Like many people who grew up on a dairy farm in decades past, I remember long, hot days of baling hay in small square bales. We hauled the bales to the barn in hay wagons, unloaded them into the hay elevator, which took them up into the barn, and stacked them tightly inside the hay barn.

Dairy farms everywhere are operating in a tight economic environment, and it is critical to control expenses and maximize income. Labor represents the second-largest category of expense, after feed, for most dairy farms.

Picture in your mind a person who cares for dairy cattle, practicing good animal husbandry. He or she enjoys spending time with the herd and has detailed knowledge about each individual cow.

“They just don’t make ’em like they used to.” I’m sure every reader has heard that phrase, and many of us have uttered it ourselves. If you’re talking about cars and trucks, then you are absolutely right; they don’t make them like they used to – they make them far better than they used to.

The words and actions of leaders shape the culture of businesses, families and even societies. Leaders have powerful effects on individuals too, instilling thoughts and behavior patterns that may last for a lifetime. Leadership is a privilege, and it should be exercised with care and attention to how it affects others, both immediately and long term.

The primary objective of a job description is to help employees and supervisors reach a mutual understanding about important details of a job in order to avoid future problems. This article discusses the need for job descriptions, how to prepare them, and how to make use of them for more effective human resource management. In addition, some examples of job descriptions for positions in the milking center are included. Job descriptions should never be considered final; they should be open to changes and should be reviewed at least once per year by both employee and supervisor.