Breaking free from the chains of the past Where
truth moves faster than a Holstein calf No law
waiting on some printed page We're charting new
ground in the digital age From genomic codes
to robot facts We cut through the noise, no hold
them back not your daddy's dairy news tonight
we're sparking Welcome to the Bullvine Podcast,
where we challenge dairy's sacred cows with hard
data and bold insights. I'm your host, and today
we're about to flip everything you think you
know about working hard on the farm. What if
I told you that the hardest working dairy farmers
in your area might actually be the least profitable?
Sounds crazy, right? Well, groundbreaking research
from Ireland's Teagasc just proved that 51 -hour
workweeks consistently outperform 70 -hour grinds
by 20 % ROI. We're diving deep into why strategic
rest beats relentless grind, how flexible milking
systems are revolutionizing profits worldwide,
and why your brain might be your farm's most
valuable and most neglected asset. This isn't
feel -good wellness talk. This is hard economics
that could transform your operation. Stick around,
because what you're about to hear will challenge
every assumption about dairy farming success.
Welcome back to the Bullvine Deep Dive, the show
that digs deep into the topics that matter to
dairy producers. That's right. And today we're
tackling a really interesting feature article
from the Bullvine. It's certainly got people
talking, and we're going to break it all down
for you. Yeah, we are. Today we're diving into,
well, it's a crucial topic, really. It challenges
one of the most... kind of ingrained myths in
our industry. Which one's that? The idea that
working harder always means earning more, you
know? We're going to unpack why those long, long
hours might actually be costing you profits,
real money, not making them. Exactly. Our deep
dive today is based on the 51 -hour dairy profit
advantage from the bullvine. And it brings some...
Frankly, eye -opening research into the mix,
especially data coming out of Ireland. It looks
at how strategic rest, you know, smarter scheduling,
can actually lead to significantly higher returns.
It's really about working smarter, not just,
you know, grinding out longer hours. So get ready
to maybe question everything you thought you
knew about dedication on the farm. Because the
numbers, well, once we dig into them, they tell
a very different story. And potentially a very
profitable one for your operation. Okay. Okay,
so let's unpack this core idea. The article puts
it right out there, and it is pretty provocative.
It is. What if the hardest -working dairy farmers,
the ones putting in all the hours, are actually
the least profitable, consistently? It kind of
turns everything on its head, doesn't it? It
absolutely does. And what's fascinating, I think,
is how the article immediately challenges, well...
our industry's identity, really. For generations,
we've glorified this always working mentality,
haven't we? We've treated burnout like it's some
kind of badge of honor. You push through it.
Right. Like it proves your commitment. Exactly.
But the research, as the article points out,
suggests this is a myth that's costing farms
millions. It really forces us to ask that uncomfortable
question. When did never stopping become more
important than never failing? That's a good question.
It feels like there's this, you know, deep -seated
societal pressure within dairy, within agriculture
generally, equating sheer hours worked with success.
Oh, definitely. You hear it all the time. Yeah.
Like the longer you work, the more dedicated
you must be. And before, you know, the more successful
you should be, or at least how people see you.
You've hit on something so true there. It's a
cultural norm, deeply rooted. You see it in conversations
and the expectations we put on ourselves, our
teams. Even how we talk about our neighbors,
right? If someone is doing 14, 16 hour days,
seven days a week, there's almost this unspoken
judgment. Like, are they really pulling their
weight? Are they truly committed? That subtle
pressure. But this article, it really pushes
back hard on that. It's suggesting this isn't
just, you know, inefficient. It's a harmful myth.
With real, tangible consequences for the business.
And it backs that up with hard data, specifically
from the Irish Agriculture and Food Development
Authority, TGASC. They did this really insightful
study. Okay, tell us about that. Well, they compared
the top 25 % most efficient dairy farms with
the bottom 25%. And the key finding is genuinely
eye -opening. Almost shocking, really. Right.
The most efficient farmers worked, get this,
on average, just 51 .2 hours per week. Managing
about 112 cows. 51 .2 hours. Okay. Now contrast
that with the least efficient farmers. They were
logging a staggering 70 hours per week. 70? 70.
Managing virtually identical herds. About 113
cows on average. Wow. Okay, so we're not talking
a small difference here. That's what? nearly
19 extra hours every single week. 19 hours, yeah.
