Sometimes you have to choose between personal principles and sympathetic understanding. For example, as a public personality, I have deliberately chosen to decline invitations to do political fundraisers. Although I have strong opinions, I leave those national issues to pundits with thicker skin. Once I had a request to make a commercial for a lady running for office. I explained politely for the reasons stated, that I wasn’t comfortable doing politics. “Fine,” she said, “Here’s what I want you to say…” It was my mother-in-law. Of course I made the commercial! I have had occasion to decline paying jobs to be on programs where I would have had to be in the company of individuals whose amblings, behavior, or writings, I find obnoxious. Why put myself through the stress?

As I have worked with the Boy Scouts, I have gained a greater appreciation for the Constitution, and for the Founding Fathers, who set up this nation of free people. I am one of those people who believe that Jesus Christ had a hand in setting up the Constitution. I believe the Founding Fathers spent a great deal of time on their knees communicating with Deity.

TRENDING TOPIC ARTICLE: MANAGEMENTPublished: October 12, 2010 print issue of Progressive Dairyman In this article, University of Wisconsin’s extension specialist Jerry Clark outlines several attributes that a successful manager must have, including leadership, empathy and teamwork. to jump to the article. Because this article was so popular, we asked Clark a follow-up question: Of the attributes listed in your article, which three are most critical for a manager to have in 2013?

Believe it or not, your refrigerator could be one of the most important aspects of your animal health program. If you have more than one refrigerator, my guess is that your newer refrigerator is in your kitchen, while the older one is in the garage, porch, tack room, barn, etc. The one in your kitchen may have $75 worth of food, while the ole clunker in the barn may have several hundred dollars of animal health products. The appearance of the refrigerator where you keep your animal health products is not important, but how it functions may be critical to your animal health program. Refrigeration is required for most animal health products (i.e. pharmaceuticals, vaccines). These products should be stored according to the label directions, but generally, these products are labeled to be stored between 35° and 45°F (2° to 7°C). If a product is not stored properly, there is a good chance that it will not be as efficacious as it should be, or may not work at all. Freezing is particularly detrimental to some products and can cause separation of their components.

High-traffic roads around facilities On-farm traffic is a safety issue that changes continually. In general, it is a larger safety issue during the day than at night. It also increases during seasonal work, such as when corn is chopped and packed for silage. Agricultural equipment is bigger, more powerful, and found in greater numbers than ever before. Here are some safety tips: 1. Pay attention to children. 2. Avoid backing up. 3. Maintain a clean and functioning vehicle. 4. Turn the headlights on so others can see you. 5. Remember that conditions and the environment are always changing. 6. Always yield or give way to large machinery.

For many dairy farmers, 2009 was a difficult winter in many parts of the country. Snow in December, along with additional storms and extreme cold temperatures, left dairy farmers numerous obstacles to deal with. One of those obstacles is hoof care and lameness. All too often lameness is an underlying issue robbing dairy farmers of profits. It is estimated that every lame cow on a dairy farm costs between $300 and $400 due to lost production, decreased reproductive efficiency and cost of treatment. Research by Dr. Nigel Cook at the University of Wisconsin – Madison showed that January, February and March are the months where lameness caused by infectious lesions is most prevalent (Figure 1). Dr. Cook tracked lameness in ten Wisconsin dairy herds for a 12-month period.

Many dairy producers rely on footbath programs to help prevent and control infectious claw lesions in their herd. Maximizing the effectiveness of a footbath program hinges on several key factors, including proper footbath design and effective footbath management techniques. “When used correctly, footbath programs can be a highly successful way for dairies to help prevent and control the spread of infectious lesions such as digital dermatitis, interdigital dermatitis and foot rot,” says Dr. Dana Tomlinson, Research Nutritionist, Zinpro Corporation. “However, a poorly managed footbath program can actually cause more harm than good.”

As a veterinarian who is passionate about animal health and producing high-quality dairy foods, I am embarrassed as I watch the EU force us (the U.S. dairy industry) to produce milk with an SCC below 400,000. Why haven’t we chosen to establish this SCC level on our own? I know the arguments. Our PMO is focused on food safety, not quality and shelf life issues, and there is no research to date that connects a cell count up to 750,000 with any increased disease risk from human consumption. The problem is today’s consumer views food safety and quality as synonymous – and we need to have the same view. Ironically this SCC reduction mandate is in direct conflict with a major paradigm shift that is currently underway in the U.S dairy industry. What is the paradigm shift? We appear determined to replace the “gold standard” for dairy cow bedding of new, washed, dry sand with something else. I use the term alternative bedding systems to describe everything other than deep-bedded, dry, washed, virgin sand in well-designed freestalls that keep cows comfortable and clean. Dr. Andy Johnson puts it this way, “Once you walk away from the gold standard, you choose your own poison for milk quality problems.”