It looks like a lot of us will remember 2011 as the “Year of the Showdown.” Between lockouts in the NFL and NBA and government gridlock in the House and Senate, compromise didn’t come very easily last year. So why can’t we all just get along? Of course, I wasn’t personally involved in any of the above disputes, so I have no idea what was said or done behind closed doors. But I’d bet dollars to donuts these conflicts boil down to one thing ... a lot of unreasonable people.

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Livestock producers need a high-protein summer forage. Forage soybeans fit well in a production system following small grains or early planted corn. Soybeans have a long history as a nutritious hay and silage crop. Prior to World War II, the principal use of soybeans was as forage.

Faisury Ossa Montreal, Quebec, Canada Research Manager Lallemand Animal Nutrition

It is a classic Hollywood scene. A soldier is caught in crossfire, trying to determine the best way out of his predicament. The soldier knows that sitting idle will be the death of him if he does not identify a way out. It appears that all angles present some degree of risk, but one must be chosen. What is next? What’s his plan? Time is of the essence. Creating a plan in such an environment would be stressful, to say the least, but still necessary.

In November, dairy producers gathered in Madison, Wisconsin, for a Dairy Policy Summit hosted by the Professional Dairy Producers of Wisconsin (PDPW). During the session “Immigration Reform: What’s Really the Issue?” four speakers addressed this controversial topic and what it means for agriculture. Here are excerpts of statements made by presenters at the Summit: “My point is this country has always had people to do those jobs that the rest of society thought was minor. That hasn’t changed. We still have that great need. This isn’t about numbers. It’s not about unemployment.

One way of generating effective solutions is to assemble a team of trusted members of your staff, family and suppliers to investigate any new possibilities that might be available to your operation. By allowing open input from a variety of sources, a solution often emerges that is greater than any one individual on the team might have created. Here are some actions you can take to optimize the performance of your team: • Meet away from the farm. This is as easy as renting a meeting room in a local hotel. (And turn the cell phones off!) The few hundred dollars that may be necessary to rent the room will be returned many times over with the increased productivity of your meeting.