The ability to negotiate can be an extremely advantageous skill for dairy producers, especially when faced with high input costs, challenging labor issues and complex financial transactions. The Dairy Calf and Heifer Association (DCHA) board and 2011 leadership class improved their negotiating skills during a half-day leadership program in April held during the DCHA Conference in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin.

Intervet/Schering-Plough Animal Health sponsored the education and leadership development program for the organization.

"The leadership program brings new faces and new energy to DCHA. It allows DCHA to prepare for the future and become a stronger organization for the dairy calf and heifer industry," said Eugene Myatt, DCHA president from Glasgow, Kentucky. "We’re pleased to welcome another outstanding group of agricultural producers and leaders to this year’s program."

David Solberg, manager of learning and developmentfor Intervet/Schering-Plough Animal Health, led the workshop covering negotiation principles, styles and self-assessment.

"Regardless of profession, people negotiate from the time they get up in the morning until they tuck themselves in at night," said Solberg. "The art of negotiating is a learned skill, one of many skillsprofessionals must master to be consistently successful in business today."

The leadership class meets two times during the year and a topic is selected for each meeting. Other topics have included time management, conflict resolution, media and spokesperson training and interpersonal communication. The second leadership training will be held in October in conjunction with World Dairy Expo, Madison, Wisconsin.

Throughout the year, class members will develop their leadership skills by participating on a DCHA committee.

"This interaction with board members and other class members deepens their experience and puts their training to work right away," Myatt said.

Intervet/Schering-Plough Animal Health, a company committed to helping dairy producers be more successful, has sponsored the DCHA Leadership Program since 2009.

"We are proud to sponsor DCHA’s leadership program because of the value it provides the participants, DCHA and the dairy calf and heifer industry," said Scott Nordstrom, D.V.M., director of dairy technical services for Intervet/Schering-Plough Animal Health. "These agricultural producers represent the nation’s more than 3 million farmers and ranchers who are committed to supplying the world with a healthy, high-quality food supply to more and more consumers every day. Developing their leadership skills benefits us all."

2011 Leadership Class Members
The following six class members were selected to participle in the 2011 DCHA Leadership Program. They represent several regions of the country and several types of dairy calf and heifer businesses and include:

Brandon Andersen is the transition manager at Double A Dairy in Jerome, Idaho. With 12,500 milking cows, he is in charge of the hospital and fresh cow area at the dairy. He also manages the calving facility where 1,200 calves are born each month and where the dry cows are housed.

He manages 15 people at both facilities. Andersen graduated from Brigham Young University in 2010 with a bachelor’s degree in business management. He is part of the Farm Bureau Young Farmers and Ranchers program and is active in his church.

Kate Fogler is a manager for Stonyvale Inc., in Exeter, Maine, a family dairy farm of nine family members. They milk 1,000 cows and raise all their calves and heifers. Fogler is the youngstock manager and oversees all the operations with the calves and heifers from birth through calving.

She also is the daily operations manager and does all the record-keeping as well as the public relations work including farm tours, veterinary internships and collegiate projects. Fogler grew up on a dairy farm in Pennsylvania and graduated from Cornell University in 1999 with a degree in animal science.

Jamie Franken helps manage City View Farms with his family in Sioux Center, Iowa, a heifer growing operation with 13,000 animals. He has a variety of responsibilities, including day-to-day operations, feed buying, managing the breeding and calf health, working with the nutritionist, setting up transportation for the cattle, maintaining records and customer relations.

Franken has been a DCHA member for several years, is active in his church and participates in a local hunting and fishing organization.

Amanda Hackmann works at Longview Animal Nutrition Center in Gray Summit, Missouri, a dairy nutrition research facility of more than 500 dairy animals. Her responsibilities include calf care, herd health, milking and feeding. She grew up and worked on a farm in Marthasville, Missouri., where her dad raised replacement heifers.

Off the farm, Amanda is involved in the Missouri Holstein Association and is an active member of her parish. Amanda earned her bachelor’s degree in 2009 from the University of Missouri-Columbia.

Paul Jacobs is a partner in Jacobs Brothers farming operation in De Pere, Wisconsin, a family business with his father, uncle and two brothers. They operate Green Valley Dairy, a 3,500-cow milking facility and 8,500 acres of crops. Paul raises all the replacement calves and manages more than 6,500 replacement heifers, steers and feeder cattle.

He also is responsible for working with heifer and steer growers to ensure quality care of all livestock. Paul received a bachelor’s degree in business and economics from St. Norbert College. He is a member of DCHA and the Professional Dairy Producers of Wisconsin.

Dr. Lindsey Peck works on her family’s farm, Marks Farm in Lowville, New York, where they milk 4,000 cows and raise 5,000 youngstock. As a veterinarian, she oversees the overall herd health and management of the herd, and is responsible for surgery, pregnancy exams, embryo transfer and calvings. Peck also manages the youngstock program, which encompasses everything from animal health, employee relations, the maternity facility and fresh cow care.She also is a part-time associate at Countryside Veterinary Clinic. Peck earned her bachelor’s degree in large animal science from Delaware Valley College, her D.V.M. at the Ross University School of Veterinary Medicine and her clinical training at Iowa State University. PD

—From Dairy Calf and Heifer Association news release

PHOTOS
TOP RIGHT: The 2011 DCHA leadership class is joined by Eugene Myatt, DCHA president, and Scott Nordstrom, D.V.M., director of Dairy Technical Services for Intervet/Schering-Plough Animal Health, program sponsor. Left to right, are: Eugene Myatt, Amanda Hackmann, Paul Jacobs, Jamie Franken, Brandon Andersen, Dr. Lindsey Peck and Dr. Scott Nordstrom. Kate Fogler was absent from the photo.

TOP LEFT: David Solberg, human resources trainer for Intervet/Schering-Plough Animal Health, teaches negotiation skills to the DCHA board and leadership class in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin. Photos provided by DCHA.