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Carla Wardin farms with husband Kris on Evergreen Dairy, Inc., a 300-cow pasture-based dairy farm. She blogs at http://truthordairy.blogspot.com/
I read an article in the Wall Street Journal that impelled me to write a letter to the editor.
As published, it reads:
The USDA recently completed an analysis of potential economic and productivity impacts from changes to the availability of farm labor. Their results found that dairy would be one of the sectors most affected by changes.
Although the study did not review one specific policy or any proposed legislation, the model does seem to compare the potential outcomes of mass deportation of unauthorized workers, the expansion of a guest-worker program for agriculture and doing nothing. Progressive Dairyman Editor Walt Cooley followed up with the study’s authors.
On Sept. 11-13, the 19th edition of Canada’s Outdoor Farm Show (COFS) will be held at Canada’s Outdoor Park in Woodstock, Ontario. The COFS team and its exhibitors have worked tirelessly planning demonstrations and events for the 40,000+ attendees – including two major field demonstrations.
"Our field demonstrations provide a unique opportunity for our exhibitors to showcase their products in a field of competitors," says Paul Roper, COFS exhibitor sales and demonstrations coordinator. "This year, we are excited to run two major field demonstrations for moldboard ploughs and solid manure spreaders."
I recently read an interesting blog post about how bees manage their time and resources. The author Michael O’Malley’s main point is that: “Honeybees have institutionalized procedures that prevent catastrophic loss, and their record of accomplishment is stunning: more than 100 years of productivity and growth.” (Click here to see the blog)
Editor’s note: This is the first in a three-part series on developing middle managers. The next article will discuss how to develop protocols and provide training. It will be followed by an article describing employee evaluations.
As dairy operations reach a certain size, it is inevitable that the owners can’t be everywhere and do everything.
Middle managers become a necessary and important part of the future of the farm.
Do you remember the “tree interview” that Barbara Walters did with Katharine Hepburn back in the early ’80s? She asked her, “If you were a tree, what kind of a tree would you be?” In all fairness to Walters, her question was a follow-up to Hepburn’s comment that she was “like a tree.”
As odd as that whole conversation was, it actually might not be all that crazy. Now just wait ... allow me to explain!
“For years and years, we’ve all known the very best thing for a sick cow is to receive healthy rumen fluid,” says Bernie Mulder, founder of Drench-Mate.
Yet, until now, there hasn’t been an easy way to obtain that fluid.
Thomas Jefferson and his fellow Agrarian philosophers founded the new republic of America on the idea that the farmer was the ideal citizen. One of his reasons for claiming legitimacy for the occupation was the closeness to nature not experienced by most others who didn’t farm.
In seventh grade, I memorized the Gettysburg Address. At the time, the speech was just pleasing words grouped together in a concise poetic manner.I have quoted them many times since, but until recently I did not realize how prophetic and applicable they are today.
I am now home from Africa. My duty station is East Lansing, Michigan, on the Ecological Sciences Staff at the NRCS state office. I am on standby status, which means if I am needed to go somewhere outside the U.S., then the phone rings. But I was told I will be here in the U.S. for the near future. I am enjoying being home.
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