Business Management

The overtime deduction and agriculture: Clearing up the confusion

bodell@frazerllp.com — Tue, 09 Jun 2026 00:00:00 -0400

News of a new federal overtime tax deduction has created confusion across the agricultural sector. While the deduction has been promoted as a form of relief related to overtime pay, it does not provide a meaningful benefit to employers – and it does not apply to agricultural employees at all under current federal law.

[Webinar] Dairy Market Update June 2026: Protect What You've Built Before July 1

walt.cooley@agproud.com — Fri, 05 Jun 2026 03:00:00 -0400

Heat and sun safety on the farm

krek0033@umn.edu — Thu, 04 Jun 2026 00:00:00 -0400

Hot days and a blazing sun can be just as dangerous for the humans on the farm as it is for the livestock. There are many considerations for people to make while working out in the heat and sun, and they can make a big difference.

Data-driven work done right

creese@bovisync.com — Wed, 03 Jun 2026 00:00:00 -0400

Most dairies collect a lot of information. But ask yourself this: Is that information helping you answer the questions that matter? If not, you are not really using your data. You’re just storing it. And there’s a big difference between the two.

Making time for the conversations that matter to improve farm safety

madelyne.vanderkooy@wsu.edu — Wed, 03 Jun 2026 00:00:00 -0400

One of the strongest returns on investment for any farm is proactive, effective communication about safety, which is a practice that protects valuable employees while sustaining performance.

AED initiative aims to provide training that could save lives

bchambers@dairywest.com — Mon, 01 Jun 2026 00:00:00 -0400

In rural communities, emergency response times can be longer. Having an AED on-site can bridge that gap and give someone a fighting chance before help arrives. It’s an investment not just in your operation, but in your people, your family and your community.

A road map from basic recordkeeping to advanced financial analysis

stephanie.plaster@wisc.edu — Thu, 28 May 2026 00:00:00 -0400

Recordkeeping is the foundation of good financial management. You can think of it like the soil in your fields. Accurate records allow for strong analysis, decision-making and profits to weather any storm our farms might experience.

Dairy risk management calendar: June 2026

jenn@agproud.com — Thu, 21 May 2026 13:25:28 -0400

June marks the halfway mark for 2026, but it is already time to start thinking about risk management coverage for 2027 as the new crop year is on the horizon.

Managing capital costs for 2026

steve.schwoerer@compeer.com — Thu, 21 May 2026 00:00:00 -0400

A disciplined approach to capital spending in 2026 will help ensure the operation remains strong not only through this cycle but into the next one as well.

Training your workforce: Virtual reality as an aid

axb779@psu.edu — Wed, 20 May 2026 00:00:00 -0400

We can't ignore that training dairy farm workers effectively presents dairy farms with several challenges. One promising solution may be the use of virtual reality (VR) technologies.

Your life is more important than your balance sheet

mpayn@causematters.com — Thu, 14 May 2026 00:00:00 -0400

Your legacy won’t be determined by your ability to keep your multigenerational dairy or pass a profitable operation to the next generation – but by the lives you touch. These are essential things to remember as we face an especially demanding season.

Protecting beef revenue: Why Livestock Risk Protection matters for today’s dairy operations

derek.gerratt@agwestfc.com — Wed, 13 May 2026 00:00:00 -0400

With beef from dairies contributing an estimated $5 per hundredweight of milk-equivalent revenue, exposure to beef price volatility now carries real weight in culling and calf marketing decisions. Managing the downside without limiting upside is where Livestock Risk Protection (LRP) fits.

Why mental health matters, even when we can’t measure it

madelyne.vanderkooy@wsu.edu — Tue, 12 May 2026 00:00:00 -0400

Farm stress: You can’t weigh it, you can’t test it, and you certainly can’t fix it with a wrench or baling twine. Yet, research continues to show that it directly impacts how farms function.

6 practical steps to create a safety culture on your farm

hernando.duarte@wisc.edu — Mon, 11 May 2026 16:39:46 -0400

Creating a culture of safety is vital in addressing these challenges and must be the foundation of any farm safety program. It encourages proactive hazard identification and management, reduces injuries and near misses, and ensures that everyone returns home safely at the end of the day.

Financial transparency on the farm: Engaging employees with the numbers that matter

gabriellahoudek@agrigrowthsolutions.com — Wed, 29 Apr 2026 00:00:00 -0400

When employees understand what the farm is working toward and how success is measured, they are better equipped to make decisions that support those goals. Transparency builds trust, reduces confusion and creates a shared sense of purpose across the operation.

Dairy risk management calendar: May 2026

jenn@agproud.com — Mon, 27 Apr 2026 15:36:20 -0400

Milk prices are moving in favorable directions, with May Class IV futures closing at $22.29 per hundredweight (cwt) on April 24 and May Class III futures closing at $17.56 per cwt. But markets can quickly change. Add in the record prices dairy producers are receiving for cull cows and beef-on-dairy animals, and an established risk management plan becomes even more critical.

