Two employee fatalities at Riverview LLP led to the realization that the dairy company’s existing safety training program wasn’t enough to keep workers safe.

Editor’s note: The author, an Indiana dairy producer and freelance writer, is exploring resources and methods to help dairy farmers deal with farm stress. In this article, she shares personal reflections on a family farm accident.

If you have not heard of K’iche’ (or Quiché), chances are, you will soon. No, it’s not a pastry-crusted egg bake. In fact, it’s not even in the Merriam-Webster Dictionary … yet.

“The only constant in life is change” is a quote credited to Greek philosopher Heraclitus that is especially relevant in today’s dairy industry. Not only is the dairy industry changing in general, but you may notice day-to-day life on the farm seems to always be changing as well.

Since 1970, the number of dairy farms in the U.S. has dropped by more than 93%, from more than 640,000 to around 40,000 in 2018. In an industry dominated by large organizations, smaller family farms face constant economic challenges.

Having multiple generations of owners and employees on the farm comes with its own set of benefits and battles. How can your business be multigenerational and work well together, especially when it seems like the generational gap is so vast?

I often refer to the incredible changes in dairy farms from my time growing up on the family farm in the thumb of Michigan to today. Let’s think about what has happened with feeding cows. When I was growing up, we fed bales of hay – pretty poor-quality by today’s standards – and grain, depending on production.

Dairy farms are similar to the aggregate industry in that they spend a significant amount of time handling materials, from feed and manure to sand and livestock. Ross Veltema and Allen Bonthuis took their farming backgrounds and dovetailed them into their aggregate businesses.

Employee onboarding is the go-to method for attracting, training and retaining employees. It enhances performance, increases farm safety and reduces turnover. But what is it, and how can it be incorporated into your farm’s hiring process? 

Now more than ever, dairy producers need to focus on the productivity of their farm operations using an inside resource: their employees.