Dairy Exec

Commentary: Ag-gag bills do more harm than good

There are worse things than having your industry’s practices called into question by an animal rights group’s undercover videos… Like getting caught trying to prevent the capture of said videos.

Poll: The best way to deter activists from misrepresenting farms is:

A. Have a current employee vouch for each prospective hire.
B. Ban cell phones and require pat-down before entering the barn.
C. Be a frequent presence in the barn.
D. Host public tours and engage in positive PR.

U.S. cheese exports top $1 billion mark

U.S. cheese export milestone offers a case study on long-term market investment and development, according to the U.S. Dairy Export Council.

Cold Storage report breaks records

According to Eric Meyer at dairy industry hedge execution and consulting firm HighGround Dairy, April’s Cold Storage report will be remembered as “the record breaker.”

8 ways to undermine your own leadership

Working hard is no substitute for working smart. Technology entrepreneur and best-selling author Josh Linkner recently spoke to Forbes about the various ways top execs undermine their own leadership. Any cringe-inducing recognition here?

Fighting the good fight: Connection vs. conflict

Dairy CEOs, like leaders of any business, tend to be the alpha males of legend: determined, opinionated and fierce if challenged. So when conflict arrives, they fight for their position, leaving others to flee, freeze or appease. But guess what this does to a farm team? It leaves it full of fleers, freezers and appeasers. There’s a better way, says Fortune 500 consultant Judith Glaser.

Job descriptions: A basic, vital tool on the dairy

The job description is an often-overlooked tool on dairy farms. A job description may sound like just more paperwork to be done, but it can help organize the labor force to be sure tasks are performed by the best-qualified people available on the farm. It can also result in greater consistency of performance because it is clear who is responsible for each task, not just what tasks need to be done.

Leadership after bad press

After any image-damaging situation at your dairy or in your industry, leaders must step forward and accept responsibility, apologize and explain what will be done to ensure whatever happened will not happen again.

What’s in your water? Extension study prods water and herd health

It’s only natural that what your cows drink has an impact on the milk they produce. But, as it turns out, water often goes overlooked as a potential cause of herd health issues or reduced milk production, say Penn State Extension officials.

Can new wastewater treatment additive help dairy industry?

Spanish company Bioazul hopes its additive can help treat wastewater in dairy industry.