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This article was #23 in PDmag's Top 25 most-well read articles in 2010.
Summary: After the news broke of the abuse video at Conklin dairy, Editor Walt Cooley focused on animal welfare in his Issue 11 2010 editorial. He challenged producers to adopt the National Dairy Farmers Assuring Responsible Management (FARM) program and to make animal well-being standards a priority.
Upton Sinclair’s 1906 political novel, The Jungle, quickly became a best seller. The fictional novel was based upon extensive research done by Sinclair in the meat packing business. The novel exposed the nation to the poverty, terrible living conditions, unsafe and unsavory working conditions and the hopelessness of the working class in the cities. A socialist, Sinclair wanted to raise concerns about workers, and his book’s focus was on those who worked in or owned the meat packing plants.
But it was not the workers that got the public’s attention. Rather it was the unwholesomeness of the meat that came from the plants to the American table that raised the most concern. Even when hapless workers were killed and became part of Durham’s Pure Leaf Lard, a fictional product the plant produced, it was the product rather than the workers themselves that raised the greatest concern with readers.
Do you remember the first time you learned the valuable lesson of surrounding yourself with good people? If you think hard enough, you might just realize that you first experienced this on the playground. Although it’s tempting to tell a little white lie, I admit I was never the first person picked. But I learned quickly that if I called ‘captain’ first, then I could choose my team and avoid any chance of being left until the very end.
Even as kids we quickly noticed there is a clear difference between performers and non-performers. When it was time to put our teams together, the captains chose the best kids first and left the worst ones until the end. And like life in the grown-up world, there was even some “popularity contests” or “politics” going on back then as well. But for the most part, the same top athletes were always the first to be chosen.
What is it about the fear of loss that is so strong? Why do we spend so much time worrying about what we could have had? “If only I had...” or “I should have...” or “What if...” have become classic lead-ins to what might have been. Life is full of such stories. Nearly everyone can tell you about “the one that got away.” I cannot tell you how many times I have heard dairymen reference the fact that they will not let great opportunities get away from them again. The scar of 2008 has led many to consider this idea of price risk management. Margin management has become a household term and made its way to the agenda of many “free lunch” meetings. Many are ready to address the prices that are staring us in the face now.
However, large cross sections of producers are held up by a crazy little creature called cash flow. Because many producers are still healing from the wounds inflicted by the 2009 equity blowout, they are ill-equipped to add new costs to their cash flow. Does this mean that producers should avoid risk management?
Throughout the history of wage and employment law in the U.S., agriculture has always been treated differently than any other industry. Originally, the federal Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), which established national minimum wage and overtime requirements, exempted agriculture from both minimum wage and overtime requirements. While the minimum wage exemption has largely been repealed, federal law still exempts agriculture from overtime.
Presently, only California, Hawaii and Maryland require overtime pay for agricultural workers. Wisconsin required overtime for farm workers, but repealed the requirement in 2003. Currently, advocates in California are seeking to increase overtime pay for farm workers, and advocates in New York want to apply overtime pay in agriculture for the first time.
There’s a well-known Bob Dylan song that you’ve all probably heard called “Blowin’ in the Wind.” It’s a famous song that has blown right into the Rock ‘n Roll Hall of Fame and was ranked No. 14 in Rolling Stone magazine’s “500 Greatest Songs of All Time.”
The song asks a series of questions and answers them by simply singing, “The answer, my friend, is blowin’ in the wind.”
On July 6, a Union County Grand Jury cleared Gary Conklin, co-owner of Conklin Dairy Cattle Sales LLC in Plain City, Ohio, and others, of allegations of animal abuse brought about by the Mercy for Animals YouTube video release on May 26. Released of all charges, Conklin talked freely with Progressive Dairyman Editor Karen Lee, answering the questions that follow.
How were you made aware of the video?
CONKLIN: I first learned of the video when a reporter called and asked if I was aware of the video to be released at a later date. They alluded that it would be posted to YouTube in the next 24 hours. I went home and saw it that night on YouTube.
Silage represents a large portion of the typical cow’s diet, so its quality largely affects what other ingredients and the amount of those ingredients that must be added to the diet. Three major challenges associated with silage are shrink (dry matter loss), quality (retaining important nutrients) and palatability.
The harvest season is upon us, and one question that often comes up is the proper balance between forage quality and forage quantity. In this article I would like to explore a few of the issues that can go into making the right decision for your operation.
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