For the same size herd, basically. That's almost
two full extra work days every week. Where were
those hours going if they weren't boosting the
bottom line? Exactly the question. And the conclusion
from TGASC was, well, pretty blunt. And it's
worth repeating. They said, the greater profitability
achieved on the most labor efficient farms indicates
that the extra workload on less efficient farms
does not contribute to farm profitability. So
basically wasted hours. Think about that. Those
19 extra hours weren't just unproductive. The
article implies they were actively wasted. They
likely contributed to higher risk, more errors,
more stress. And ultimately lower returns. Precisely.
It really drives home that powerful point in
the article. Dedication without design is incompetence
disguised as virtue. Oof. That's strong. it is
strong but it highlights a crucial truth doesn't
it it's not just about clocking hours it's about
the quality the strategic impact the thought
behind those hours it is stark and maybe a bit
you know jarring if you identify strongly with
your work ethic but What I think the article
is getting at isn't that dedication is bad. No,
not at all. But that blind dedication, just working
for the sake of working, can actually hurt you.
It makes you ask, OK, is my effort actually yielding
results or am I just busy being busy? Right.
Are you busy with low value stuff or is maybe
the fatigue itself leading to poor decisions,
things missed? Well, the article immediately
tries to quantify some of that. Which really
brings it into sharp financial focus. It talks
about $15 ,000 to $67 ,500 in avoidable losses,
directly tied to errors driven by fatigue. And
these aren't just abstract numbers, are they?
These are things that, well, you listening probably
recognize. Things that hit the bottom line hard.
Like what? Give us some examples. Okay, think
about missed heats. A tired operator, maybe they
overlook subtle signs. That costs you, what,
$3 to $5 per cow per day. For 21 days until the
next cycle. Right, that adds up fast. For a decent
-sized herd, say 200 cows, that's potentially
an extra $600 to $1 ,000 per missed heat. Then
there's nutrition drift. Being overtired leads
to inconsistencies in feeding. That hits milk
production, cow health. And mastitis. Yeah, the
article notes mastitis incidents can jump 15
-20 % when operators are fatigued. That's higher
treatment costs, dumped milk, maybe more culling.
It all adds up. Huge impacts. And what about
equipment? Does fatigue play a role there too?
Absolutely. Operator error, often fueled by exhaustion,
drives roughly a quarter of equipment failures.
Think about that. Costly repairs, unexpected
downtime, right when you need the machinery most.
It ripples through the whole operation. And then
there's the people side. Staff turnover. Always
a killer. Huge. It can run 22, 43 % in our industry.
That's massive costs for recruitment, training,
losing that know -how, plus the drain on your
own time managing it. And injuries. Yes. Let's
not forget the human costs, which has direct
financial consequences. Injuries. The article
highlights that even a minor tractor injury can
wipe out $6 ,000 in gross income just during
recovery time. That's before medical bills or
the personal toll. So you add it all up. Missed
heats, mastitis, breakdowns, turnover, injuries.
These are direct financial hits. And often you
can trace them back to being overtired, stuck
in that dedication without design cycle. So it's
clear that grind isn't just inefficient. It's
actively eroding profit and increasing risk for
the farm and for the people. It's a real wake
up call, isn't it? That the old ways might actually
be holding you back. Yeah. So if working longer
isn't the answer, if it's actually harmful, then
what is? And that's where the article really
pivots. It talks about the 51 hour advantage.
Right. Offering concrete ways to actually achieve
that sweet spot, moving from just identifying
the problem to showcasing real research backed
solutions. OK, this is where it gets really interesting
for me, because it's not just saying work less.
That's too simple. It's about strategic redesign.
a mindful restructuring of how you run things.
Exactly. So let's dig into how things like flexible
milking, smart automation, and crucially, protecting
your own brainpower, how these become profit
levers. Yeah. The article is clear. Strategic
rest, structured schedules, these deliver measurable
returns. Yeah. Fewer fatigue -driven errors.
It's not just about feeling better. It's about
better business results. And one of the most
compelling examples is flexible milking. The
article frames it really well as a profit lever,
not, you know, a concession. Right. Because often
you might worry, if I milk less often, surely
production will drop. It's a natural fear. But
the New Zealand experience, specifically looking
at John Toddy's farm and his shift to a 10 and
7 system, well, it kind of debunks that fear.
