John O’Brien is available to speak at industry events, and large or small groups. You can find a list of speaking topics here, specific topics are available by request. Visit the Contact page to submit your speaking topics and requirements.

Below are some speaking topics.  Should you wish to discuss a speaking event using any of these or  other topics you have in mind please.

Can you see a return for the hard earned dollars you have invested in genetic gain?

You are told the cows of today have far greater genetic value than those of yesteryear.  Farmers are doing everything financially and humanely possible to maintain fertility rates in their herds and the rates keep dropping. With poorer fertility and these modern cows costing more and more in every aspect – where is your genetic gain? Genetic gain is a widely used term describing what actually? For all the money you have spent to ‘improve’ your genetic gain can you see an actual cost effective financial benefit on your investment? True genetic gain can only be capitalized upon when you have accurately identified your most profitable cows, mated them to sires with similar traits and used the resulting female progeny to replace your substandard cows. With a common sense approach we will cost effectively enable you to actualize and experience the financial benefits available by creating true genetic gain in your herd.

What are the Key Performance Indicators of profitable farming?

Most of the KPIs mentioned in today’s modern farming come at great direct and indirect cost to your enterprise. The truth – the majority are just a case of ‘buying’ more production, having no solid cost benefit foundations for you. The true KPIs of profitable farming are those which are sustainable, creating firm foundations, having an actual cost benefit to you and your operation. Modern farming is all about more and more production – more at what cost I ask?  Profitable Farming Systems focus on the true KPIs of true profit. Your margin and profit levels are our focus.

Are you confused when you look at one cow and wonder why she looks so much better than the other and what is the hidden cost?

When you look at one cow looking so well and another standing next to her looking so bad – this is confusing and frustrating. Why – in the same environment – can one ‘do it’ well and the other cannot? Outside of the frustration and confusion (when you have spent so many dollars breeding this cow which looks so bad) there is a very expensive associated problem. The problem – you end up ‘feeding’ for the thin cow i.e. supplying more & more feed in an attempt to get this bad cow looking better. Therefore you end up overfeeding your better cows. More unnecessary cost to your enterprise. A more natural genetic blueprint, such as found in Nature’s Blueprint model, is the reason why the good cow can thrive where the bad cow cannot. Breeding cows with the correct genetic blueprint is the key. With proper sire selection you can automatically dramatically reduce the number of bad cows in your herd. This will have a dramatic positive effect on you cow herd economic functionality and your profit levels. Wholly Cow Genetics places great emphasis on correct and efficient body types (correct genetic blueprint).

How much is the wrong design of cow costing you?

The modern Holstein cow has the propensity to produce over 14,000 litres per lactation. The ‘big engine’ in this cow costs a lot to run even when it is idling. Most farmers are producing around 7- 8,000 litres from these cows. The financial problem is: The constant running costs of the bigger engine are still there whether you produce 7 or 14,000 litres.  It is like having a fleet of city courier vehicles with 5 litre V8 engines – on the odd long run (which can be likened to when you have a perfect season with low grain prices and high milk prices) no one will beat you – problem is, overtime, the cost of the big engine ‘idling at the lights’ will make you very uncompetitive if not break your business.  Your target production levels must be realistic levels which are economical and profitable to achieve.  The ‘engine’ in your cow must be efficient. By redesigning you herd around efficiency of production versus purchased production will sustainably raise your margins and profit levels. Wholly Cow Genetics are all about efficiency of production.

Does it seem to you that everyone is getting more except you?

It is a natural human instinct to believe if we produce more we (surely must) make more money. Everywhere you turn you are told ‘this’ is the key to more production and many times (erroneously) suggesting more profit will be the outcome once you spend more hard earned money on another ‘must have’ revolutionary farming aid. Even though we have never accurately identified whether there has been any cost benefit to all the previous ‘must have’ aids we were sold. The problem of ‘chasing’ more and more production usually ends up in a ‘buying’ production situation where the financial outcome is less for you the farmer and more for many, many others. In a Profitable Farming System™ – less production equals more profit for you. The modern production system of more and more equals (and materializes financially) as more for others and less for you. Profitable Farming System™ will change this situation for you.

What is one of your production system’s greatest cost?

