Implementing New Procedures on My Own Dairy

Abstract

In a decade and a half of dairy practice, I had the luxury of remaining outside the actual "black box" of the dairy's inner workings. By this, I mean even when working directly with the herd manager, or even the owner himself, I was able to maintain a polite distance from the actual process of implementing my recommendations. Instead, I would make a management recommendation, often of unparalleled insight and breathtaking intuition, and insert it into the black box. Shortly thereafter, the appropriate management change would occur and be well entrenched by my next visit. Occasionally, if I was very lucky, there would be some holdup or breakdown in the implementation of the new procedure, which would allow me to use some of my best and wittiest consultant lines such as ''Why are only some of your milkers ... ", or, my personal favorite, "I thought we agreed you were going to ... " The pleasure I took from my client's discomfiture was reward enough for all my labors.

Now, however, I live in the black box. As a veterinarian who is both owner and manager of a 1500-cow dairy, it is my job to implement change, monitor results and look for opportunities to keep moving ahead. Now, as my advisors make recommendations, I need to evaluate the value of the recommendations as well as determine whether the dairy has the energy and resources to make the suggested change(s). This talk is intended to address that process.