Which would you rather have? A herd that produces 100 pounds of milk per day with 3.3 percent fat and 3 percent protein or a herd that produces 95 pounds of milk per day with 3.8 percent fat and 3.1 percent protein?

One snowy day at a beautiful ranch home in southern Alberta around the expansive kitchen table, the farm team said, “Elaine, you should make a list of the top phrases you use in coaching.”

With Halloween around the corner and all things spooky on the mind, there isn’t anything much scarier for the bookkeeper of the farm than having the farm computer crash. Just ask my husband and me; ours crashed a couple of years ago.

In veterinary school, students are taught that there are three types of cases for many diseases. Those cases that will cure, no matter what we do; those cases that will never cure, no matter what we do; and those cases we can reasonably improve the outcome of with medical intervention.

A dairy herd is made up of many segments – individual cows, pens of cows, herd cohorts (transition cows, for example) and the herd as a whole. At the same time, each of these segments has independent and interdependent management requirements.

On Sept. 29, Merck Animal Health introduced two new Dairy Care365 animal handling training video modules that focus on caring for calves – the lifeblood of any operation.

Think about how we handle non-personnel problems – a sick animal, a wilted crop or a high somatic cell count. Even though we are all well-trained to address these issues, we still often treat symptoms rather than taking the time to analyze the problem to determine the real or root cause.

Note: This is the second article in a series about dairy culture.  All dairies have unique characteristics that support or detract from the operation’s productivity, efficiency and effectiveness. The key is to understand and then guide your dairy’s culture so the work gets done while personal team member growth is fostered and encouraged.

I once dealt with an 82-year-old man who drove into town – without a license – and changed his will just to prove he still mattered.

Excellence today is not a guarantee of success tomorrow. Even superstars can burn out. How can you create a business that constantly adapts and flourishes?