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Dairy producers are reminded by lenders, consultants and possibly even themselves that it is important to know their cost of production (COP) and what their break-even (BE) is.
Those reminders create a link between the operational and financial management of their operation. This can help them understand where the dairy has been, but more importantly, plan for the overall success of the future of the operation.
Family relationships are not easy. While there is nobody we’d rather spend relaxed evenings with, family members can be so irritated with each other that they sit on opposite sides of the funeral home, the church, and sadly, in some instances, opposite sides of the attorney’s office or courtroom.
Most farmers would never dream of building a real-estate development around their farm or marketing their products in China, but that’s exactly what can happen when well-intentioned business owners spend time planning the future of the business.
Dairy owners and managers from around the country learned how to improve their hiring practices and build better teams at the most recent PDPW Managers Academy held in Charlotte, North Carolina. More than 80 dairy professionals from 17 states participated in the three-day training.
In 2013, researchers from Michigan State University, Penn State, Mississippi State University and Florida A&M set out to formulate a quality milk assessment for the prevention of mastitis and reduction of antibiotic use on dairy farms.
I’ve been directly involved with the feed industry for more than 10 years, and the issue of “money under the table” is one of the most pervasive concerns I’ve seen between dairy producers and independent consultants. We’ve all heard about these deals, usually one guy referring to “the other consultant” down the road. Last year, a colleague of mine (we’ll call him Mike) told me about a situation he’d encountered.
Do you know what you’re missing by not lowering your somatic cell count? The University of Kentucky and Southeast Quality Milk Initiative (SQMI) launched an online dashboard in 2014 to help producers determine those opportunity costs. Dr. Jeffrey Bewley, a UK associate professor and extension dairy specialist, provides details about the dashboard below.
A common myth is that stray voltage can cause mastitis. But in more than 20 years of stray voltage advising and research, University of Wisconsin – Madison's Dr. Doug Reinemann has found that's not the case.
Like many small family farms, Meeks Farms and Sons near Evans Mills, New York, is fighting feed prices, larger well-backed competitors, weather and other forces intent on sinking the three-generation farm. The family found reinforcements at the New York Farm Viability Institute.
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