People are pretty crafty when it comes to scheming up ways to receive a check for doing nothing. For the most part, farm kids are above quitting a job and looking for a handout. But with the pool of qualified available talent shrinking and the number of farms depending on labor outside of the immediate family increasing, it makes sense to put some rules in place for dealing with labor.

Abraham, in the Bible, has always been one of my heroes. He was always perfect and upright and made decisions based on the love of the Lord rather than his own desires and passions. Last Sunday, I learned some interesting information about the life of Abraham I had not contemplated before.

Ronan puts his hand on my shoulder. “Ryan,” he says. “Do you have the soul inside you?” Ronan had started his own radio show on the university station and invited me into a recording session.

Don’t ever feel like you have to hide your sensitivity. Your empathy gives you the ability to detect details that would have gone unnoticed, like that calf who just doesn’t seem herself today. You have a heart – and it’s OK to listen to it.

Every day is Earth Day to a farmer. We do our best to care for the land and animals God has provided for us. When I hear “Earth Day,” I automatically think of Woodstock, Birkenstocks and funny-smelling cigarettes. Or a typical day in Boulder, Colorado.

Advocating isn’t what it used to be, because what it used to be isn’t enough. As time goes on, we need to find new and innovative ways to communicate with our consumers. Not only does it need to be innovative, but it needs to be something that expresses who we are and what we’re about. What’s an impactful story that we can tell?

The editorial team at Progressive Dairyman is committed to providing you with information that is two things: relevant and useful.

Prior to my return to our family’s dairy farm, I worked for an electrical contractor. In my time there I completed my apprenticeship and worked my way from foreman to superintendent to project management in a 12-year career.

A hoof trimmer from Illinois calls a client in Missouri, who calls a friend in Indiana, who calls the dairy farmers closest to exit 57 on Interstate 64 where a breakdown has occurred. No, this isn’t one of those “a fireman, a policeman and a doctor walk into a bar” type of jokes; this is a situation that occurred around 10 p.m. on a weekend following the North American Livestock Expo.

Some of my co-editors at Progressive Dairyman have been sharing words they’ve chosen to help guide their lives, single words that serve as simple and quick reminders to get and keep them on track.