Imagine what the dairy business and agriculture will look like in 30 years. We all recognize that dairy and everything else is changing at unprecedented rates. In this article, I suggest leadership, team building, supervision and interpersonal relationships that will be increasingly important to your personal and dairy business success.

Imagine this: Your employees, advisors and partners all in the same room, productively discussing issues and finding ways to improve farm profitability.

Veterinary medicine continues to change, and more female vets are working on dairies than ever before. While physical strength will always be a challenge, these animal health professionals are relying on brains over brawn to confront daily obstacles, including gender bias.

Dairy producers are committed to improving animal welfare every day, but the needs of the animal caregivers play heavily into it, said Dr. Michelle Calvo-Lorenzo, technical consultant for Elanco Animal Health.

Your best employee should be in charge of feeding your herd, including weighing, mixing, delivery and monitoring rations. This individual can make or break the feeding program, rumen health and profitability.

Whether the dairy is a smaller operation, with the family all pitching in on whatever job needs doing, or a large operation with round-the-clock specialized crews, effective teamwork is crucial to performance. Just like a successful sports team, effective teamwork – under the right leadership – can prime your dairy for success.

It is well understood that the basis of any relationship is good communication. This applies to any relationship, friendship, business acquaintance, etc., in your life. As a dairy owner or manager, communicating with your employees is a key aspect of keeping things running smoothly.

If we ask ourselves why we do what we do in the dairy every day, surely, the answer – especially for those of us who have left loved ones in our countries of origin and adapted to new cultures, who miss the warmth of our former homes – is that we do it all for family.

Labor is the second-largest expense on dairy farms, and labor costs are frequently a target for cuts. However, any attempts to reduce labor expenses must be weighed against the impact on quality and the quantity of the farm’s output, warns Jason Karszes, Cornell University’s PRO-DAIRY farm management specialist.

Where can you get unbiased insight and information on critically important and sometimes sensitive issues and opportunities?