Heim’s Hillcrest Dairy in Wisconsin has created a welcoming team culture with low employee turnover. Since the farm started in 1963, it has grown from less than 100 cows to more than 800. Today, members of the second, third and fourth generations work on the dairy.

Compliance and building a beneficial team culture are two of the greatest labor challenges observed by Michelle Kohls from Kohls Dairy Farm, Helen Korzec with GPS Nutrition and Evan Platte with Merck Animal Health.

Our family members and employees have many distractions that can affect their productivity and efficiency if not managed in an appropriate manner.

Effective protocols and employee training go beyond creating ease in routine tasks; they are a safeguard against costly turnover that disrupts productivity and animal care.

Choosing the right Christmas gift for farm employees is not only an opportunity to express your gratitude, but also a way to show that you understand and appreciate the challenges of their work.

As you know, farming businesses cannot completely stop for holidays. You and your employees, however, are members of families and social groups that have holiday expectations, traditions and plans. 

While training takes many forms and varies greatly from one dairy to the next, two common goals among producers are to increase employee engagement and to grow employee skill sets.

Higher wages being paid across the country create a disadvantage for an industry that already fights to keep margins at a profitable point. Those who do a good job recruiting and taking care of qualified employees will have the upper hand.

An employee who has been with our team for nearly five years just turned in his resignation. He was the kind of employee that anyone would want. He does an excellent job in his role, works well with the rest of the team and doesn’t take a lot of oversight.