Sometimes farm succession planning comes down to one question: Do you want the farm to continue to be a family farm or not?

Having multiple generations of owners and employees on the farm comes with its own set of benefits and battles. How can your business be multigenerational and work well together, especially when it seems like the generational gap is so vast?

When there’s conflict at work, the manner in which it is handled and resolved affects both the individuals involved and the organization itself. Whether the tension is between co-workers, managerial staff and laborers, or owners and employees, improperly managed conflict can cause disagreements, disputes and even litigation.

I often refer to the incredible changes in dairy farms from my time growing up on the family farm in the thumb of Michigan to today. Let’s think about what has happened with feeding cows. When I was growing up, we fed bales of hay – pretty poor-quality by today’s standards – and grain, depending on production.

“We are just going to hang on and hope for better days ahead.” How many times have you heard fellow dairy producers proclaim those words – or even uttered them yourself?

Prevention and treatment of oxidative stress (OS) could be the solution to many of the dairy health, production and welfare issues of our time. Dr. Melissa Behr of the South Dakota State Diagnostic Lab believes “oxidative stress is the backbone of all diseases and cancer in mammals.”

Are you stressed about planting crops this spring? Are you stressed that it will be too wet or too dry when that time comes? Are you stressed about the current and forecasted milk price? Are you stressed about employee retention?

The transition period is challenging for the dairy cow since the cow needs to adapt very quickly to the calving process, the sudden change from a non-lactating to a lactating stage and to the preparation for the next breeding period.

Many dairy farmers have seen animals suffering from multiple tumors in the lymph nodes; this is just the tip of the iceberg. Many infected animals will not be clearly ill but are not producing to the best of their capabilities.

Anyone involved in dairy farming knows the frustration of a mastitis infection. It’s costly – maybe your favorite cow was culled too soon or your milk premiums took a hit. One clinical mastitis case alone is shown to cost $444 during the first 30 days in milk.