Yeah. His farm is a fantastic case study. So
10 and 7, that's milking 10 times over seven
days. So some days less than twice a day. Exactly.
A reduced frequency on certain days. And the
result? Pretty remarkable. His production, milk
solids per cow, held steady, actually ticked
up slightly, 377 kgms to 378. So no loss there.
None. None. But here's the kicker, where the
profit lever really worked. He cut farmworking
expenses by 4 .3%, dropped from $4 .90 per kgms
down to $4 .69. Wow, 4 .3 % just from changing
the schedule. Yeah. Milking smarter, not just
more often. And that cost reduction plus steady
production, what did that do to the bottom line?
It led to an incredible boost in profit per hectare,
up 60 .3%, 60%, from around $2 ,270 up to over
$3 ,600. All right, those aren't small changes.
That's transformative. Absolutely. And it wasn't
just him. DairyNZ trials confirmed it too. No
statistically significant difference in milk
solids across various flexible milking schedules.
So the message for you listening is clear. Smart
schedule design can protect your yield. maybe
even improve it slightly, while dramatically
improving well -being and profit, you really
can have both. Challenges that old assumption,
doesn't it? Yeah. More milking equals more profit.
Not necessarily. Not necessarily at all. Okay.
So that's flexible milking. What about automation?
AMS, robotic milking. The article mentions that
too, right? It does. And it frames automatic
milking systems, AMS, not just as a tech upgrade,
but as a crucial labor liberation strategy. I
like that term, liberation. Yeah. Tell me more
about that. Well, look at Australian AMS herds.
They report comparable physical and economic
performance to conventional parlors. So financially,
it holds up. But the real benefit, the liberation,
is how it lets you redeploy your labor, often
your own time, to higher value work. Ah, right.
Away from the routine pit work. Exactly. NSWDPI
findings show these herds, maybe 150, 240 cows
on three, four robots, getting good production
numbers. Around 20, 26 kilograms per cow per
day, maybe 2 .17 milkings a day. But the key,
the managers aren't just putting their feet up.
No. What are they doing? They're redirecting
that time, often 15, 20 hours a week, freed up
into crucial stuff. Detailed herd health monitoring.
Precision pasture management. Big picture business
oversight. Strategy. So using the tech to free
up the human brain for its highest and best use.
You got it. Which leads perfectly into maybe
the most important and often overlooked profit
lever. The cognitive link. The cognitive link.
The article stresses. Your brain, the operator's
brain, is the highest value asset on the farm.
period. And it puts the demands of modern dairying
into perspective, saying it requires the cognitive
performance of a tech CEO. That's quite a statement.
It is. But think about it. Genomic selections,
ration optimization, SEC management, interpreting
all that data, milk marketing. These are complex,
high level tasks. They really are. You make one
core decision on genetics, maybe because you're
exhausted. And that ripples through your herd
for generations. It affects productivity, health,
everything. Or getting rations slightly wrong
because you're too tired to focus. That hits
feed efficiency, cost, cow health right away.
And managing SEC, interpreting AMS data, market
strategies. Yeah, these aren't simple shores.
Not at all. Yeah, the danger is real. Many farmers
are making million -dollar decisions on four
hours of sleep. The article uses that great analogy.
Which one? Running exhausted is like operating
a high -precision rotary on contaminated oil.
Huh. That paints a picture. It might turn, but.
But it won't be precise. It won't perform well.
And it's heading for a breakdown. Yeah. But is
it just about feeling tired? Or does the article
get into what actually goes wrong cognitively?
Impaired judgment. Slower reactions. It touches
on that. And the health implications, too. Remember
that University of Iowa research cited long -term
ag work associated with a 46 % higher odds of
dementia. 46%. That's staggering. It's sobering.
And it underlines the long -term impact. Short
-term, burnout just kills critical thinking.
Your genetics choices suffer. DMME balance gets
sloppy. SEC control slips. Bad capital decisions
get made. Your ability to make optimal choices
is just compromised. Right. But what about the
flip side? Does rest actually help cognition?
Yes. And this is fascinating, maybe counterintuitive
if you're stuck in the always work mindset. The
article points out that leisure, hobbies, time
off. It actually improves memory. attention,
processing speed. So taking time for fishing
or reading or family, it's not being lazy. It's
strategic mental restoration. It builds the very
skills you need for those complex farm decisions.
