As a result of the pandemic, bankers are thinking about new lending risks Good riddance, 2020. Everybody, including bankers, had to learn how to do things differently last year.

It’s fair to say that most of us are glad to put 2020 behind us. Dairy operators had to navigate multiple challenges that impacted their bottom lines. But, as we move forward, there are some important lessons dairy operators can learn from the experience.

“What you do today can improve all your tomorrows.” I often lean on this Ralph Marston quote when working with dairy farmers.  As a calf and heifer specialist, I firmly believe each day is a new opportunity to make a difference and help calves maximize lifetime performance by improving their nutrition and care. From a calf’s first breath to her introduction into the milking string, my job is to help dairy farmers raise strong, healthy animals that increase profits—all by simply doing the little things right.

Revenue per employee. It is a widely known and used metric in evaluating businesses, both within a company and across companies in the same segments of industry.

I am a sports fan. We have season tickets to three University of Minnesota sports (oops, not this year). In addition to enjoying the games, I have the occupational hazard of studying how the coaches are leading the teams.

We have been confronted with a lot of change this past year, and the dairy industry is no different. Getting comfortable with a changing marketplace, changing technology and changing consumer habits can be challenging for anyone, but especially dairy farmers who work closely with family on a daily basis.

The past year has confirmed one lesson for many of us in the dairy business: Not one of us holds a crystal ball to see the future. However, for many farming operations, a golden ticket is within reach.