When I lived in Chihuahua nearly 15 years ago, a friend of mine told me there’s a saying in Mexico that goes, “The only people who tell the truth are drunks and little kids.” Actually, I’m not 100 percent sure if that’s the exact saying or if it’s even a Mexican saying at all. Ironically, this conversation occurred over a couple of tortas after hanging out at a cantina all night. Nonetheless, I’m sure you can recall a time when someone you know was guilty of “drinking and talking” or when little kids proved that you have to watch what you say in front of them. So what is it that makes the truth so painful at times?

Late last year, Congresswoman Louise Slaughter (D-New York), ranking member of the House Rules Committee, hosted a briefing where farmers and successful businesses extolled the benefits of tapping into the growing domestic and international demand for antibiotic-free meat. Slaughter is the author of the Preservation of Antibiotics for Medical Treatment Act (PAMTA) legislation to ensure we preserve the effectiveness of antibiotics for the treatment of human disease. She was joined by a panel made up of Steve Ells, chairman and CEO, Chipotle Grill; Stephen McDonnell, CEO, Applegate Farms; Russ Kremer, co-founder and president, Ozark Mountain Pork Cooperative; and Paul Willis, manager and founder, Niman Ranch Pork Company, a network of more than 676 independent sustainable farms.

Imagine, if you will, what it would be like if roughly 40 percent of a nation’s primary rule-making body were comprised of HR professionals. Or retired Air Force generals. Or any profession, such as dairy producers, for that matter. Just let your mind run with that for a second. Now ask yourself why we in the U.S. (and other places) should expect better than we’re getting from our legislatures and Congress when it’s dominated by lawyers – people, according to Thomas Jefferson, “whose trade it is to question everything, yield nothing and talk by the hour.”

Editor’s note: The following information was provided by Howard and Mary Jo Straub during their presentation, “Grazing and robots: Do they mix?” at the North-Central Ohio Grazing Conference Jan. 26-27, 2012 in Dalton, Ohio. Howard and Mary Jo Straub of Saint Johns, Michigan, began dairying in 1972 with 26 cows. As they grew their family and the herd over the years, they discovered that grazing was the management style that worked best for them. In 2000, the couple, along with daughter Terri Hawbaker, converted their then double-four herringbone parlor to a double-11 swing parlor to accommodate the now-rotational grazing herd of 100.

The evolution, or should I say revolution, of the dairy industry in the U.S. seems to accelerate as time passes. When I came to this country in 1987 there were around 125,000 producers in the country. As we close 2011 there are about 50,000 dairies producing wholesome products for the country and the world. What is it taking for you to stay in business and make it sustainable over the long haul? What changes have you had to make? One thing is for sure, we have had to realize we can’t make it without high-quality employees.

Being a successful dairy producer in the U.S. requires optimizing your marginal milk production. What is marginal milk production? It is the additional milk you produce per cow by fine-tuning your ration. Here is an example: A group of cows produces 80 pounds of milk on 52 pounds of dry matter intake and then the ration is fine-tuned – and now this group of cows is making 84 pounds of milk on 54 pounds of dry matter intake. Did feed costs go up? Yes, because the cows ate 2 pounds more dry matter. Did profit go up? Yes, because milk is worth more than feed.

The University of California, Davis, is participating in a large-scale research effort aimed at preventing potentially fatal illnesses linked to E. coli bacteria. The U.S. Department of Agriculture is funding the $25 million, coast-to-coast project, to which UC Davis is providing expertise in livestock health, foodborne disease and consumer food marketing.