A couple of months ago, I decided to attempt sourdough bread for the third time. I first tried it in 2017, but my loaves kept spreading far too much during rising and baking, and the texture was terrible. A year later, we moved and my sourdough journey took a pause until 2020, when I struggled to find commercial yeast forcing me to revisit sourdough. This time, I learned the importance of stretching, folding and correctly shaping dough. This time my dough rose nicely, but the texture still wasn’t great and it was a downright ugly loaf of bread. This time, I learned the importance of time. Time to develop flavor. Time to develop a lighter, better-textured loaf. It sounded so simple to me that I failed to see its importance previously.
Why am I bringing this up? If I had stopped learning after my first or second time, then I would never have been rewarded with a loaf of bread that was both tasty and not terrible to look at. Dairies are no different. If a business is always content with the status quo and doesn’t take the time to and promote learning, the animals, employees and business will suffer. Brittany Chase discusses this in her article “Why continuous learning for farm employees is key” on page 43. In particular, she points out how frequent SOP review helps to eliminate protocol drift, employee complacency and can even help with employee retention. Additionally, giving employees continuous education opportunities on and off the farm can “help build a culture of continued learning and show employees their work and the expertise they bring to the operation are valued.”
It is easy to blame failures on everything except ourselves. When my loaves failed, I blamed the recipe, not my own impatience. In her article “The hidden enemy: How oxidative stress impacts dairy calves and what you can do,” Tana Dennis (page 49) points out how details like time can make a huge difference in long-term calf health. Whether it is a short ride across the dairy or a trailer ride to a farm hundreds of miles away, many calves start their lives with multiple stressful events in quick succession. While we might think little of it because stress is part of life, for a newborn with only 3% bodyfat it can have a profound affect on the calf’s current and future health. Furthermore, the calf will face multiple stress events in its young life such as pen moves, vaccinations and weaning. Although these events are necessary, finding ways to manage for them and supplement when necessary is essential for success.
Finally, time is especially important when preparing a heifer for the show ring. On page 55, Katie Coyne shares “5 steps to optimum show-day hair and hide.” In this article, she cautions those who show cattle that failing to take the time required to properly wash their animals or use the wrong products can result in dandruff or a cracked hide, both of which can lead to fewer first-place ribbons.
While I hope my third round of learning how to make a perfect sourdough loaf of bread results in me being able to finally add this skill to my list, the reality is that I will never have perfect loaves every single time. The important thing is that I continue to learn from my mistakes and manage my time to allow each loaf the care and attention needed to rise to the best of its ability.
