On Being Better
By John Frey, Executive Director
Published monthly in the Lancaster Farming Dairy Reporter
and provided to Progressive Dairyman readers.
I have a good friend who is a pastor. He recently shared insights into this thing called “self-improvement.” His comments included a discussion on what self-improvement really means and how to make a positive change in the various roles of life. His roles included pastor, father and husband.
Stephen Covey in his book, “The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People,” also speaks to life roles and challenges the reader to identify the various roles we fulfill in life. These roles range from father, husband, neighbor, worker, and of course many others. My thoughts turned to my own life and pursuit to be better.
I thought of how our quest to learn new things and improve – and how it so often results from a good learning environment and positive interaction with other people. Perfect examples of this include dairy meetings planned for the next three months in Pennsylvania. Each offers a good learning environment and opportunity for interaction with, in most cases, many other positive people. These meetings hold the potential to help at “being better” in the role of dairy farmer.
Each year, the Center for Dairy Excellence co-hosts the Pennsylvania Dairy Summit, held in February in Lancaster, Pa., with the Professional Dairy Managers of Pennsylvania. The Dairy Summit will take place on Feb. 8 – 9 at the Lancaster Host Resort in Lancaster, Pa. You can find more information out about the summit at www.padairysummit.org.
One of the core intentions of this event is to provide a good learning opportunity, which includes interaction with many positive people. The Dairy Summit, although not free, is a low-cost event that promises value far in excess of the time commitment. This year’s Summit includes numerous producer panels, producer showcases, and instructional breakout session.
If past experience is an indicator of this year’s event, producers of all herd sizes from all regions and in all management environments will leave having learned a great deal. If you are unable to attend, consider sending a farm employee to help them in their quest to “be better”. A new one-day “Dairy Track” offers the opportunity to attend and still help at home at either end of the day.
I have become increasingly convinced that achieving nearly anything of value in life requires ongoing learning; and learning requires a commitment to being better and an investment of your time and money to fulfill that commitment. Challenge those team members in your business to identify areas important to them and empower them to become better in 2012. The impact will be significant in their lives and on your business.
To learn more about resources from the center, call us at 717-346-0849 or e-mail info@centerfordairyexcellence.org.