Headline : Milking a Brighter Future

Read more from the original article on here at understandingag.com.

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Our path to regenerative dairy management was not a straight line, though that would have made our lives much easier. We are grateful for what this experience has taught us along the way. I am a firm believer that the regenerative path is a journey, and that there is no “regenerative destination.” We will never arrive at a perfect resource, and that is okay, but the changes we have made in a few short years are nothing short of astounding. Here are the top four changes in our operation that have changed our business and our future.

I wish I could say that our journey was perfectly planned from the beginning and that every decision was made after deep discussions and financial planning. Unfortunately, we just had to rip off the band aid and take a leap of faith.

When the feed mill is breathing down your neck because you haven't paid the last concentrate bill and you're calling for another load just so you can maintain that high-herd average, you realize that something needs to change. When we got rid of that bill, it was a huge weight off our shoulders. Don't think that we haven't fed anything from a feed mill since then, because we definitely have, we just make sure we are buying what fits our low-input context. A rule I have adopted is that when I spend money on something like feed or any kind of supplement, I want to see a $5 return for every $1 spent. This doesn't mean I never try anything new or follow that rule perfectly. It just means I have plenty of cushion built in for when something I try doesn't work and it makes me take the time to be intentional with my spending on inputs. Not having the feed mill crutch always there has also improved my grazing, which I will address later in the article.

One of the most refreshing things about our experience has been being able to step off the treadmill of conventional dairying. Today, we don't have nearly as many checks to write out as we once did. The vet, nutritionist, feed mill and “foo-foo dust” salesman bills are few and far between.

Read more from the original article on here at understandingag.com.

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