Did Christmas suck this year? Everyone talks about Christmas being the most joyous time of year, but for many family farms, it isn’t.

For many in the dairy industry, personal strengths are typically working with cows, equipment and running the farm. As farms have expanded, managers have had to hire outside help to keep the farms successful and growing. With the addition of employees, many owners and managers have had to adjust their management practices and learn to work with different personality types.

Bob was a brilliant farmer. The problem was: Bob was a brilliant farmer. Bob often went and bought equipment without his wife’s involvement in the decision … even though she was the one juggling the bills. (Bob’s wife is a 50-50 partner in the operation.)