“Is this going to help me?” Remember, no one ever erected a statue to any pessimist. b.) When you start to question your ability to survive, remember that you already did this once in 2009. I’m not suggesting that this will be fun, but if you don’t like these industry challenges, then don’t complain. Make a change of industry. c.) Be aware that, at least, the first six months of 2012 will be challenging. d.) The key here is to consistently tell your brain what you want and what you don’t want. e.) Measure your progress and record it, because the items that get measured get improved, and the items that get measured and written down get improved measurably. f.) Let your team always know what is happening. If they don’t appear interested in helping, then you never really had a team… g.) Follow your plan and adjust your course as needed. With tenacity, guts Winston Churchill also was known for the famous quote, “Never give up!” My Alma Mater and favorite basketball team, the Duke Blue Devils, recently demonstrated this very well when they were down by 10 points with 2:38 left in their game against UNC. With tenacity, they gutted it out, scored several three point shots, forced two turnovers, and won the game on a last second three point shot, raising my blood pressure to dangerous levels throughout the process. Most important, as difficult as it looked, they did CSI-Dairy continued from page 11 “If you are going in a variety of fields, staying current on new management practices and products, meet- ing with each expert and gathering individual recommendations. With an expansion looming, Vincent recog- nized a typical consultation with each expert wasn’t enough. So, he gathered his advisors as a team, including: crop consultant, Mike Contessa, Champlain Valley Agronomics; seed ~Winston Churchill supplier, Floyd Morter, Bourdeau Bros. Inc.; area manager, David Kosztyo, Pioneer Hi-Bred; and nutritionist, Neil Andrew, Cargill. During not give up and won their game. I want you to do the same thing! In my the team’s first meetings, they identified five key issues: next article, I will start laying out more 1) Reduce variability and increase forage specific steps you can take to improve quality your future results, regardless of where 2) Increase tonnage from fields milk prices are headed. Feel free to visit 3) Improve forage starch content to support my website at www.success-strategies. milk production com too. You may find just what you’re 4) Reduce ration cost looking for in our free Success Tips 5) Maintain cow health by increasing for- section. ages in the ration What’s next? It’s your move. p Vincent is the first to admit that the first year ––––– was challenging. “We needed everyone to know “You don’t have to be great to start, but you that individual responsibilities still existed, but do have to start to be great!” we were all there to ensure the recommenda- Zig Ziglar, tions worked together,” he said. Author & to go through hell, keep going.” FYI Motivational Speaker ■ John Ellsworth of Modesto, Calif., is a consul- tant with the financial and strategic consulting firm Success Strategies. He can be reached at 209-988- 8960, or by e-mail: john@success-strategies.com. Beneficial changes Over the next three seasons, the consulting team settled on several key recommendations: • Choose one or two corn hybrids to reduce silage variability, selecting the top-per- forming hybrids for starch content and overall tonnage. • Treat all corn silage and haylage with a top-quality L. buchneri inoculant to improve fiber digestibility, reduce shrink and stimulate fermentation efficiency. • Look for hybrids better suited for the growing environment, reducing comparative relative maturity (CRM) to ensure all forage is harvested before the first frost. • Increase the percentage of forage in the ration and use all home-grown forages to reduce ration costs and improve cow health. • Implement a two-step bunker cover system to reduce spoilage and add a second packing tractor to increase density. The results The consulting team still meets every fall to review the current program, walk through new issues that arose during the last season and discuss Vincent’s herd goals. Vincent is thrilled with the success his operation has had over the past four years, including surviving 2009. Please turn to page 25 22 April 2012 WesternDAIRYBUSINESS www.dairybusiness.com