In the October 25, 2009 issue of Hoard’s Dairyman, an article entitled “Every Dairy Must be a Shining Example” by Kirk Sattazahn caught my eye. As I read the article, I thought about how it applied to our dairy operation.

One quotation in particular made me sit up and take notice “Having a well-managed, sanitary dairy with well cared for animals is no longer the way to get ahead in the industry; it is the ticket that allows you to be in the industry.”

Wow, the more I thought about that, the more I realized how much truth there is to that concept. As an industry, we are starting to come under intense focus by the consumer, and groups who do not want us in business.

Like with anything else in agriculture we are only as strong as our weakest link. Every dairy, no matter its size, has its place. However, there can be no room for the dairies that do not have acceptable animal husbandry and environmental practices.

I believe this concept not only applies to dairy, but to all aspects of agriculture. What can you do to improve your farm or ranch best management practices? This is a question I constantly ask myself, especially after a new anti-agriculture video or article is released.

We need to unite to give consumers a clear message and tell them our stories. One of the strengths of the activist groups is their strong, clear, emotional message. We need to tell our story! We need to unite our voices, and do the same thing.