Training the Team

Animal agriculture – and calf raising – is increasingly technical. Our understanding of nutrition and implementation of feeding programs relies – more and more – on research and predictive models of animal performance. This trend will only increase with implementation of AI technologies to manage nutrition programs on large farms.

Throughout Dr. Quigley’s career, he has been a coach, teacher, and trainer in the area of calf nutrition, health, and management. He has presented his research information and taught about calf topics for more than 30 years at meetings and conferences all over the world.

So, it was expected that he would be called on to provide training in the area of colostrum management for a large multinational company in the area of feed additives. The company’s staff and their product lines were mainly focused on providing nutritional solutions for lactating cows. However, there is an increasing body of evidence that shows that what happens to calves in the first few days of life – i.e., colostrum feeding – can influence their survival and future milk production. So, the company felt it important that all of their staff – not ony the calf specialsits – truly understood the importance of colostrum to the success of the dairy farm.

The company contacted Jim to provide the introduction to colostrum management. The presentation was via Teams, to technical staff in more than 20 countries and multiple time zones. Although the value of Teams presentations might be challenged (a great time for multi-tasking), the feedback from the participants was that Jim’s enthusiasm and style of presentation kept everyone engaged with the subject. His focus on take-home messages and tools that can be used on the farm also kept everyone engaged.

“Anyone who stops learning is old, whether at twenty or eighty. Anyone who keeps learning stays young.”
― Henry Ford

The company’s approach to supporting their clients on the dairy changed after that presentation. With an increased focus on the newborn, they were able to support producers in ways not considered before. And, while one presentation doesn’t make someone an expert, it opened the eyes of the sales and technical people to foster their desire to learn more about how calf management can influence future milk production and profitability.

Click on the link below to learn more about training your team.