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One of our agricultural adages is that the best land makes the most money. In dairy, we feel the same way about our animals. Finding the best land and finding and maintaining the best animals requires hard work.
What should our adage be about employees? Research is very clear that once again the best employees are the most productive and contribute the greatest boost to farm profitability.
Similarly, finding and retaining great employees is hard work.
Have you ever said to yourself, “Managing the cows is easy, but managing our staff is hard”? If you have, you aren’t alone.
A 2009 survey of large dairies and feedlots found that staffing/personnel issues were second only to unpredictable milk and commodity pricing on the list of major challenges facing agriculture businesses today.
A Kansas dairy recently began a new milk marketing contract to exclusively sell all of its milk to Dannon.
During the first quarter of this year, McCarty Dairy, a fourth-generation, family-run operation in Kansas, will begin supplying all of its raw milk for Dannon’s Texas-based yogurt plant. The company operates two other U.S. yogurt processing plants in Utah and Ohio.
“We were looking for a like-minded customer that would promote growth and milk quality on our farm.
The evolution, or should I say revolution, of the dairy industry in the U.S. seems to accelerate as time passes. When I came to this country in 1987 there were around 125,000 producers in the country. As we close 2011 there are about 50,000 dairies producing wholesome products for the country and the world.
What is it taking for you to stay in business and make it sustainable over the long haul? What changes have you had to make? One thing is for sure, we have had to realize we can’t make it without high-quality employees.
A popular cable show, “Chopped,” routinely appears on the Food Network. In this show four chefs of varying experience, training and positions vie for the title of Chopped Champion and a prize of $10,000. Each round begins when the emcee tells the contestants “Open your baskets!”
The contestants must prepare a specific dish incorporating the mandatory ingredients. There are three dishes – appetizer, main entree and dessert. The preparation is timed from opening the baskets to a finished plate. There are no cooking assistants or sous chefs. There are no recipe books. They are on their own.
Profit margins for dairy producers have improved significantly over the past quarter since our last update in October, due primarily to an increase in the value of milk. While feed costs did come down over the last couple months due to lackluster demand, a recent sharp advance in price has been noted in both soybean meal and, especially, corn due to weather concerns in South America.
From a historical standpoint, margins are stronger in nearby periods through the first half of 2012, but above average throughout the entire year. While not overly profitable, it is still possible for a dairyman to protect a positive margin throughout the entire year with flexible strategies that would allow for improvement over time.
Of all the tasks on a dairy producer’s to-do list, where does marketing fit? For some, it ranks up there with calculating rations or managing employees. For others, it is an inconsistent effort that gets attention on occasion. For still others, it is a very low priority.
In the 15 years since the dairy markets have been in place, most dairy producers have fallen into the latter two categories. So if you are looking for evidence that marketing is worth the effort, you’ll find there is very little data documenting the cumulative effects of consistent marketing.
Bruce Whitmire is doing everything he can to stay off “The List.”
The list in this case is made up of dairies that have attempted to sell cows for slaughter that have unsafe drug residues in their tissues.
Whitmire, herd manager at the Si-Ellen Dairy near Jerome, Idaho, probably has little to worry about, thanks to long-standing practices at the dairy and some new drug-tracking software.
The family has grown its roots deep into the soil at their Abbotsford, British Columbia, area dairy farm.
Allan Mulder was just a boy in 1969 when his father purchased the farm where Allan and his wife, Dianne, raised their three daughters.
Their oldest daughter, Katelyn, and son-in-law, Curtis Delange, are now involved as well.
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