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Every five years, dairy producers and others in agriculture brace themselves for the latest farm bill, which is a bundle of legislation Congress passes to set national policies for agriculture, forestry and nutrition programs carried out by the government.
The Dairy Price Support Program, Federal Milk Marketing Orders and the Milk Income Loss Contract program were all enacted through farm bill legislation.
Here’s some news you might not have heard: The USDA has opened up enrollment for the new Margin Protection Program. OK, that really isn’t news.
In fact, it seems a cottage industry has sprung up to provide producers with guidance on both the mechanics of signing up for the program and analyzing all kinds of data to help producers in selecting an appropriate margin to insure.
With the enrollment period now in full swing, dairy producers are evaluating whether the government’s Margin Protection Program is right for them, and if so, at what level. You have until Nov. 28 to enroll in the program and make your coverage decisions for 2014-2015.
Editor’s note: This article is the third in a series about coaching dairy leaders. The first article appeared in the April 1, 2014 Progressive Dairyman.
Leadership and leading people in any organization is about performance. How you measure, talk about and ultimately achieve that performance is significant. Every leader has a style, and every organization has a culture. These either work or not.
“Whether it’s in corporate America, private or even on the farm, you never know what is going to happen,” says Jerry Kozak. “Everyone needs a management transition plan.”
Last December, Kozak sat down with Progressive Dairyman’s managing editor, Walt Cooley, and described his involvement in the National Milk Producers Federation (NMPF) as CEO; a position he held for 16 years. In the interview, Kozak mentioned the success he believed he had as he helped Jim Mulhern transition into the leadership role.
I believe that every farm should have their business plan framed and hung above the toilet.
Fifty years ago, farms didn’t need business plans. That is because the farm didn’t grow at that fast a rate and the biggest move you might have made in your lifetime is buying the farm next door.
It has been a year since I last wrote about Obamacare. There have been many developments since my November 2013 article. I receive many questions from my clients about this topic and the one that is mostly asked is: Is it better to offer coverage or pay the penalty?
Family-run dairy farms account for nearly 97 percent of the total dairy farms in the U.S., producing 85 percent of all milk products sold, according to the USDA.
What makes up the remaining 3 percent of dairy farms? Corporate-owned dairy farms. One of those corporations operates in the southeast corner of the country.
As a biological systems engineering professor and dairy building design specialist at the University of Wisconsin – Madison, Dr. David Kammel is a common guest at the kitchen table of dairy farm families discussing modernizing and growing their operations.
Idaho is the country’s fourth-largest dairy state, where the average herd is 620 cows. Exploring further into the state, you’ll find that Cassia County, located in the Magic Valley, is home to nearly 54,000 milking cows.
It’s then no question as to why producers there are showing interest in automated, centralized feeding systems to reduce feed loss and improve efficiency on the farm.
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