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When movies are described as ‘predictable,’ that’s typically a bad thing, right? But what about when people are described as predictable ... is that a bad thing too? I suppose that depends on who you ask.
If you ask me, predictable people are great. Why? Because when people are predictable, you always know where they (and you) stand. But when they’re not, life can be a real roller coaster.
We all know that our crops and our livestock are most productive when the conditions around them are optimal – needed nutrients, favorable weather, freedom from disease and injury.
Similarly, our workforce – ourselves, family members and employees – is most productive and has the greatest job satisfaction when the conditions are optimal.
The conditions, again, are the environment. For people, the environment is, most importantly, the farm or agribusiness culture and the relationships with the other people in the organization. The key to culture and relationships is trust.
The Cambridge Dictionary defines a “business plan” as a detailed plan describing the future aims of a business. Have you heard the phrase “the devil is in the details”?
A great number of talented advisers exist who might offer their opinions regarding important elements to be included in a comprehensive business plan.
If you surveyed 10 such people, you would probably see 10 lists with different combinations of suggested categories. I believe three categories are among the most overlooked.
Deb Reinhart and Dave Geiser, who made the decision to begin a consistent marketing program in November 2009 and agreed to share their experiences with Progressive Dairyman readers last year, recently provided an update on their journey to better control of their business through better marketing.
Suppose you were to say to everyone in your company, “From now on, just knock off sometime Wednesday afternoon each week, and don’t worry about coming back in until Monday. But we’ll keep paying you for a full week.” What would happen?
I suspect that the initial celebration would be followed by a period of genuine concern over your emotional stability.
After that, you’d have one heck of a time getting the animals fed, the equipment maintained, the feed mixed or anything else. Your operation would be like a rowing crew in which each rower was pulling an oar with only one arm or the other.
In a recent survey performed by Progressive Dairyman, 75 percent of dairymen think they will be back to pre-2009 levels of equity within five years.
When the dust settled from 2009, our firm analyzed the impact that year had on most dairy operations, and at that time we determined it would take anywhere from three to five years to get back to where we were before that destructive year.
Looking back, U.S. agricultural industries have changed dramatically over the past decade. Given mounting political, social, technological and economic pressures, it is safe to assume that not only will change continue, but it could even increase in rapidity.
Looking forward then, how will future veterinary practices succeed?
In light of the most recent crash in the stock market and exaggerated volatility, there is no better time than the present to start developing or fine-tuning your risk management plan.
Since 1994, we have experienced a consistent three-year cycle in milk pricing.
We are in what the experts are calling year three of that three-year cycle.
Moving cows is a part of managing every dairy in America. Are your dry cows grouped separately from the lactating herd? Do your fresh cows have their own pen so they can receive special attention?
Management styles and specific circumstances dictate how often these moves take place and to what extent they affect animals.
We see two schools of thought when it comes to grouping cows. This industry-wide debate centers on social interactions. While the effects of moving are well quantified in dry cow groups, the body of research on moving lactating animals is much smaller.
Whether you are expanding or simply renovating an existing facility, a detailed feasibility study may save you thousands of dollars and hours of time. However, before getting into the details of the feasibility of a specific project, it is usually quite helpful to conduct a SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats) analysis on the current production system.
This SWOT should evaluate facilities, financial conditions and management concerns. The findings of the SWOT analysis can then be compared with the expected outcomes of competing projects to determine the priority of projects considered.
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