We hear it over and over again: The dairy industry is changing faster than ever. And it’s true. We’re all living it every day: new technologies, new equipment and products, new research that leads to updated management practices, new expectations from consumers, processors and the communities we serve. The list keeps growing, and it can feel overwhelming at times.

There are a lot of great ideas and tools available to us, but adopting everything all at once simply isn’t realistic or smart. Every farm is different, and every operation has its own priorities, limitations and opportunities. The key is taking a measured, focused approach – identifying what will actually address challenges on your own farm and deliver a real return, not just what sounds good or looks impressive on paper.

At Heeg Brothers Dairy, that mindset starts with constantly reviewing every aspect of our operation and asking some honest questions. What are we missing? What can we do better? What’s holding us back? That habit of looking for gaps has guided our decision-making for decades and has led to a lot of changes over the years some big, some small, but all intentional.

My brothers, Mark and Gary, and I grew up on a 120-cow stanchion barn dairy operated by our parents, August and Joanne. After graduating from the University of Wisconsin – River Falls and spending three years working for a milking equipment supplier, I returned to the farm in 1999. That outside experience gave me a broader view of how different operations worked and reinforced the importance of continuing to learn.

Together, Mark, Gary and I built a new parlor and freestall barn, and Mark brought his herd from the farm, where he had been milking on his own. At that time, we were milking about 625 cows.

Today, we milk 1,750 cows, raise our own heifers and farm 3,400 acres with a team of 25 employees. Nine family members are involved in the operation, including my dad, who still hauls milk part time at 92 years old. My wife, Cheryl, has also played an important role as my adviser and supporter.

In 2023, we added an automated milking barn with housing and eight DeLaval robots that milk 480 cows. The robotic barn complements our existing parlor and has allowed us to learn even more about managing our herd and farm in a way that lets cows be cows.

Our consultant and adviser teams play a critical role in helping us find gaps and identify opportunities to fill them. We meet quarterly with our veterinarian, nutritionist, reproduction team, calf consultants, herdsman and calf manager to review production records, calf data, reproduction metrics and more. We review how we’re performing against our own benchmarks and industry standards, and then we have honest conversations about where improvements can be made.

Those meetings aren’t about pointing fingers; they’re about learning. I really enjoy stepping back, looking at the whole picture and talking through potential solutions with people I trust. That collaboration has built the foundation for where we are today.

We also put a lot of emphasis on learning outside of those meetings. That means reading industry publications, following research, attending meetings, participating in online learning and talking with other dairy producers. Before we invest in new products, technologies or facilities, we want to understand how they’ll work in the real world.

Continuous learning matters at every level of the farm. New employees learn from experienced team members, and managers continue building their skills too. We encourage participation in external programs like Professional Dairy Producers’ (PDP) Calf Care Connection, Herdsperson Workshop and Dairy Wellbeing Workshop. These programs help strengthen skillsets and, just as valuable, give team members ideas they can bring back and apply on our farm.

I saw that same gap-finding approach when I had the privilege of serving on the board of directors for PDP. I served two terms from 2015 through 2020, including two years as president. Working alongside other forward-thinking producers who were committed to improving skills and moving the industry forward was incredibly rewarding.

One of my favorite responsibilities was helping develop programming and speakers for events like PDP’s Business Conference. As board members, we spent a lot of time asking: What are producers struggling with? What technologies or management challenges are emerging? What do we need to learn more about? The staff at PDP then turned those conversations into practical, relevant educational programming.

The Dairy Innovation Hub came out of one of those conversations, too. What started as notes on a whiteboard in a dairy farm office grew into a statewide research initiative across three university campuses. Today, it receives $7.8 million in annual funding and has supported more than 260 research projects focused on economic, environmental and social sustainability in dairy.

That’s the power of asking good questions and being willing to learn. Progress doesn’t always start with a major investment or a sweeping change. Sometimes it starts by identifying a gap then making a commitment to fill it.

Jay Heeg owns and operates Heeg Brothers Dairy LLC with his brothers Mark and Gary and nephews Nate and Cory. The Colby, Wisconsin, dairy has 1,750 Holstein cows, raises its own heifers, grows 3,400 acres of corn and alfalfa, and employs 25 full-time workers. Jay is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin – River Falls and has a bachelor of science degree in broad-area agriculture and a minor in animal science. Jay and his wife, Cheryl, have two children, Jazmyn and Chase.

This column is contributed by Professional Dairy Producers (PDP), the nation’s largest dairy producer-led organization of its kind. PDP focuses on producer professionalism, stakeholder engagement and unified outreach to share ideas, solutions, resources and experiences that help dairy producers succeed.