It's an investment. And the USDA data backs this
up. The productivity growth difference. Yeah,
the ERAS data. Larger, well -managed herds grow
productivity around 2 .99 % annually. Smaller
farms. only 0 .63%. And that growth comes from
tech, efficiency, scale, not just longer hours.
So the takeaway here is huge. Protecting your
brainpower isn't a luxury. It's a core business
asset, foundational to your success. Give your
brain the fuel and rest it needs. Couldn't agree
more. It's about ensuring you can make the best
decisions day in, day out. Okay, this next section
of the article. It really hits home. It moves
beyond just the efficiency numbers, doesn't it?
It talks about the human toll, the financial
drains of this always -on mentality. Yeah, it
calls it the industry's dirty secret. And it's
a conversation we absolutely need to be having
more openly. It raises that tough question for
everyone listening. When you push yourself to
the absolute limit, what hidden costs are you
actually racking up? Right. Because the mental
health crisis, those silent profit killers, they're
directly linked to these insane hours. The article's
blunt, always on, is basically financial suicide
in modern dairying. It's not just about failing
to earn more. It's about actively compounding
risk, magnifying errors. And draining your decision
-making ability, the very thing that drives profit.
It's a vicious cycle. When leadership is exhausted,
everyone pays. The cows, the people, the finances.
And poor farmer mental health isn't separate
from the business, is it? It directly links to
herd outcomes, profit erosion. Absolutely. And
the article lays out the stark reality of the
mental health crisis. The statistics are, well,
they're tough to hear. Give us the numbers. Depression
affects 29 .3 % of ag producers. Compare that
to 8 .4 % of U .S. adults generally. Yeah. Anxiety.
Right. 27 % of producers versus 19 % general
population. Significantly higher. Wow. That's
really high. And it's even worse for beginning
farmers. In the Midwest, 58 % report mild to
severe symptoms. And nearly 90 % cite too much
to do, too little time. That farmer quote really
captured it. The farm has an insatiable appetite.
It will just eat everything if you allow it.
Yeah, it resonates, doesn't it? And this isn't
just stress. It leads to clinical burnout. A
review found severe burnout among 13 .7 % of
farmers globally, hitting 25 % in New Zealand.
25%. One in four. And the most heartbreaking
stat, suicide rates. Male farmers, ag managers,
43 .2 deaths per 100 ,000, nearly double other
occupations. That's just awful. Hearing those
numbers, especially suicide rates, it really
underscores the immense pressure. That dirty
secret label feels right. We're talking lives
here. Absolutely. And beyond the tragedy, think
about innovation. Burnout kills it, reduces creativity,
makes thinking rigid, blocks adoption of new
strategies, which just makes the financial pressure
worse. It's a trap. A downward spiral. And beyond
the big mental health picture, the article also
points to those hidden financial leaks from fatigue,
right? Things we see but maybe don't connect
to being overworked. Exactly. Like injury risk.
Working more than eight hours a day, your injury
risk shoots up dramatically. Agriculture's fatal
injury rate is already high, 21 .5 per 100K,
over six times the all -worker rate. Six times.
And many of those aren't just accidents. They're
preventable consequences of fatigue. Often, yes.
A momentary lapse due to being overtired. And
then there are those constant, smaller leaks
eroding profit. Like the missed heats we mentioned.
$3 .05 per cow per day for 21 days. That adds
up. Mastitis up 15 -20%. More treatments, lost
milk, operator error causing maybe a quarter
of equipment failures, unexpected costs, downtime.
And that high staff turnover again, 22, 43 percent.
So expensive. Recruitment, training, lost knowledge,
all made worse if the boss is exhausted and on
edge. For sure. And the article even mentions
a banking connection. Bankers report stalled
loan work when farmer mental health issues aren't
addressed. Really? So banks see the link, too.
They do. It underscores it perfectly. Profitability
and wellness are not separate. They are link.
business variables. Yeah. Ignoring the human
cost isn't just tough. It's financially irresponsible.
It threatens the farm's future. This whole section
just drives home that the cost of overwork is
so much deeper than we usually think. It's systemic.
