Labor
Extra hands are needed during the grind and grit of harvest season.
The decision was made by U.S. District Judge Lisa Godbey Wood, who found the rule unconstitutional because it conflicted with the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) by granting collective bargaining rights to farmworkers.
Every dairy, heifer, and calf facility is no stronger than the workers who care for the animals every day. At the 2024 Dairy Calf and Heifer Association Annual Conference, managers shared ways they support workers to earn their loyalty.
In the Upper Midwest, corn grows tall, reminding us that silage season is inching closer and closer. Some dairy farmers are fortunate to have experienced farm help on standby to assist them as they prepare for summer and fall fieldwork. Other farmers are not quite so lucky. Farm help can be hard to find. Good help that has farm equipment experience is even harder to find.
The dairies that tend to be must successful at actually reducing their labor costs are the ones where the owners have a little more “boots on the ground,” doing some of the work themselves.
In the competitive world of dairy farming, finding and keeping top talent can be a challenging task.
Providing housing for farm workers is an excellent way to increase employee retention, heighten morale and boost performance.
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Larson Acres in Evansville, Wis., don’t have much turnover when it comes to the herdsman or herd manager position. The majority of the farm’s 75 employees have been with the Larsons for more than three years.
A second human case of bird flu has been confirmed in the United States since the virus was first confirmed in dairy cattle in late March,
Managing a farm is no easy job. Managing people – in some cases – is even more stressful.
The language barrier is often a challenge for dairies, as the owner and employees don’t always speak the same language. Now that barrier is extended as K’iche’ is becoming more well-known on U.S. dairy farms.
U.S. employers report challenges in finding suitable job candidates with work-ready skills to fill open roles in ag. The AgCareers.com U.S. Skills Survey offers insights, data and trends to address skill development.
The key to maximizing the return on investment of a dairy’s workforce lies in the management’s ability to humanize operations, understand employee needs, and deploy individual skills appropriately.
Recently Assemblyman James Gallagher proposed a California bill to pull back current overtime rules and mandate overtime for farmworkers working more than nine hours in a day or 50 hours in a week.
“The single most important tool to predict peak performance is a very well-developed job description,” Dave Mitchell says.
What does an incredible leader, filled with so much knowledge and wisdom, who has had his hand in the tremendous growth and advancement of an organization like Milk Source, teach employees?
In recent years, agricultural employers consistently emphasized talent acquisition, but there has been a noticeable shift towards prioritizing retention as the primary focus in 2024.
The list of challenges facing animal agriculture is complex and multifaceted. This is what Dr. Robert Hagevoort from New Mexico State University Dairy Extension shared at the 2023 Milk Business Conference in Las Vegas.
On January 25, 300 farm workers protested Washington’s agricultural overtime law that went into full effect on the first of the Year. This comes after a two-year phase-in.
With rising minimum wage and other industries competing for employees, labor prices have continued to creep higher. While we want to blame overtime rules, that isn’t necessarily the only culprit.
The availability of livestock workers was ranked as more limited than crop workers and finding long-term help seen as more difficult than temporary help due to the seasonal nature of the ag industry.
The immigration debate has been a continued conversation that has offered little to no solutions in Washington. Meanwhile, labor continues to be a No. 1 headache that farmers from coast to coast are challenged with.
From English classes to a rideshare program, Vir-Clar Farm is finding new ways to attract employees and make them feel valued.
When the opportunity came up for Schilling Farms to purchase a second dairy nearly 40 miles away, this meant also taking on a dozen more employees. This one tactic helped give their employees an engagement boost.
Labor contributes up to 10-15% of the cost to produce milk. The magnitude of the expense drives dairies to increase labor efficiency. However, labor efficiency does not equate to labor productivity.
There is a direct correlation between solid meetings and return on time.
The University of Missouri became the first college to land an electric autonomous tractor, a tool that will drive teaching and research into the future.
When Julie ten Hoeve called her son’s high school to report Ian being absent to help chop corn on the family’s 650-cow dairy farm, she worried about what the school would say. The school’s response eased her mind.
The House Agriculture Committee’s Agricultural Labor Working Group has released an online survey. Feedback from farmers and employees is requested to provide insight into dairy’s significant workforce challenges.