Employee management

By Chris Wacek-Driver Hopefully, the 2015 harvest season’s efforts have rewarded your farm with adequate inventory and quality feed for the year ahead and will be reflected in profitable milk production and healthy cows.  Equally as important, we hope all this was accomplished efficiently and safely. With the last tire on the bunker and the

By Jack Hales and Barry Visser The care and comfort of the cows is of utmost importance, but, some days, managing the cows is the easy part.  The biggest conflict from the cows’ perspective may be resolved by moving the dominant cow to another pen. It’s not so easy with people. Occasionally, “big picture” conflicts

By Jim Lewis and Andy Nytes Improving farm business performance presents an everyday challenge for employers and owners.  Continuing at the current level of performance is never really considered an option for goal-oriented people, whether they are owners or supervisors. As managers, however, we quickly learn that we cannot accomplish improved performance on our own.

By Jon Wilcox Bobby Knight, a college basketball coach with more than 900 victories and nicknamed “The General,” was perhaps most famously remembered for his fierce, combative, expletive-laden, chair-throwing style.  Yet he’s loyally defended and fanatically revered by most of his former players. Contrast him with the quiet and calm Tony Dungy.  Dungy’s accomplishments include

By Bob Hagenow Unquestionably, this winter has been tough on everyone and many have reached their tolerance level for cold and snow.  The forecast shows some hope, but March is infamous for surprises and Old Man Winter will probably make a couple more appearances.  So how do you encourage motivation amongst your team while you

By Dr. Al Schultz and Peter Coyne As your dairy business grows or an employee moves on, you are tasked with hiring a quality employee.  Done right, this can be a stimulating process that invigorates the entire team.  But the wrong hire can be a millstone around your neck, a financial drain and a threat

Working in these extremely cold temperatures is not easy.  Please do your best to work safely as you care for your animals.  Here are a few reminders from your Vita Plus team for dealing with harsh winter conditions on the farm: For your team By Scott Hall, Vita Plus safety director You can’t take care

By Peter Coyne Many people who work with cows on a daily basis have a solid understanding of cow behavior.  Cows are fairly predictable. What about the people you work with? Today, dairies of all sizes depend on teams of people who work together to accomplish the tasks necessary to make the farm profitable.  Unquestionably,

By Jon Wilcox A family with energetic boys raised cattle on a hobby farm. A well-intentioned neighbor, with decades of experience in cattle production, was critical of the “results” he saw and often shared his wisdom. One evening, as the neighbor was chastising the father, the mother finally stepped in and said, “You don’t seem

By Chris Wacek-Driver As March begins and we’re optimistic that the snow will soon melt, we’re looking forward to spring and summer and being back in the fields.  That includes putting together our forage plans.  But is everyone on the same page?  If we aren’t now, we surely won’t be come harvest season. Let’s fast-forward

By Peter Coyne 2013 may be a challenge as surging feed prices have driven the cost of production to new highs.  Do your employees understand your expectations or have they been receiving mixed messages during these stressful times? Labor plays a key role as you search for ways to manage expenses and maximize profitability.  An

By Bob Hagenow Team meetings are always interesting because everyone brings different experiences and communication styles to the table.  Naturally, this can lead to conflict as different personalities favor different approaches for solving challenges.  It can also serve as a great opportunity to capitalize on the different perspectives each person brings to the team.  In

By Bob Hagenow We can’t deny that things like email, texting and Facebook have increased our ways to connect with one another.  But are we truly communicating with each other to get things accomplished and avoid mistakes?  With all the tools we have to “talk” with one another, we still gain great value in bringing