With no let-up in the need to cultivate profitability, dairies constantly seek ways to manage expenses while increasing income opportunities.

On average, only 36 percent of calf raisers in the U.S. weigh calves to determine rate of gain. Since rate of gain can provide valuable insight into how well your calf program is working, many dairy producers and calf raisers are missing a valuable opportunity.

Feeding practices affect the performance of the dairy heifer and the time necessary for the animal to be bred and to attain an optimal size, age and mammary development. It is extremely important that dairy producers realize the impact feeding practices and type of diet will have on the replacement animals, which are usually fed low-quality ingredients in order to reduce rearing costs.

When I was young, back in the time of the dinosaurs, we had this saying: “You can’t get a million-dollar answer to a 10-cent prayer.” That is so true, but what is a million-dollar prayer, and how do I know when I get the answer? Last article, I talked about prayer as a conversation with God.

Whenever I am around a group of high school-aged boys, eventually the subject of pickup trucks seems to arise. Which one is best? Whose is the stoutest? Which one do I prefer?

What was the first thing the farmer did with his lottery winnings?Farm until it was gone. If I had a dollar for every time I heard that joke, I could buy a pocketful of lottery tickets myself.

A couple of months ago, I had an amazing opportunity. On a beautiful February morning I got up early and headed to Ford Field. For those of you unfamiliar with what Ford Field is, it is where the Detroit Lions play. What was unique about this event is: It was a dairy event. I was attending the Fuel Up To Play 60 Rally for School Health.

Last week, I opened the mailbox to find an entire envelope of coupons, just for me. Apparently, these select merchandisers were giving discounts to their favorite customers. I opened the coupons as fast as I could while thinking, “Finally, all my years of loyalty to Corn Flakes, Old Spice and Fruit-of-the-Loom were being recognized!”

Obtaining and retaining employees is a forefront issue among many industries, especially for dairies. A current trend plaguing our industry is job-hopping. Many farms seem to endure constant turnover, and replacing and training new hires is costly. Although there is no cure-all for reducing turnover, there are some steps employers and managers can take to keep employees on the farm.

The 2014 farm bill significantly changed dairy policy for American dairy producers. Gone were milk price support programs such as the Milk Income Loss Contract (MILC) and the programs tied to parity prices. The current policy is the Margin Protection Program (MPP), which seeks to provide insurance-like coverage for a dairy farm’s margin based on the difference between milk and feed prices.