The current economic difficulties in the dairy industry will change the way many custom forage harvesters do business, predicts Bill Arneson, a Barneveld, WI, harvester.

Before any work begins, they'll want to know if the client has the ability to pay, says Arneson. In some cases, that'll mean talking to the person who handles the producer's finances.

“We can't sit around and not know where the money's coming from,” he says.

“Everybody else has the right to know if a client can make the payment. But for some reason, in custom harvesting it seems like we're not trusting when we ask that.

“It's important for people on the dairy side to understand that it's not a matter of not trusting them; it's good business for both parties,” he adds.