and our churches. In our lifetimes, everyone reading this article has witnessed science fiction technology move from books and movies and into our everyday life.  Robots in the house clean carpets and floors and manage heat, lights and appliances. We have smartphones in our hands wherever we go. Robots are on the farm, increasing production yields. Drones are overhead.  Tractors are managed by remote control.  Robotic arms are in the milking parlor.  Innovative applications are being created and are quickly evolving as new ideas propel new inventions, and the old ones become obsolete.

“It’s Your Turn. Turn to Robots.  Turn A Profit”.

Using economies of scale, large dairy farms are turning to robots. In 2017 Whitney Davis writing for Dairy Business News wrote, “At present, there are approximately 40 herds of over 500 cows or more in North America now using robots.” Just one year later Doug Reinemann reported in Wisconsin Farmer that “the latest statistics indicate that a total of more than 200 dairy farms in Wisconsin and Minnesota and more than 300 in the United States, and upwards of 500 in Canada are equipped with robot milking units.” This is exciting news, and from my des, I found myself asking the question, “Faced with closing their doors, what is stopping the smaller dairy herd from using robots?” The answer is a game changer.  First, answer money.  And if you don’t have it in your current milk situation, how could you even think of going to robots?  Many desk-dream ideas come to mind. Milk fewer cows. Get higher production.  Convince financial and herd consultants to find the most profitable way to introduce robots to your herd. Robots are leading the way to the future.  Financial support, rules and regulations and all the details that make this change feel like running-in-cement, make it not feasible for the dairy farm that is already bogged down.

Larry Tranel at IOWA STATE UNIVERSITY Extension and Outreach is a great resource for up-to-date information on Milking Robots.  There you can expand on the following points.

What’s UP with Robots?

• Reliability, consistency and efficiency.
• Volumes of herd management and analysis information (100 measurements/milking).
• Cows eat more meals.
• Higher production per cow (from 10% to 30%).
• Pregnancy Rates go up.
• Milk quality payments go up because of reduced Somatic Cell Count.
• Cow longevity increases.
• Return on Investment.
• Cows thrive on consistency and predictability.

What’s Down with Robots?

• Total Milking Labour – 75% decrease.
• Hours spent on Heat Detection – 70% decrease.
• Hiring, training, and overseeing employees – decreased 37 minutes per day.
• Labour savings valued at $44,030 per year.
• Lameness is decreased.
• Cows are down …. They are resting more.
• Less Illness.

Adding up all these positives that are potentially available, it is more than worth the effort to find the way to make robotic milking possible.  No robot can find the most workable solution for your situation.  But you can. Everyone on the dairy team has to be open to all “what if” scenarios.  Of course, turning to robots involves risk.  And yes, doing nothing is definite.  Definite failure.

“Change the Dairy Tale”

Everyone loves a good story.  Dairy farmers often regale friends and family with their passion for the dairy lifestyle.  Lifestyle is great, but it costs money.  And then there’s the other side of the story. Too often, dairy consumers are telling the tale about factory farms taking over America’s pastured past.  In 2019 we need to move beyond Old McDonald’s farm.  Today’s fairy tale is more relatable to those ones where the wolf is at the door. We need to think of the clever turnabout where Red Riding Robot saves the day!  Wouldn’t it be ironic if all the technology that got us to this dangerous precipice turns from villain to hero by saving the dairy industry?  It isn’t technology that is to blame for where we are.  It is whether we use it effectively or not. A story won’t make or break your dairy operation.  The story of what you do will. Kids in our public schools are making APPS.  Some are constructing 3D printers.  If children can rewrite the story.  So can dairy farmers.  Not too big.  Not too small.  Just right.

“Don’t Fight Change. Fight for the Future”

So you’re not a factory farm.  You don’t milk 500 cows.  What is your niche? You need one.  Whatever you do best, you need to make that your place in the dairy industry. Can you and a neighbour join forces the way corporations do to make your dairy production viable?  By harnessing the strengths of two smaller but convenient (to each other) operations, perhaps you can produce more efficiently to a specific demand of your local processor or local consumers, as Bullvine author Murray Hunt wrote in, “Specialty Milk EQUALS Money Everyday”.

“Robots Beyond the Farm Gate”

While we are growing accustomed to robots working beside us on the farm, we need to encourage the same creativity and invention beyond the farm gate. For instance, warehousing and shipping are two places that also need to evolve. Most often, these areas trend toward larger is better.  We need to creatively seek ways to ship our dairy products in more specialized and smaller, faster more accessible ways.  Small shipments could mean more specialization and also that dairy aisles don’t have those empty shelves that are part of the empty pockets of milk producers at the front lines of milk production.  We are not being loud enough in demanding research that improves the ways we get our product to our customers. Huge savings in manpower are needed in the processing and delivery of milk products.  If dairy farms are robot ready and the linking dairy service industries are not, it is literally counterproductive for everybody.