It affects people and profits profoundly demands
a change. Yeah. So what does this all mean for
you listening? Maybe you're feeling that pressure,
recognizing some of these costs. The good news
is the article doesn't just leave you there.
It offers a path forward. The 90 -day transformation
to a 51 -hour workweek. Exactly. A concrete,
actionable plan, backed up by those global success
stories. It's a roadmap, not just theory. Okay,
let's get practical then. How does this 51 -hour
challenge work? Why does it work? It works because
it forces discipline. Time, ROI discipline, return
on investment for your time, makes you focus
on delegation, smart scheduling, using tech effectively,
turning hours saved into better execution everywhere
else. Right. So break down the 90 -day plan.
What happens first? Days 1 to 30 are all about
assessment. Getting a baseline. First step. A
time ROI audit. Meticulously log your hours by
task. Use an app, a spreadsheet, whatever works.
But not just logging time, right? You need to
categorize it. Critically important. Tag each
task. Is it high -value CEO work, genetics, finance,
systems, people, medium -value nutrition oversight,
repro checks, or low -value routine milking,
feed delivery, basic fixing? This shows you exactly
where your time goes. Okay, makes sense. What
else in the first month? A health and errors
audit. Document your sleep, stress levels, near
misses, treatment slips, breakdowns. Build a
fatigue risk ledger. Make those invisible costs
visible. And tech. Tech due diligence. Model
the ROI for automation, AMS, monitors, auto feeders.
Where could it save you the most labor? Solve
bottlenecks. And finally, a team baseline. Quick
survey with your staff. Find easy delegation
wins. Identify training needs. Get that honest
picture first. Got it. So that's month one. Assess.
What about month two? Days 31 -60. Optimization
and scheduling. Start making changes based on
the audit. Implement one pilot automation or
outsourcing play. Maybe contract out slurry hauling.
Try some monitoring tech. Something manageable.
And your own hours. Hard cap them at 60 per week.
Fix start finish times. Create boundaries immediately.
Force the discipline. And test flexibility. Yeah.
Introduce one flexible element, maybe a four
-on -four off for the team, or just one single
milking day a week for yourself. Test fatigue
relief without tanking yield. See how it feels,
how it works. And that midday reset. Crucial.
Establish protected 90 -minute midday reset for
the main decision maker, especially on high -stress
days. Not just coffee. Genuine mental downtime.
Recharge the brain. Preserve decision quality.
Okay. Month one, assess. Month two, optimize
and schedule. What about the final month, days
61, 90? Lock it in and measure. Progressively
reduce hours. Aim for 55 by week nine. Hit that
51 by week 12 through ongoing delegation and
automation. And track the results. Absolutely.
Track those metrics you baselined. Missed heats,
missed status, downtime, staff turnover intent.
See the improvement. The article lays out expected
ROI for a 500 -cow herd. What kind of numbers
are we talking? Saving 15, 20 labor hours a week.
That's maybe 15K, 20K a year. Covering two, three
pounds milk per cow per day. Could be 45K, 67K
a year. 15 % lower treatment costs. Another 8K,
12K. These are real numbers. Significant potential
savings and gains. Definitely. And finally, cement
that weekly downtime. One solid four -hour no
-farm block for the principal. It's not lazy.
It's essential for preserving decision quality
and having the bandwidth to implement new ideas.
And the article shows this isn't just theory,
right, with those global examples? Exactly. Those
innovators proving work harder is dead. Look
at Ireland again, TGAS, showing top farms hitting
51 hours, finishing earlier, being more profitable.
That 119 count example, farming effectively under
3 ,000 total hours a year, principal working
47 hours a week. It's possible. And the Netherlands,
sustainable farms earning more. Yeah, over 28
,500 more, led by craftsmanship, strategy, smart
AMS use. Better profit, better work days. UK
examples too. Flexible road us. Dury Farms, four
on four off, 10 -4 schedules, plus that pastoral
care for the team. Hollings Hill Farm moving
from 3x to 2x milking. Right -sizing the herd,
hiring a herds person, sharpened execution and
quality of life, clear patterns of success. It's
really important, too, to quickly touch on the
U .S. scheduling and compliance side of things
because that landscape is changing fast. Critically
important. Federally, yeah, many ag employees
are exempt from overtime. But states, they're
getting much stricter. You have to know your
state's rules. Like California. California is
moving to overtime after eight hours a day. or
40 week by 2025, double time after 12 hours day.
