Guest Blog

As dairy farmers, I know we wear many hats, not just on the farm but off the farm as well. So why is it every time someone asks us to do something, we immediately volunteer?

In a firsthand account, Wisconsin dairyman Gordon Speirs describes the challenges that are making 2019 a difficult year for farming. 

When milk markets are short of milk, there never seems to be an issue with finding a home for milk. But when milk markets are long, it’s another story.

“Why do you want to start a dairy? It is a terrible time to do that.”

This was from my Farm Credit representative when I called this spring for a farm appraisal to get equity to build our dairy barn. I can’t lie; he did have a point – although perhaps being in the agricultural lending field, he could have couched it better. 

World Dairy Expo (WDE) has always been one of my favorite weeks of the year. Sometimes, I think I’m even more excited about that first week in October than I am for my birthday (month) or Christmas.

Finally, after all these years, I realize I’ve been going after my goals all wrong.

Thanks to a simple mindset shift, I now see how I can better set myself up for successfully achieving what it is I’ve set out to do, and maybe this tip will help you too.