One-third of all companies in the S&P 500 Index are family run businesses according to Business Insider. That’s impressive! Family run businesses care about the long-term effects of their decisions, focus on future generations and have passionate, dedicated family members at the top. In family farming operations, we share in those impressive qualities.

The number one factor influencing success of any dairy farm business is its ability to focus on the business side of the dairy. When we think about companies doing a good job at managing the “business side,” we think of Fortune 500. Read about their defining characteristics and what dairy can learn from them in this week’s column from John Frey. PD Click here for the column.

“Doc, when you come to visit next week, I want to talk about what I can do to get my cows to produce 20 more pounds of milk per day by the year 2020,” said a dairyman. On the day the producer called, his cows averaged 104 pounds of milk in the tank.

Many family farming and ranching operations have been in business for many years. It’s likely that Grandpa and Grandma started the original ranch years ago and passed it down to their children, who in turn have passed it down to their children.

There is no doubt that robotic milking is a suitable solution for large dairies, as there are several examples of successful dairies working under different conditions around the world.

Without ever speaking English, your cows are telling you tons about what they need. What if I told you your cows are telling you how to improve milk production? And they always tell the truth. These girls never lie.