Blogs

“Hey Doc,” the voice on the other side of the line says. “I’ve got a dead in pen four. Never treated him, and he’s got to be the third one this week. Could we post him and figure out what’s going on around here?”

I recently attended a manager’s academy for dairy producers where I participated in an excellent seminar on negotiating by Linda Swindling, a lawyer from Texas (yes, you may laugh). I don’t particularly care for the term “negotiation.” To me, it means one of two things: “hostage situation,” or “you are going to lose.”

It was the first week of December, which for me can be perhaps the most exasperating time of the entire year. While I love the feeling of the Christmas season as it begins to take over our consciousness, the short days and the long chores associated with that time of year tend to sometimes leave me a little surly.

New Year’s.

A time to be excited about what we are looking forward to in the new year and reflect on the year that is passing. Our entire world has seen much change and uniqueness in the last year. Personally, we also saw change with a move. We are thankful for this opportunity.

If you’ve ever watched the Titanic movie from the 1990s, you might remember some actual footage of the sunken ship. With submersibles and robotic cameras, viewers caught glimpses of the somber atmosphere resting at the bottom of the Atlantic.

Come April, we’re going to know whether or not we were ready for calving season. I’m not talking about having supplies, feed or the calving area ready, I mean each of us will personally feel it in our backs, arms and legs if we we’re not in physical condition to handle calving season.