It is extremely important that agricultural workers have the proper knowledge, skills and attitudes to perform well in their jobs. Knowledge, skills and attitudes are the internal competencies that workers bring with them to the job or that they must learn through training. They are not, however, the only factors that go into success at getting the job done. Furthermore, they are the most difficult performance factors for a manager to change.

Whenever farm owners and managers get together, the conversation often turns to the topic of recruiting and hiring of employees. As we traveled the country to visit with managers and discuss their supervisory practices, we asked them to describe the different ways they locate new employees. Managers report a variety of ways they recruit, hire and place new workers.

A successful dairy operation entails a careful balancing of many small details, while keeping a clear focus on the items that will boost profit per cow and lead to greater long-term financial strength. How to make this happen on a continuing basis is a challenging part of dairy management.

Juan Gordillo dreamed of attending World Dairy Expo in Madison, Wisconsin, in order to see American dairy genetics on display. But more than 2,800 miles separated Gordillo and his dream – until last month.

Last month I had the opportunity of being on board for a week-long dairy tour sponsored by Alta Genetics that comprised 12 dairies in five Midwestern states. In addition, the tour included two days at World Dairy Expo in Madison, Wisconsin. The two bus loads of dairymen were from 22 countries, and of that number about 40 percent spoke Spanish, 20 percent from Europe and the balance sprinkled among other locations. There was truly an international flavor present. At first, the group seemed a little reserved; however, as the week wore on, they became increasingly more communicative, even jovial. And that’s okay.

Editor’s note: The following is the first of a two-part series discussing basic financial statements and analysis tools.

Operating a dairy farm is a challenging business and offers many rewards. We have seen many changes in the dairy and other agricultural industries in recent years. Milk prices are more volatile. Costs of the various inputs continue to rise. As herd sizes increase, more dairy producers are hiring employees to provide needed labor. To succeed in this business, dairy producers must be willing to consider new ways of doing business.

Darwin Bischoff of Wilford, Idaho, is one of the last producers still milking cows in his area. He says that 20 years ago there were six dairies within a mile of his home. Now there are about that many in his county.

No one likes to run out of a feed. What should you do if you run out of a feed? When you run out of corn, get some [more] as soon as possible. However, oftentimes this is an inevitable situation, and luckily there is a temporary solution for it called feed substitution. The substitute for a feed is one or two feeds with a similar nutritional make up, on a protein, energy or fiber basis.

Planning an energy budget is difficult, but with higher costs of natural gas, heating oil and other energy sources, budgeting for the increased price of fuel and electricity is imperative. Fortunately, there are alternative methods dairy producers can employ to lessen the strain of skyrocketing energy costs.