The Three "O's" of Ag’s Future

At the 2010 Professional Dairy Producers of Wisconsin (PDPW) Annual Business Conference more than 1,300 dairy producers and industry enthusiasts gathered to network, learn from one another and look ahead to what’s coming for the industry. The meeting took place February 16 – 17 in Madison, Wisconsin.

Virginia Tech Professor Emeritus Dr. David Kohl kicked off the conference talking about the three O’s of agricultural business success and how they will impact the future of the dairy industry:

• Optimism. Tough times are the best times to build long-term success, shared Dr. Kohl. Looking at agriculture over the past year it may have been hard to draw optimism, but he shared that there is much to be optimistic about. “Better is better before bigger is better,” Dr. Kohl said, reinforcing producers' ability to improve farm efficiencies and performance even in tough times.


• Opportunity. “There will be more opportunities in the dairy industry over the next 10 years than in the past 30 years, but there will also be a greater opportunity to fail,” explained Dr. Kohl. As market volatility becomes the new norm, being exceptional in business planning and management will be key to being profitable.


• Oneself. With the changing dairy environment and varying consumer perceptions, being proactive can add value to a dairy’s business. Hire the people in the “top 40 percent,” which includes individuals with good communication skills and an understanding of technology to make your business more effective.

Dr. Kohl noted that while 83 percent of the American population is not involved in production agriculture, 99 percent of these people are involved with social media, so we need to reach out to them and tell the agriculture story.