Dairy farmer nutritionist says management is the key to a successful dairy
By
Fran Alt
When Randy Ray was a youngster his life's ambition was to become a veterinarian. But throughout life we encounter many crossroads and when confronted with one of these roads, Randy chose another venue. While in high school, Randy attended learning seminars and developed an interest in crops. While in college he took prevet classes but found the desire to become a vet was gone. In its place were new goals - a combination of dairy husbandry and crops. Randy decided there was a definitive need to know more about feeding cows. He combined the two interest into one and double majored in dairy science and agronomy.
After college he worked as a dairy specialist and sire analyst for Select Sires, running the young sire program and trying to attain a higher level of pedigree and higher milk production. Randy became intrigued with the pure bred industry. To avoid a conflict of interest he left Select Sires and returned to work on the family farm. The Rays built a 42 cow tiestall barn and upgraded the herd, bringing in new cattle and doing AI. At that time interest in purebred industry was high and dairy people from other countries bought the Rays' embryos.
Randy found himself absorbed in an increased level of management, becoming more interested in balancing the line between maximum production and animal health. When the Rays went on DHI people started noticing they attaining higher production levels. Farmers began calling for advice and Randy found himself involved in consulting work.
About this time the Rays also started their own feed commodity business. "We were (to my knowledge) the first dairy in Kentucky to feed whole cottonseed," Randy said. To attain higher degrees of sophistication, Randy attended seminars and kept abreast of industry developments. He incorporated new technologies into the family business, putting different rations together and using feed analysis to advance ration formulations.
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Expanding into the dairy industry, Griffin Industries of Cold Spring, Kentucky, was in need of a nutritionist. Once more Randy found himself standing at the crossroads. The idea of working for Griffin enticed him; Randy chose to accept the position.
Griffin, a family owned industry, began as a rendering business and later expanded - collecting and reprocessing bakery byproducts for the feed industry. Today Griffin sells the byproducts to large feed companies and Randy serves as a dairy nutritionist and tech service manager. His job is to collaborate with nutritionists and producers on the best use of Griffin's specialized feed products.
Randy says, "The key to a successful, profitable dairy is not necessarily always attaining the highest production, but it's taking the commodities, ingredients and resources that the dairyman has and matching those up to the management level that he has on his farm."
Randy's job is to help producers maximize their profitability, and to show how to supplement the forage grown on the farm by blending that with byproducts. He says good managers with high quality forage do not necessarily need supplementation. "It is tough for a consultant to always get higher production levels. We need for a producer of achieve the most economical status that he can. With high quality forage and quality management the can producer achieve a modest level of production and make very good profits. I believe that 90 percent of making a profit on a dairy is management and 10 percent is nutrition. I have lived on both sides and I really believe this."
When asked if this attitude defeated his own sales, Randy said, "My position is, I am not out there to sell every producer. Given every circumstance that will cross that producer's path, there will probably be a time when he needs some of our products. I view everything as long term and it's relationship oriented. I am not interested in the quick sale. I have to know that we are actually helping the producer make money. We have very specialized products and every situation has place and time that our products will fit in."
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Randy's parents, Fred and Edna own 450 acre farm, where Randy shares ownership of cows and machinery. His own home however, is in an urban area. Randy says, he and his family spend all their spare time on the farm.
Sandra, Randy's wife, also grew up on a farm and the couple want their children to know the lifestyle. Though their two-year-old son Brennan is too young, Randy's daughters Jenny 13, and Kristen 9, are involved in helping around the farm. He says, "I want my children to know what farm life is. I want them to know the joy of owning land and livestock and to have the freedom that goes with that. But I also want them to understand that we have to be able to derive a good livelihood from that enterprise. I want them to know where food comes from and how food grows. If there is ever a shortage, I want them to know how to produce their own food."