Safety for corn silage harvest includes everything from equipment checks to personal care. It’s no secret that harvest season is a dangerous time on any farm. Help prevent your farm from becoming another statistic by following these easy – and potentially lifesaving – safety tips.

Amid a decade-long labor shortage, dairy farmers recognize the importance of training their employees, both informally and formally. And they are leaning on their veterinarians, county extension agents, nutritionists and other consultants to support and carry out these trainings.

The life lessons of work ethic, respect for the animals, and care for employees Jared Duppengeisser learned growing up on a dairy in western N.Y. have translated into his focus on creating a positive farm culture as a manager.

When it comes to optimizing animal health in food-producing operations, there are many factors to consider. I have covered several of them in previous articles, such as providing a comfortable and clean environment, excellent nutrition and adequate disease monitoring protocols. 

Leadership is so much more than how intelligent or skilled we are. Have you ever met or managed someone who was smart and skilled yet couldn’t lead? Most likely, the missing ingredient was emotional intelligence.

While training takes many forms and varies greatly from one dairy to the next, two common goals among producers are to increase employee engagement and to grow employee skill sets.

As a nation that depends on immigrants and foreign labor to work in agriculture, the diversity of this population and their languages bring new challenges to the dairy industry.

One of the biggest differences between farmers who struggle to be progressive and make changes and those who possess the agility to tackle change boils down to structure and clarity.