Washington's already at 40 hours week overtime
for all ag workers. Oregon, New York. Oregon's
phasing down to 40 hours by 2027. New York's
phasing down from 56 towards 40 by 2032 with
some tax credits to help. So you absolutely need
to plan schedules and budgets for this. You can't
just assume the old federal exemptions apply
anymore. No way. And OSHA highlights fatigue
hazards too. They recommend predictable finish
times, minimum rest, fatigue checks. It aligns
perfectly with this 51 hour idea. It's about
safety, productivity, sustainability, not just
avoiding fines. OK, so this gives a really solid
framework. Understand the problem, implement
solutions, navigate the rules, move from awareness
to action. That's the goal. So after all that
discussion, all the research, the case studies.
What's the key takeaway for a farmer listening
right now? What can you do starting today to
move towards that 51 -hour advantage to really
change things? Well, connecting it all, it's
clearly about a paradigm shift, isn't it? It's
not about doing less or being less dedicated.
It's about doing what matters most and doing
it better with a sharper, rested mind. Okay,
so number one, what's the first step? Track your
hours. Simple as that. Start this week. Use an
app, a notebook. Log your time by task. Categorize
it high, medium, low value. See where your time
actually goes. Aim for that 51 -hour sweet spot
eventually. Research shows just being less exhausted
can boost productivity 15 -20 % through better
decisions. Powerful insight from a simple tool.
Can't manage what you don't measure. Makes sense.
What's next? Maybe test flexible milking, like
those kiwis. You don't need a massive overhaul
overnight. Try shifting just one milking day
to a flexible schedule. See how the team responds.
Watch your milk solids. Remember, John Toddy.
Held solids, cut expenses 4 .3%, boosted profit
per hectare, 60%. Even a fraction of that. Yeah.
It's worth experimenting, right? A calculated
step. Good idea. And automation, AMS. Think about
it strategically. Not just cool tech, but a way
to free up your management time for high -value
tasks. Aussie farms show comparable economics,
but managers gain 15, 20 hours weekly for oversight,
strategy. That's 15K, 20K, and potential labor
savings right there. Reinvest it in the business
or your well -being. Work smarter. And that well
-being point. Protect your cognitive capacity
like it's your best cow. Exactly. Your brain
is your most valuable asset. That Iowa dementia
research, 46 percent higher odds. That's serious.
Schedule actual downtime weekly. Have hobbies.
Let your mind recharge. Your million dollar decisions
depend on a sharp mind. Treat it that way. So
important. OK, last actionable insight. Start
the 51 hour challenge now. Document your decision,
quality, error rates, productivity. Compare it
to those brutal 70 -plus hour weeks. The research
pretty much guarantees you'll see improvement,
not decline. It's an investment in your farm's
future, and crucially, your own quality of life
and health. Okay. And that provocative thought
to leave people with. Yeah, think about this.
Why do we invest so much in cow comfort bedding,
fans, sprinklers, but often basically nothing
in operator cognition? and the well -being of
the person making all the critical decisions.
Good question. When leadership quality drives
yield, components, SEC, repro, which side of
history will your operation choose? Will you
be the smart, rested, 51 -hour farm outperforming
tired competitors? Or stick with the old ways,
risking profit and burnout? Something to chew
on. Definitely something to think about. Great
points. That's about all the time we have for
today's deep dive. Yeah, flew by. For more articles
and insights like this, be sure to visit www
.thebullvine .com. And don't forget to subscribe
wherever you get your podcasts so you don't miss
our next deep dive. Thanks for listening. That's
a wrap on today's episode of The Bullvine Podcast.
If this research got you questioning your own
70 -hour weeks, good. That means you're thinking
like the profitable farmers we talked about today.
Head over to thebullvine .com to read the full
article. complete with all the data, case studies,
and your 90 -day transformation roadmap. You'll
find everything you need to start your own 51
-hour challenge. Remember, in an industry where
margins are razor thin, efficiency isn't optional.
Working smarter beats working harder every single
time. The most profitable farmers already know
this secret. The question is, will you join them
or keep grinding yourself out of business? Until
next time, Keep challenging conventional wisdom
and keep those profits growing. This is The Bullvine,
where the truth about dairy doesn't always taste
sweet, but it always pays off.