The calls are set for noon on Thursday, Oct. 7, with Dr. Gordon Jones from Central Sands Dairy discussing “Delivering Optimal Animal Care;” Tuesday, Oct. 12, with Dr. Bob Milligan from Dairy Strategies Inc., discussing “Building Relationships;” and Thursday, Oct. 28 with Wayne Brubaker, Mike Evanish and Lee Wenger, all from Pennsylvania Farm Bureau MSC Business Services reviewing “A Study in Dairy Profitability.”

“Each call is scheduled for noon to 1:30 p.m., to make it easy for farm families to listen in over their noon lunch hour,” said John Frey, executive director of the Center for Dairy Excellence. “We are pleased to have an outstanding line up of speakers who will offer meaningful input to help producers take better care of cows, strengthen business relationships, and improve dairy farm profitability.”

Jones is a partner at Central Sands Dairy, a 3,800-cow dairy operation in Nekoosa, Wis., who does consulting and nutrition work for several large dairies across the country. He consults with dairy producers and veterinarians on herd performance, nutrition, environments, and housing designs to keep cows clean, dry and comfortable.

At Central Sands Dairy, Jones promotes the “ABC’s” of animal care – air, bunk (or nutrition) and comfort – and prioritizes optimal animal health to get optimal milk production. His success is in the results, with only five displaced abomasums out of 4,150 calvings last year.

Milligan is senior consultant for Dairy Strategies Inc., a dairy business management consulting company in Bruce, Wis. Milligan will explain the importance of communications as a critical part of any business manager’s strategy. Whether working with family members, business partners, employees or associates, maintaining open, two-way communications is essential to building stronger relationships to benefit the business. During the Oct. 12 call, Milligan will discuss “Building Relationships in Challenging Times.”

Brubaker, Evanish and Wenger have worked for Pennsylvania Farm Bureau’s Member Services Corporation for more than 30 years, starting as accountants, and now serving as consultants for the corporation’s more than 5,000 customers. They recently conducted a study of 85 profitable dairy farms of all sizes to identify the characteristics that make them successful. During the Oct. 28 call, the team will explain how the profitable dairies earned $3.17 per hundredweight more than the average dairy.