It’s not how much you can borrow; it’s how much you can repay

bradley.guse@bmo.com — Wed, 22 Apr 2026 00:00:00 -0400

Recently, I’ve had some deep conversations with producers around the concept that it’s not how much you can borrow but rather how much you can repay that matters. At the heart of the conversation is whether collateral or capacity to repay is more important.

Lending conditions weakened in last quarter of 2025

jenn@agproud.com — Thu, 16 Apr 2026 11:35:15 -0400

Interest rates in the fourth quarter of 2025 dipped to rates not seen since 2022 – lower than the peaks of 2023 but remained above the 10-year average – a signal lending conditions were more favorable for farmers despite overall credit conditions deteriorating as the year came to a close.

5 common insurance policy gaps

jacci.wood@agri-servicesagency.com — Thu, 16 Apr 2026 00:00:00 -0400

A robust insurance package serves a critical role for your business. Your livelihood depends on factors that happen every day on the farm that are unpredictable or outside your control, and it’s important to be protected when those things happen.

Progressive Events: PDP Business Conference explores dairy profitability

karen@agproud.com — Wed, 01 Apr 2026 00:00:00 -0400

The 2026 Professional Dairy Producers (PDP) Business Conference attracted dairy producers from 25 states and Canada to Madison, Wisconsin, March 4-5. With a theme of “Dairy’s Blueprint – Drafting Tomorrow’s Success,” the program featured refreshed perspectives and tools to equip attendees for success.

Improving culture and employee engagement through meaningful conversations

santiago@actiondairy.com — Mon, 30 Mar 2026 00:00:00 -0400

This article looks at one of the most practical ways to strengthen culture and boost engagement: holding meaningful conversations between supervisors and employees.

Dairy risk management calendar: April 2026

jenn@agproud.com — Thu, 26 Mar 2026 09:54:04 -0400

As we look to the second quarter of 2026, dairy markets have improved and margins are historically strong with forecasts playing in producers’ favors, particularly with incremental improvements in Class III and Class IV.

Nutrition to fuel your mind and help with stress

mpayn@causematters.com — Thu, 19 Mar 2026 00:00:00 -0400

Ultimately, eating isn’t about hitting an ideal – it’s about giving your brain and body what they need to handle life’s demands. Learn how to create a balanced diet to help optimize energy and health.

Precision decisions: How AI will shape dairy performance in 2026

mulloago@purdue.edu — Mon, 09 Mar 2026 14:38:11 -0400

Artificial intelligence (AI) is emerging in 2026 not as a futuristic concept but as a practical response to the complexity of dairy farming. Its primary value is not automation for its own sake but the ability to improve decisions across thousands of animals and management variables.

Your ration and stress

mpayn@causematters.com — Fri, 27 Feb 2026 00:00:00 -0500

Feed. One of the most frequently analyzed pieces of the dairy business. But how about your own ration? If you’re like many in agriculture, your own nutrition falls far down the list – and the cows consume a more balanced diet than you.

Dairy risk management calendar: March 2026

jenn@agproud.com — Thu, 26 Feb 2026 14:23:33 -0500

Futures prices are rising with news of competitive international prices and strong U.S. dairy exports coupled with the government’s announcement of dairy product purchases, all making for a bullish outlook for U.S. dairy producers in March.

Farm success requires developing your material and people resources

rmilligan@trsmith.com — Thu, 26 Feb 2026 00:00:00 -0500

Here are four ways your farm can become great at developing and promoting your people. This development is much more than sending employees to educational meetings.

When employee performance slows down: Is it really the employee – or something else?

tim.schaefer@encore-consultants.net — Tue, 24 Feb 2026 00:00:00 -0500

When leaders adjust how they lead – not just how much – performance almost always improves. Conversations get easier, expectations feel clearer, and employees start taking more responsibility on their own. Not because they’re being pushed harder. Because they’re being led in a way that fits where they actually are.

Chapter 12 farm bankruptcy filings up 46% in 2025

karen@agproud.com — Mon, 16 Feb 2026 16:49:21 -0500

With 315 filings, farm bankruptcies were up 46% from 2024. Declining farm receipts and rising expenses, primarily in crop markets, led to an increase in the number of U.S. farms filing for Chapter 12 bankruptcy in 2025.

Progressive Events: Dairy managers planned for the future in Puerto Rico

karen@agproud.com — Tue, 10 Feb 2026 00:00:00 -0500

In late January, PDP’s Managers Academy ventured off the mainland for its first-ever event in San Juan, Puerto Rico. With the theme, “Business Prime on Island Time,” the event challenged dairy producers and industry representatives to take a closer look at their business structure and how to position it for success into the next generation.