MANAGEMENT

When packing supplies to go to the show, the very best way to accomplish the task so nothing is left at home is to walk yourself through the day at the show.

I was born and raised on a dairy farm. We milked about 65 to 70 cows twice a day in an old 100-by-100-foot freestall bank barn.

Hydro One recently launched a new program that will help eligible farmers save money and energy by upgrading their water distribution system.

Many dairy owners today are trained to manage cows – but not people. This dynamic is complicated further when robots are added to the mix. The skill set for an employee on a modern dairy farm varies greatly from the requirements of just 15 years ago.

Note: This is the seventh and final article in a series about dairy culture.

Since 2015, we have offered the Organizational Culture Inventory (OCI) test to document cultures on dairies. Fifty-three dairies participated in the program, representing 564 employees, 160 managers, 78 owners and 30 consultants (veterinarians and nutritionists).

Brothers and sisters farming together can make for many different, interesting and somewhat challenging dynamics.