The Bullvine Bottom Line

There is always the option of doing things the way they have always been done.  Unfortunately, profits aren’t showing up with that same repetitive frequency.  It’s time for dairy producers to open their gates, minds and dairies to change. Whether it’s mechanization or clever partnerships with neighbours, or creative financing or robotics, those who understand and want to remain in the modern dairy economy must eagerly find workable solutions to labour and production issues.  Regardless of size, those dairies who are ready to change and evolve are the dairies that will remain and prosper.

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It might seem obvious to veteran dairy owners to say that the first feeding of colostrum has an enormous impact on calf health.  However, modern calf managers need to go beyond simple transfer of antibodies and learn ways to manage all aspects of calf immunity, health, and nutrition.  If colostrum is seen as the starting line … then the milking line is the finish line.

Expand Your Viewpoint: “There’s More to Colostrum Than Antibodies”

If workers asked you, curious neighbors or investigating journalists what answer would you give to the question, “Why is the transfer of colostrum from cow to calf important?”  We can quickly give the rote answer, “Colostrum supports immune function and disease resistance by providing antibodies.” What we may not be unintentionally overlooking are the studies out of places like Texas Tech University, where associate professor nutritional immunology, Michael Ballou, feels that we need to be looking beyond antibodies. Farmers have been largely focused on calf health. Research is reporting that there is an expanded role for colostrum that relates to nutrition.

Feed Calves for Success: “Nutrition Impacts GI Maturation”

In presenting research updates at a Land O’Lakes Animal Milk Products Calf Summit in 2016 Ballou elaborated, “GI maturation stars in first trimester in utero, but some components of the GI immune system only develop after birth.” Researchers are reporting that actions taken to improve calf health are much more available to the calf if it is assisted in rapid GI system maturation.  Ballou explains: “Rapid GI system maturation helps break down feed ingredients into nutrients available to the calf and closes the open doors to the harmful micro-organisms that carry the potential for calfhood disease.”

Ballou feels the GI maturation is important to calf health and is affected by colostrum management.  He says, “Many compounds in colostrum and transition milk are involved in post-natal development of the GI system.  Improved calf health through colostrum management should also focus on improving GI maturation.”

Learn from New Research: “Expand Your Protocols for Early Calf Management”

Sometimes it seems that there are too many issues fighting for the attention of the dairy farm owner-manager.  We think it should be as simple as raising, feeding and milking animals.  Collect the milk.  Accept the paycheck.  That line from dairy calf to dairy check is no longer as straightforward or as profitable as it has been in the past.  Growing evidence says that it is costly to ignore all the issues that impact starting dairy calves off on in a way that will allow them to be productive cows in the future. It’s time to manage beyond simple colostrum antibody transfer.

Four areas with potential for positive impact include, but are not limited to:

1. Raise the level of early nutrition
2. Prebiotics
3. Probiotics
4. Hyperimmunized egg proteins to improve intestinal health

Granted a list of four items is not threatening because of length, however, like any other opportunity, understanding all four and putting them into action could be.  The challenge for dairy owners and calf managers is to get the advice, training, and support that enables them to put improved protocols into place. Let’s look at each one of these individually.

