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Progressive Dairyman doesn’t have a Washington, D.C. bureau office. Unfortunately, dairy issues don’t grab elected officials’ attention often enough to warrant one. But this past New Year’s Eve, I wished we would have had just a cubicle there.
Florida’s dairy farmers know the value of hard work and determination and practice it every day.
They also know the importance of being involved in, and giving back to, their community.
More than 560 people from all over the world arrived in Lexington, Kentucky, for Alltech’s Global 500 in December.
Farmers and producers from the beef and dairy industries came from as far away as Argentina, Afghanistan, Serbia, Slovakia and Switzerland to hear about the future of animal production and how to stay profitable by focusing on the three pillars of successful farming: efficiency, profitability and sustainability.
In November, a California superior court judge refused to find that the California Department of Food and Agriculture (“CDFA”) failed to follow the law in establishing the prices for milk used in the production of cheese. The decision has many producers confused. Let’s try to look at the lawsuit and explain exactly what the court decided.
There’s a Spanish saying that goes: “Más sabe el diablo por viejo que por diablo.” It essentially means: “The devil knows more because he’s old, not because he’s the devil.” In other words ... with age comes wisdom.
As we begin the new year in 2013, dairy producers have a lot to be hopeful for as forward margins through next several quarters are projecting profits at relatively high historical percentiles.
“I don’t have time” – Reflect on how often you use this very short response, either to others or to yourself? For most, the answer is often. In this article we look at why this is usually not a good answer.
Let’s assume the time right now is 1:00 PM. You ask me to complete a task that will take three hours by 3:00 PM. We can all agree that “I don’t have time” is the right response since I can’t do a three-hour task in two hours.
For generations, American dairy farmers have lived with a milk pricing system that is detached from reality.
In the simplest terms, the price they receive for their milk bears almost no relation to the cost of production.
This results in extended periods when farmers actually lose money every time they send milk to the processing plant.
“We had just dispersed from taking a staff photo of all our dairy’s employees – no small feat given the different shifts that we have and everyone showing up to work on time. It wasn’t until after the photo that I realized everyone was wearing new company shirts we had purchased – except for one of our newer employees. I knew he would stand out in the photo like a sore thumb, but he hadn’t said anything to me. Then I wondered if he thought I was punishing him because after a few days on the job, he had caused $1,400 in damage to one of our tractors. He said he could operate heavy machinery when he applied. I soon learned he wasn’t as skilled as he said he was. Not giving him a company shirt was purely an oversight; we had ordered him one. Should I give him the sweatshirt now? Or should I just let him think I’m punishing him? What should I do?”
