A lot of the time, jobs don't get done right because your feeders need the right equipment. Even when you have the right equipment, it has to be carefully maintained so that your feeders and your business can be successful.

Twenty years ago, I was a young college graduate right out of school. I was still working in the retail world in a job that was only meant to get me through college. The problem was I was making good money and while supporting my young family,...

Recently, my wife asked me to cook some hamburgers on the grill. However, she specified that she wanted them juicy… and not pink.

I had an interesting moment while moving cattle recently. I was working with a 14-year-old who had never worked—or even been around cattle before.

One thing that I’ve had good success with in managing farms is a discussion of people, process, or tools. All problems that occur can fit nicely in one of these buckets.

Motivating people to change is the biggest challenge for today’s manager or veterinarian who is trying to improve an animal’s situation. Most people only change when you apply either pain or pride. Both of these are negative to a relationship.

One of the hardest obstacles to overcome when changing the labor environment on a dairy is people’s perceptions. Here is an example using a phone call I received this week.

One of my family’s favorite stories is of one brother who would disappear when work needed to be done. One of these stories took place on a cold winter day when the stalls needed to be cleaned. He took the time to clean a few stalls… then he bedded...

Most financial statements identify feed followed by labor as the items that cost the most on a dairy. Taxes, wages, and benefits are included in the financial definition for labor; however, I rarely see training and training time included.