Ah, yes. The conversation every manager will have many times throughout their careers. Employees ask for a raise, constantly. What’s a person to do? When it comes to working through this conversation, you have a few options. In this instance, prevention is key.

You and your workforce have never seen today’s level of uncertainty. Anything you can do to reduce uncertainty in your workforce will be greatly appreciated and increase motivation and productivity.

Before I delve into the primary message I hope to convey in this article, let me suggest that an alternative title/question could be: Who serves as your farm’s CEO?

For many, the idea of dealing with legal issues seems stressful. Rachel Armstrong, executive director of Farm Commons, says educating yourself about farm law reduces risk and can actually bring peace of mind instead.

Any successful business is dependent on an efficient and functional workforce. And, for a workforce to be productive, they must have the right environment. So, how can we set our employees up for success? We must first create a work environment that promotes the welfare of employees. We must also consider the effect employees’ personal health and well-being has on their performance at work.

Dairy farmer: “We employ 15 Mexicans here.” Me: “Oh, are they all from Mexico?” Dairy farmer: “I don’t know. I don’t think so.” Me: “Then they’re not all Mexicans. That’s like calling me Canadian just because I’m a white girl.”