One of the greatest ongoing costs in any bovine production system is cow herd maintenance. Because it is not an obvious cost and also because of the fact that there are a lot of direct and indirect expenses which contribute – when an accurately accounted for – this VIP cost does not receive the focus it should. The true cost of cow herd maintenance is a big part of your cost of production. The industry mistakenly ‘tags’ cow maintenance to live weight. This is incorrect. Research conducted in the USA validated there was a 35% difference between the maintenance requirements of cows of the same breed and similar live weight. Efficient cows have dramatically lower maintenance requirements than high production cows (of the same live weight). This reflects positively in your margins and profit levels.  Wholly Cow Genetics selection and design is heavily focused on cow maintenance requirements for this exact reason.

What is the one major variable in your profit equation you can have control over?

Because there are so many variables affecting what you are paid – which you have no control over – it is imperative that you control the major part of your profit equation which you can have some control over –  cost of production (COP). COP is a major part of your profit equation. It is the only significant part of your profit equation which you can have any control over. You can control your COP by controlling your expenses. Efficient cows in a low input operation are the most powerful formula for reducing and controlling COP. The difference between COP and prices received equals margin.  Margin must be the focus for profitable and sustainable farming. Focusing on (more and more) production versus COP will wear you and your cows out. Profitable Farming Systems major focus is your COP.

Which is your most financially important vehicle on your Farm?

Suggest it is not your Tractor or Silage Cart or whatever else came to mind. The most important vehicle on your farm is your cow.  She is the vehicle which gathers grass and carries it to the milking shed to give you milk.  How efficient she is at extracting nutrients from grass and how much grass she requires to supply you with acceptable levels of good quality milk directly affects your profit levels and lifestyle. The modern cow is inefficient at processing grass, therefore requiring much supplementation and intensive care. This has a negative effect on your profit levels. Efficient cows create good profit levels, sustainable farming and quality of lifestyle. This is why your cow is the most important vehicle in your operation. Wholly Cow Genetics are selected with great focus on efficiency in converting available resources into a high quality saleable product.

Are your cows bludging on you – who is working for who?

Many farmers are up during the night checking cows calving, then again putting cows on feed, then milking the cows and every other waking hour they are doing something for their cows. Sounds exciting and progressive. Only problem – these high input cow’s demands and requirements are very wearing physically on farmers and financially on their bank balances. Modern cows are expensive to satisfy in many areas. Eventually more and more staff are required as these extremely long hours cannot be maintained without damage to health, relationships and lifestyle. More expense associated with the modern cow. Apart from this lack of lifestyle these intensive systems are expensive and stressful to run – continually chasing ‘around’ after demanding cows – with not a lot to show for it in the Bank at the end of the year. An unsustainable financial and physical situation. Wholly Cow Genetics which are used in Profitable Farming Systems™ are low input cows. These genetics actually work for you the farmer. Their physical and financial requirements and demands are much more easily satisfied. These cows work for you and your Bank account.

How much is farming the wrong genetics costing you?

Do you ever wonder why the daughters you have bred by a sire often never look like the ones on the brochures? Aren’t those pictures (often) the reason why you used the particular sire in the first place? You spend a lot of money for what result? Daughters pictured on a brochure can have taken 5 hours (or more) to prepare for the pictures. Do you ever look of pictures of sire’s dams and wonder how long they would look ‘that good’ running with your cows? Here’s an interesting story. A young beef breeder told me of dairy seed stock breeder who has bulls being sold by A.B. companies.  There are 3 herds – the sick herd, the elite herd (where @ 10-15 of the high production cows (bull mothers) are run (NOT far from the shed) and the main herd where @ 300 Cows run. So being a commercial dairy farmer where would you want the mother of the bull you are using to improve your cows function be running – amongst the 300 cows (the commercial World) or in the elite herd – which hardly travels any distance and are under no pressure (non-commercial)? You cannot economically create the environment which the elite/high production/elite cows require – yet that’s the genetics you may be introducing. Check the pictures of many bull mothers in mainstream artificial breeding catalogues and imagine how long they would look like ‘that’ in your environment. Farming non-commercial genetics in a commercial environment is antagonistic to profit.  For you to farm profitably, sustainably and achieve true genetic gain you must introduce genetics which have been accurately evaluated to be able to work in your commercial environment. One of Wholly Cow Genetics’ major selection criteria is the accurate evaluation of the nutritional environment from which genetics evolve from. i.e. Will the identified genetics work profitably for you the commercial farmer?