You can know cows. You can know crops. You can know the markets. But experience has shown me a dairy owner’s real success is rooted in his or her ability to manage people.

The U.S. dairy industry relies heavily on an immigrant workforce, originating primarily from Latin American countries, with diverse backgrounds and various degrees of dairy work experience. Serious gaps in formal education and dairy knowledge, in addition to working with livestock and specialized heavy equipment and other hazards in the work environment, put dairy workers at risk of work-related injuries and illnesses.

The first dash-mounted fuel gauge was introduced in 1914 by Studebaker. Today, we wouldn’t purchase a vehicle without this primary performance indicator of our vehicle’s ability to deliver us to our destination.

It’s that time of the year to start thinking about taxes for 2017. So what’s new for 2017? The short answer is: nothing much – still waiting. However, I’m sure you have heard about President Trump’s proposed tax reform. What are these changes? This article will discuss some of President Trump’s proposed changes and how they affect you.

It’s an elite club, but there is no membership list. According to Cornell Cooperative Extension dairy specialist Dave Balbian, the 7-pound “club” isn’t really a club at all.

Any one of these close or far-flung family members could be an owner of your business: Cousin Earl, 88, who inherited 15 shares from Uncle Don. Your sister, who lives and works in Denver with her insurance salesman husband.

Editor’s note: This is the first in a three-part series of articles. Agricultural operations are increasingly subject to local land use regulations. In the past, agriculture operated in rural areas where land use regulations were rare.

I do believe that the period of time to make a farm successful is when the son or daughter is between the ages of 20 and 35. That is when they have the extra energy to make a farm go. However, before making big changes, I suggest that you first set the bar: “You must be this tall to get on the ride.”

Editor’s note: This article has been updated to reflect the correct number of cows milked per hour in the rotary parlor. The original version stated 24 to 30 cows could be milked per hour. The correct amount is 430 cows per hour. Progressive Dairyman regrets the error. Producing quality milk really makes a difference to the bottom line at Beranna Dairy, where the 3,800-cow herd strives to stay below 100,000 somatic cell count.

A two-year study focusing on bedding types and SCC in 325 herds in Wisconsin had a clear result: Herds using sand had less mastitis.