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The People in Your Dairy Farm Business

This article is designed to assist managers in thinking about and reflecting on the faces in their business – their people.

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Updated:

May 1, 2023

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A survey of NY dairy farm businesses published in 2019 in Dairy Herd Management showed that nearly 42% of the dairies used "job shadow" only for informal training and only 16% conducted formal performance reviews with employees. Only about half (52%) of managers had any formal training in managing people. Looking at just these numbers, raises a question about the amount of high-quality interaction that is happening among managers and workers at the farm level.

We often read about workforce or human resource management topics with strategies and tips for managing workers that can be very helpful for managers, but at the end of the day it is really about the people. Who are the faces of your dairy business? Who are those people that keep your operations running 24/7 365 days a year? How do they fit and function in your operation day to day? This article is designed to assist managers in thinking about and reflecting on the faces in their business – their people.

Dairy owners and managers come in all shapes, sizes and backgrounds. Each has his or her own unique style. Each has his or her own way of interacting with people on their dairy. In a study on characteristics of great managers, Buckingham (2015) said that, "there is one quality that sets truly great managers apart from the rest: They discover what is unique about each person and then capitalize on it." If you aspire to be that truly great manager then you must do more than just direct the people on your dairy, you must also know and understand who they are as people. Why are they working for you? What is important to them? If you understand your people better, then you know more about where they best fit in your business, you know more about how to develop their skills and you know more about how to retain your best people. Each day you see all the faces on your dairy, but how well do you know these people?

Team Lattice (2019) reported people management tips. Tip number 3 was "understand each employee's purpose. Purpose is a huge part of what keeps people satisfied at work and what drives them to succeed." Just like those faces differ, the purpose for each employee can be different. How well do you as a manager understand the purpose that each employee has Purpose is about why. Why we do something. Why we are driven to go above and beyond to complete a task – or conversely not complete a task well. For example, an employee who has a purpose to learn more about the dairy and their job so that they can improve and advance their status is different than the employee who has a purpose for quietly and consistently doing good work without disruptions and changes. Both people can play a key role in the dairy. Understanding those differences in purpose – challenge and advancement versus consistent steady work – enables the manager to link people to the right tasks and to find opportunities for success. As a people manager, it does not cost any more to better understand employee purpose, but it does takes time and listening and getting to know the person not just the worker. Each day you see all the faces on your dairy, but how well do you know these people?

Recent financial stresses in the dairy industry as well as changes in labor laws for agriculture in some states, have caused a "tightening" of the workforce in many cases. Open positions may not be filled. Hours worked are more closely scrutinized. While it is necessary to look at the numbers and the cost of labor per productive unit, it may also be beneficial to reflect on the people and their roles in the operations. A Harvard Business Review article (2020) discussing post COVID-19 workforce recovery strategies highlighted three core areas for success: "purpose – integrating the well-being and contributions of individuals into the mission, potential- for what can be achieved and perspective- for moving boldly into the future." Achieving success and realizing the potential of your workforce means not just numbers or directing tasks, it means thinking about individual employees – who they are, what their purpose is and how they can best perform at the dairy. Having a greater understanding of "why" people work and what is important to them will help to sustain a productive workforce. Each day you see all the faces on your dairy, but how well do you know these people? Begin building those bridges of understanding one day at a time, in order to recognize not only the faces but also the motivation and purpose of your people.