1. Better fluid Better disease resistance and growth.
   Sometimes what is in front of us every day is the hardest area to single out for change.  Feeding calves seems simple enough.  Unfortunately, the negative results are hard to spot until diseases challenges arrive later in life.  Daryl Nydam, an associate professor at the College of Veterinary Medicine at Cornell University, performed an intensive calf study designed to evaluate the impact of nutrition on disease resistance.  Nydam and his calf team researched groups of calves fed commercially available milk replacers and challenged with Cryptosporidium and other pathogens. Results from the trial showed that “calves fed a Conventional milk replacer diet outlined under the National Research Council (NRC) 2001 recommendations (20 percent fat a 1 pound of dry matter per day) was not enough to meet the calves’ maintenance requirements, provide disease resistance and supply adequate mega calories for growth.
   Dairy managers are being urged to reduce the risk of disease through nutrition management because of the effectiveness of “supplying things directly where they are needed.” explains Ballou. Nydham makes other clarifying points. “With Cryptosporidium being prevalent on every dairy of any size, every pre-weaned calf faces disease challenges.” And furthermore, he adds, “The likelihood is that disease-causing pathogens will never be completely eradicated from a calf’s environment.” With this in mind, Nydham researched how nutrition can impact the health and performance of pre-weaned calves. He is excited about extending that research through the life of the heifer, through her first lactation and beyond. The takeaway for those working on the front lines is that nutritional inputs need to be elevated in two steps: the first two weeks of life and then management of the next period that calves are fed fluid.
2. Use Prebiotics as a Feed Additive
   Prebiotics are dietary components that are not digested by the calf but are used by bacteria in the gastrointestinal tract to improve their growth. Prebiotics mainly used in calves feeding have carbohydrate as the main nutrient which produces volatile fatty acids, which further may increase nutrient digestibility and subsequently increase feed efficiency. As better data on structure to function information accrues as well as individual metabolic profiles of target bacteria are compiled, it may be easier to select prebiotics for specific purposes. Good management practices to optimize nutrition, immune status, and decrease the risk of disease are vital. The use of prebiotics may be a viable option to increase the proliferation of commensal bacteria in the gastrointestinal tract, modulate feeding behavior, and increase immune function to optimize calf health. It falls to calf managers to responsibly solicit the help of your nutritionist or veterinarian in choosing a science-based research proven product.
3. Feed probiotics to manage a healthy population of gut microbes.
   One non-antibiotic approach to improving preweaned calf health is to add probiotics – or “good” gut bacteria – to milk or milk replacer to protect the intestinal tract from disease-causing bacteria and keep calves healthy. In an issue of Calf Notes, Dr. Jim Quigley, with Provimi North America, reviewed the results of an evaluation of dozens of studies that looked at the effects of probiotics on calf growth and reached these observations:
   1. Using probiotics during the first 60 days of life can improve growth and feed efficiency in calves fed milk replacer.
   2. Those same benefits were not realized in calves fed whole milk.
   3. The response to probiotics was more apparent earlier in life.
   4. Probiotics had less impact as calves began to consume more dry feed.
   5. A simple, one-strain probiotic was just as effective as products containing multiple bacterial strains.
      (See the full text of Jim Quigley’s “Calf Note 178” at Calf Notes.com)
4. Add Hyperimmunized egg proteins to improve calf intestinal health
   Another area of study that is producing encouraging results relates to hyperimmunized egg proteins. They report. “At birth, calves can be fed low levels (1 to 3 grams) of these egg products to introduce these antibodies to the calf in combination with the colostrum to begin building a defense system against many common pathogens. The antibodies from the eggs work at the epithelial level of the calf’s intestine in several ways. They identify and bind specific pathogenic bacteria, rendering them inactive. They also “bundle” these bound, inactivated bacteria together (agglutination) for secretion via feces. They recognize the processes of specific viruses so these viruses are neutralized and cannot enter the cells. A critical factor in the effectiveness in the egg antibodies is the affinity the antibody has for the specific antigen.”

Give Your Calves the Best Start!  Give Your Dairy Herd a Better Future!

There are approximately 670 to 770 days between birth of a dairy calf and the first day in the milking line. Each dairy calf must make progress from the starting line of its birth to the milking line.  How that progress is managed will determine the success of the dairy’s bottom line. An added bonus is that maternal nutrition affects the next generation. Races can be won or lost at the starting line.  Proper investments of time and effort pay off in the long run. Attention to detail in raising healthy calves will ensure quality replacement heifers for the next generation.

The Bullvine Bottom Line

First colostrum feeding protocols have enjoyed the attention they deserve but it is now time to dig deeper and recognize the opportunities that are available for taking the next step in early calf health and immunity management. Until calves grow and enter the milking line with the ability to perform the full expression of their genetic potential, there is still more to be done.

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How often do dairy managers stand in their offices and, with some kind of report in hand, deliver this frustrating news to their staff? Once is too often, if it’s your bottom line that is headed south. No one needs a winter vacation from financial success.

“Successful Dairies Don’t Make Excuses! They Make Changes!”

“It’s not my fault.” “It’s the economy.” “It’s the weather.” “It’s the government.”

Any or all of these might used to shift blame.  What does this mean?  No one really cares.  No one accepts responsibility.  The owner is the only one asking, “Who is responsible for this mess? When push comes to shove, messes are only eliminated when changes are initiated.

“What Does Accountability Look Like?”

It isn’t simply a case of taking the blame when the you-know-what hits the fan.  It’s not about who is guilty.  Being accountable means delivering on a commitment.  Milk production.   It is about being responsible to the targeted outcome, not just the daily routine of completing a set of tasks.  You can’t sit in an office and know what is working in the barn. You can’t hide in the barn and have any idea what is happening in the office. It is about initiative, action, and follow-through.

“Motivation Starts at the Top …. And After That… We all Know What Runs Downhill!”

