Human Resources
The holiday rush is over, and many people will experience a touch of the winter blues over the next couple of months.
Former Top Producer award winners reveal their management goals for the year ahead.
Here are the most common types of culture in a business and the red flags to look for in yours.
Taking the entire hiring process online, without meeting a candidate in person, seems drastic, but it has become the standard today for many organizations.
For long-term success, farm leaders should regularly assess the landscape of their operation and adjust their strategies accordingly.
Prioritizing culture is often overlooked when it comes to employee management and retention.
Cell phones are an integral part of modern life, but their presence in workplaces draws a grey line, as increasingly more employees are on their cell phones during times they should be focused on work.
Cracked hoses, worn-out inflations, air bleeds—these are just a few of the common problems that can pop up when maintaining milking equipment.
Investing time now in thinking about who you hire and why you hire them will pay more dividends than most other things you can do.
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.
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.
Finding skilled labor is a major challenge. However, there are strategies farmers can use to make their operations more attractive workplaces. And here’s the good news—it doesn’t necessarily require offering higher pay.
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.
In the world of dairy farming, maximizing profits and ensuring financial viability is a constant challenge.
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.
“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?
It’s important the friends, family, and business professionals close to farmers are prepared and able to effectively communicate in a mental health crisis.
Are you pulling your hair out because your milking parlor is constantly running behind schedule? This is one of the biggest frustrations and time and money drains for a lot of dairies.
Consultant Bruce Vande Steeg has found creating a vibrant farm business starts with the leadership.
Farmers routinely handle high-dollar transactions — and the nature of the payments, often through unsecure methods, leaves them susceptible to foul play.
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.
From English classes to a rideshare program, Vir-Clar Farm is finding new ways to attract employees and make them feel valued.
Finding enjoyment working with family, youth and their community.
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.
Reshaping how we view training can give employees the boost they need. Producers should take a broader view to reenergize and empower the workforce.
Providing housing options for dairy farm employees at Larson Acres has taken the turnover rate from an already low 7% all the way down to less than 1%