Leadership
IDFA is seeking nominations for four top awards presented annually to leaders in the dairy industry, including the 2024 Innovative Dairy Farmer of the Year Award. Nominations open today and will close on Friday, Oct. 27.
Reshaping how we view training can give employees the boost they need. Producers should take a broader view to reenergize and empower the workforce.
Hank Wagner, a farmer and a certified leadership training coach, encourages us to lift everyone up around us by telling them not only what they want to hear, but also what they need to hear or just be a good listener.
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%
Raising teens isn’t for the faint of hearts. Raising teens is not easy and while many of those years are spent watching our children thrive on and off the farm, other times we are just trying to survive.
A 60 second program has become a crowd favorite and for the youth who were brave enough to stand up in front of the room to share their message, it was a launching pad for future success.
Regardless of a dairy’s size, a balanced suite of leadership skills is necessary to manage and motivate team members for the sustainability of a dairy’s workforce.
Instead of writing down these big audacious goals, Jon Acuff, an entrepreneur, speaker and best-selling author, has better advice: Set micro goals.
Todd and Louise Malecha have one mission: Keep everyone on the same page. For their operation, that “same page” is a 587-page business plan.
Little steps can ease frustration and improve communication on your farm.
Often, dairies have an idea what their operations will look like down the road. But they can’t answer who will be the successor of the operation, as no formal succession plan has been set.
Few people will pass up the opportunity to scoop up a refreshing bowl of ice cream. The ice cream industry is worth more than $10 billion and the average American consumer scarfs down 20 pounds of ice cream each year.
Are you interested in being more effective in business and personal interactions? Are you tired of butting heads with that annoying person on your team? JD Fiechtner, DVM, shares tips to “Be Better Than Before.”
Negativity breeds negativity, right? Remember that. But the same can be said about positivity. Positivity can grow if we choose it too. Flip a switch on your mind, that will turn up cheerfulness on the farm.
Communication. We all know it’s important. Jay Joy from Bridgeforth LLP shared on the Uplevel Dairy Podcast how his family farm all got on the same page.
Don’t let day-to-day farm tasks stand in your way of showing some extra gratitude to your hardworking employees.
Adversity is a character test. From low milk prices, rising interest rates, weather and supply chain hiccups, farmers are used to dealing with adversity and things beyond their control. Our character is challenged daily.
The president and CEO of Tillamook County Creamery Association (TCCA), Patrick Criteser shares his career path, advice, lessons learned and more in a casual sit-down conversation.
Have you ever wondered why some topics, people, or plans resist change?
“You’re not rich until you have something money can’t buy.”- Reese Burnett
Half of success is showing up certainly holds true for labor-dependent farms. Although Brett Barlass, dairy manager of Yosemite Jerseys in Calif., shares he went nine years without a no-call or a no-show employee.
The nation’s largest research dairy is underway, as the groundwork has officially begun for the University of Idaho’s Idaho Center for Agriculture, Food and the Environment, better known as Idaho CAFÉ.
The founder and CEO of GoodSport Nutrition, Michelle McBride shares her career path, advice, lessons learned and more in a casual sit-down conversation.
Christine Bender has found ways to motivate and engage her employees through monthly meetings, and the results speak for themselves.
For the first time ever, Farm Journal is offering Milk Business Awards to identify and honor dairy producers in three different categories: technology, young producers and employee excellence.
The days are long, the tasks are endless, and the volatility is unnerving, but being a dairy farmer can also be a rewarding profession.
One of the best ways to retain employees and create the most efficient team possible is to keep team members engaged
Three farmers share what they have done to keep their good employees, including how they hired some unique employees that have become a good fit for their operations.
Amber Horn-Leiterman witnessed her mom doing it all—contributing to the farm, as well as caring for the family. The Wisconsin dairy mom says it’s okay for moms to let down their superwoman powers and ask for help.
When turnover on a dairy is low, employees are motivated and teams work together to reach goals, one has to wonder, what are these managers doing differently?