As harvest winds down and winter sets in, now is the ideal time to inspect your equipment and identify any parts requiring repair or replacement. Proactive maintenance on your equipment will end up saving you time, money and a headache during the next harvest.

During the farm succession process, it is common for the “owner” generation and the “successor” generation to discuss the transfer of assets. However, a conversation about the transfer of management is often overlooked.

A heat wave is looming. Drought on the prairies is keeping people awake at night. Farmers are trying to cope with their brains on overload. Where is it written in the farming book of rules that you always figure things out on your own and never ask for help? Where is that written in your family rule book? “Where is it written” is a phrase that pays to get clarity and challenge the status quo.

I spent nine years in college before entering into what my dad refers to as the real world. It was only after college I realized how little those nine years had prepared me for the road that lay ahead.

For many in the dairy industry, personal strengths are typically working with cows, equipment and running the farm. As farms have expanded, managers have had to hire outside help to keep the farms successful and growing. With the addition of employees, many owners and managers have had to adjust their management practices and learn to work with different personality types.

“The one thing they can never take away from you is your education.” I’ll always remember this quote from my high school agriculture teacher – perhaps because she repeated it often, but also because of its simple truth.