I often think farmers talk so much about being advocates that we sometimes we forget to ask if our children would like to be advocates for an industry that has helped raise them and one that they have grown to love, too.

After two months of a waning outlook on the ag economy, economists views took a turn in the November Ag Economists’ Monthly Monitor, a survey of nearly 70 ag economists from across the country.

When the opportunity came up for Schilling Farms to purchase a second dairy nearly 40 miles away, this meant also taking on a dozen more employees. This one tactic helped give their employees an engagement boost.

Labor contributes up to 10-15% of the cost to produce milk. The magnitude of the expense drives dairies to increase labor efficiency. However, labor efficiency does not equate to labor productivity.

Barbara O’Brien emphasizes at the Joint Annual Meetings last week that the national checkoff board, Dairy Management Inc. (DMI), to which she serves as president and CEO, has changed and evolved since its inception.

Husband-and-wife team builds dynamic business capitalizing on market needs