Most problems on a dairy don’t show up all at once. They start as little things. A dip cup not filled quite right. A liner that should have been changed last week. A fresh cow that “seems fine” but isn’t eating like she should. A service call that gets handled, but nobody writes down what changed. A team member who knows the routine, but not the reason behind it. None of those feel like a crisis by themselves. But small misses are often early warning lights. Not proof that someone failed. Proof that the system needs attention. That’s true whether you’re running a dairy, installing equipment, managing route service, or trying to grow a business without everything living in your head. Good owners don’t just ask, “Who missed this?” They ask better questions: What made this easy to miss? Where did our routine break down? Is this a training issue, a communication issue, or a design issue? Do we have a repeatable way to catch this earlier next time? The best farms and service businesses are not perfect. They are observant. They treat small problems as cheap lessons before they become expensive ones. Takeaway: This week, pick one small recurring miss and fix the system around it, not just the symptom.

This is going to be a brief on cooling milk. Raise your hand if you just love the taste of an ice-cold glass of fresh milk. Ahhhh. For those of you that work with harvesting or producing dairy products, you know first hand the panic that ensues when the tank or chiller isn't cooling. One key thing to learn about this is this rule of thumb. Bacteria in milk will double about every 15 -20 minutes at about 50 deg. F.. This means the following. Safe @ 5000 PI count. In 2 hours, here is where that goes: Starting point =5000, 10,000, 20,000, 40,000, 80,000, 160,000 and after 2 hrs., at 20-minute intervals, we're at a whopping 320,000. Add an additional hour and we're easily above 2.5 million. WOW! And, not to mention, gross! Yeah, I said it. It's gross. But, this is why it matters so much. So, what is your goal for cooling? Set temp? Time to cool? Do you use a plate cooler? Drop a question below and I'll do my best to walk you through any cooling or tank questions to help you be equipped for success on your milk cooling and milk quality! Info from Google search:https://www.journalofdairyscience.org/article/S0022-0302(16)30023-6/fulltext Here is what a quick google search AI result showed: Bacteria in milk reproduce exponentially via binary fission. The rate of growth heavily dictates the shelf-life and safety of the milk and is dictated strictly by storage temperature. [1, 2] - \(< 40^\circ\text{F} \ (4^\circ\text{C})\) (Refrigeration): Growth is radically restricted. Milk can last up to 7–21 days depending on processing. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5] - \(40^\circ\text{F} \ - \ 140^\circ\text{F} \ (4^\circ\text{C} \ - \ 60^\circ\text{C})\) (The "Danger Zone"): Bacteria thrive, with populations doubling in as little as 20 minutes. For example, at \(40^{\circ }\text{F}\) it might take 68 days to reach spoilage levels, but at \(50^{\circ }\text{F}\) (\(10^{\circ }\text{C}\)), it takes just 10 days. [1, 2] - \(> 145^\circ\text{F} \ (65^\circ\text{C})\) (Thermal processing): High heat effectively destroys most bacteria and pathogenic organisms. Standard pasteurization (HTST) holds milk at \(161^{\circ }\text{F}\) (\(72^{\circ }\text{C}\)) for 15 seconds. [1, 2]

I have recently decided that I want to do a 100-mile ride. A few key takeaways from that are worth sharing. 1. I shared this out loud - this made it more than an idea. 2. One of the people who I shared this with, offered to do the ride with me. 3. I have had challenges. Do you relate with any of these takeaways? While it can be misconstrued as bragging, my objective in saying it outload is it causes more accountability to the goal. Folks will ask "how is your training going" or "when is that ride". I'll be way more likely to do the training. I'm not doing it for other folks but I said I was going to do it and barring any legitimate reason not to, I will. I would hate to have lied to all those people. Next, I would look like a fool letting my friend train and come September, when we're doing the ride, tell him "well, I forgot I said that and so I didn't train - let's try out best". Oh boy, what a disaster that would be. Instead, he and I occasionally text each other milestones of our training. "I rode 12 miles today" or "it shaved 5 minutes off my normal ride". I did not train the way I wanted to. Weather, broken bike, sick, weather again, busy, etc. You know the feeling. You know what though, I am still finding ways to get back on the bike and keep training. So, what is your "century" that you're pressing for in 2026? Who is in your corner? Who is both challenging and encouraging you? Find that person - connect - build! Let's ride!

If there's one thing I've observed in the dairy industry, it's that we tend to follow norms and generally accepted practices without asking enough questions. That's not always a bad thing. Experience matters. Proven practices matter. But humor me for a minute. We work in an industry where far too many farms operate at a loss—or barely above it. Stress is high. Morale is often low. If that's the reality, shouldn't we be willing to challenge some of the assumptions that got us here? Start with your "why" Before you change anything on the farm, you need clarity. What do you actually want? "I want to dairy farm." Sure—but that's the starting point, not the destination. A better answer might be: "I want to build a dairy that supports my family, gets us out of debt, gives us financial freedom, and creates something worth passing on." Now we're getting somewhere. Research suggests you're significantly more likely to accomplish goals that you write down. I'm over here struggling to consistently post on Skool, so trust me—I understand the challenge. Write it down anyway. Grab a notebook. Open the notes app. Put it on a whiteboard. Make it real. And remember, goals can evolve. They should. Just don't leave them floating around in your head. (If goal setting is something you'd like to dive deeper into, let me know in the comments. I could talk about that subject for hours.) Question the metric Here's a classic example. "I want my herd averaging 100 pounds of milk per cow." Why? Seriously...why? Does that goal actually support your vision? Does it improve profitability? Does it reduce stress? Does it move your family closer to the life you want? Maybe. Maybe not. I can't answer that for you. What I can tell you is that some of my most profitable customers are not the highest-producing herds. I've also watched farms intentionally reduce production because it improved the spread between feed costs and milk revenue—and they made more money. That's an uncomfortable idea for some people.

I struggle with knowing how to start. It's a common thing - decision paralysis. If it's something I'm comfortable with, then step aside, I don't know exactly what I'm going to do but I will take that calculated risk to step forward. In Skool though, I am finding it more challenging to say "I will start with these specific subjects". I realize that I am overthinking it, and knowing that is half the key. I find more value in movement forward than perfection, especially as I learn more about myself and the industry. We like things to be right but that alone can often hinder us from making the best decisions in our lives. So, does this relate to you? Do you find yourself starting at the array of issues on your farm only to feel overwhelmed and paralyzed? Don't feel alone - many of us feel that way. Let's dig in. To start, I am going to start by discussing problem solving. It's less specific to dairy maybe but I think this will generate some healthy discussion on our skillset revolving around the art of looking at a difficult situation and knowing what to do first, next, and afterwards, even if we've never done it before.