In Purity and Danger, a classic book on social anthropology published in 1963, Mary Douglas points out how distinctions in many societies between “clean” and “unclean” are really about what is considered out of place. And these boundaries – like borders between countries – can be quite arbitrary.

Are dairy managers more likely to ask how they can improve as a boss or how they can find better employees? My experience suggests that dairy farm managers are more likely to focus on finding employees. The question reminds me of a recent visit I had with a dairy farm manager.

David Pelzer has served dairy farmers as a promotion and checkoff staff member since 1993. During his 20-plus-year career in dairy promotion, he’s worked with hundreds of dairy farmer board members and enacted programs that drive confidence in and consumption of dairy products.

There’s something farmers do when watching a weather forecast prior to chopping hay. It’s the same thing that’s done before an alfalfa or corn variety gets chosen – or a hand is revealed in a game of poker.

The day after Christmas, the aptly named winter storm Goliath blew its way through the Southern Plains states. The snow and 80-mph wind ravaged dairy country in Texas and New Mexico. Like winter storm Atlas two years ago, this storm hit the agricultural community hard.

World The globe was awash in milk in 2015 as the EU removed its milk quota production restrictions and major dairy buyers remained on the sidelines. As a result of oversupply and low international prices, U.S. milk had a harder time moving into global markets.

A second straight year of declining milk prices will test – and potentially change – short-term management plans for many dairy producers, according to dairy accountants and lenders contacted by Progressive Dairyman.

The current world population is 7.4 billion people, and it is estimated we will reach the 8-billion-person mark sometime in 2024. By 2040, we should reach 9 billion people on the planet. Demands for food, and high-quality proteins in particular, will increase dramatically over the next 10 to 25 years due to a number of factors:

Ten years from now, what will our U.S. dairy industry look like? It’s a fascinating question when you think about it. On one hand, 10 years doesn’t seem like that much time for change. That is, until you look at the many changes we’ve seen as an industry since 2006.

Editor’s note: Mike McCloskey, CEO of Select Milk Producers and founder of Fair Oaks Farms, delivered testimony before the U.S. House of Representatives’ Subcommittee on Biotechnology, Horticulture and Research in February. The following are excerpts from his testimony.