When life throws a curveball, we are tempted to assign blame. We all know the routine.  Bad news is received at the top.  And bad news like it’s pungent neighbor in the manure pit runs downhill.  Soon there is a sh*t storm brewing that is delivered to the all within earshot.  Some listen stoically.  Others run for cover.  Then what?  Life goes on the same as before until the next bad news day.

WAIT!! Turnarounds mean you don’t talk AT staff.   You talk WITH staff.

Getting angry when people fall short is not productive. It simply reduces motivation and performance.  Success is about finding alternatives that change a negative into a positive.

• Good managers know how to get a two-way conversation going. Employees need to feel
• comfortable speaking up about their side of the situation. They shouldn’t be afraid to claim a
• role in the problem for fear of even more criticism raining down on them.

Talk Up the Positive Too!  Who Is Responsible When Everything Goes Right?

Face to face conversation may not be the only way of communicating, but it is the best way. Both sides must participate and be understood. And then move on.  But don’t forget to share the good news too.  Does your team know enough about your dairy’s successes?  Big or small, knowing what’s going well on the dairy can make a big difference in preventing problems and learning how to deal with issues.  If the boss claims all the successes and staff bears the burden of problems, it kills motivation. Honest recognition motivates.  

Too Often It Becomes One Side VERSUS the Other Side. 

Here are five ways dairy operations dissolve into a tug and pull and what to do about it. 

1. “It is Obvious What is Required” versus “It’s not obvious from where I see it.”
   Because you, as owner or manager, have benchmarks to reach, bills to pay and animals to raise, you may be very clear, in your own mind, about what needs to be done. To the person further away from the center of things it’s likely that it isn’t clear why things need to be done or even how they need to be done. Dairy staff may perform completing repetitive tasks without knowing how it affects the outcome.  If the job is not only repetitive but boring shortcuts or changes may creep in that negatively affect the outcome. How do you measure success? How do the workers measure success?  There needs to be alignment between the two. Some of the best modifications and improvements can come from skilled people who feel the work they do is worthwhile, the opinions and suggestions they have are heard and appreciated. If you don’t want lowest common denominator results don’t treat the working staff like they don’t count.
2. “It’s Not Rocket Science” versus “I’m Not Paid to be A Brain Surgeon”
   New science, new economics, and a continually shrinking work face have resulted in the loss of people with skills. Has brought in new unskilled labor.  Has necessitated upgrading of skills. New equipment.    Digital inputs and monitoring. All of these could mean that the person doing the jobs needs training to be able to meet the rising expectations.  Are you ready and able to provide the skilled training?  Do you know where to get skilled instructions?  You must realize that if your staff doesn’t know how to do what they are being asked, then you are setting them – and yourself — up for failure.
3. “Your Success is Tied to Results” versus “Results Don’t Mean Anything to Me!”
   When the milk check arrives or payment checks are sent, owner-managers have readable feedback and exact numbers on how successful the dairy operation is. When there is a sudden fall in production and or payments, it should not come as a surprise to anyone who is paying attention to the day to day operation. Sometimes problems seem sudden when, in reality, it is the result of lack of communication. Someone is afraid to ask for help. There isn’t any buy in to the necessity of reaching measurable Any movement in a negative direction needs instant attention.  In modern dairying, it is counterproductive to wait until the month end, year end annual review. What can be done now? How can it be fixed today?  What new and improved schedule do we need to put in place? A slip off track can become a major detour if it isn’t dealt with promptly.
4. “You Didn’t Do What Was Asked” versus “So What? Not my stink. Not my ”
   This is the second time in the management staff dialogue where there is a disconnect between the reasons for the rules or operational procedures and the lack of incentive felt by staff to carry them out. Even when expectations are clear and proper training has been provided, it’s possible that the level of buy-in remains low or is even declining. A turnaround could be as simple as a regular positive acknowledgment.  An open dialogue about how routines are either well done or not working also raises the level of buy-in. Provided success is recognized.
5. “There Isn’t Any Room for Your Mistakes” versus “Accidents happen. Live with it!” Even when you have a good idea, a well-formulated plan, and a willing team, there are enough variables on a dairy farm that things can go wrong. Somehow, a feed formula is incorrectly mixed. Medication is forgotten. Scheduling of follow-up is overlooked. A staff member misses the training session and, unwittingly changes things back. Anyone of these and many more can be the reason for problems. Once again it isn’t who is blame but who can fix it that is important. The only wrong answer is the one that says maintaining the status quo is okay.

The Bullvine Bottom Line – From Mess to Success in Two Steps!

Whether you are management or staff, it is essential to recognize that there is no gain in falling into a pattern of blame and shame. When everyone learns how to accept responsibility and is willing to be held accountable, the operation has found the two building blocks that are the foundation of a successful dairy.

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