Spilled Milk, Empty Buckets and Hungry Calves

Long before the days of a milk taxi or autofeeder, it was my job on the farm to feed calves.

More than once, I overestimated how many milk buckets I could carry at one time.

The result: Spilled milk, empty buckets and hungry calves.

I couldn't help but think about these old milk buckets when I sat down with Tommy Oesch from Swisslane Farms on the Uplevel Dairy Podcast. We talked about "buckets" - the areas of life where he puts his focus.

As a partner in the dairy, the business is certainly one of those buckets. But he knows that if he puts too much focus on that bucket, he'll have an empty bucket somewhere else - like the buckets for family (as a husband and dad), his health, his friendships and his faith. 

Easier said than done, right?

It's hard to keep all your buckets balanced. But when I finally figured out that if I didn’t fill the buckets so full and carried fewer at a time, I ended saving time and stress, had happier calves and didn't smell like sour milk.

The truth is, it still takes a few "sour milk" moments for me to realize when I've been trying to carry too many buckets.

But this conversation with Tommy brought some strong convictions that left me asking these questions:

1. Family

Am I being intentional and fully focusing on the most important people, especially when they are right in front of me? Are we actively praying together?

2. Faith

How can I connect more with other believers? 

3. Business

What systems can I implement to save time, money and move me to my goals faster?  

4. Health - Physical and Mental

Is there something that has a stronghold on me - a vice that I seek to cope with stress? 

5. Friendships

How are my husband and I investing now in the friendships we want to have when we are 80 years old?

Balancing buckets takes a whole different kind of "work" - it requires planning, prioritizing energy and effort, but the results are worth it: Not one drop of milk is wasted.

 Sometimes it takes the right questions to bring awareness of a bucket that needs some attention, and it also helps to hear from someone else who is willing to be open and honest in talking about.

Thanks, Tommy, for being that person - for me and many others.

If you are are trying to balance your own buckets, these conversations are worth the listen:

• Ep. 54 | Finding Balance with a Big Vision - Part 1: Faith, Family and Dairy Farm with Tommy Oesch, Swiss Lane Farms
• Ep. 55 | Finding Balance with a Big Vision - Part 2: Health, Relationships and Accountability with Tommy Oesch, Swiss Lane Farms

 For more from the UpLevel Dairy Podcast, read:

• Managing 8,000 Cows with Activity Monitors at Del Rio Dairy
• The 15-minute Meeting that Engages Employees
• 8 Questions to Move Your Dairy Business Forward
• The One Phone Call that Saved a Dairy, and a Dairy Farmer
• Dairy Leader’s Greatest Challenge Leads to Exponential Industry Impacts
• 3 Technologies for Finding Your Most Profitable Cows