As dairy farms grow, many farm owners struggle to make the leap from carrying out all the day-to-day work on their farm themselves to managing and delegating these tasks to a diverse team of employees. How do you make that transition?
In a breakout session presentation at the Pennsylvania Dairy Summit, held in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, last February, Sarah Moag discussed management transitions and employee management strategies that have worked for her business, Noblehurst Farms, in western New York.
“We are in the cow business, but it is really all about the people. It’s the people business,” she said. “As we grow, change and evolve, we try new things. We are bringing different people, more people, to the farm and to our organization.”
Growing up, Moag’s father and brother made many business decisions while sitting around the kitchen table. They discussed the culture of the farm, conflict resolution, shared common values and day-to-day operational tasks. The days were based on kitchen table conversations. However, while Noblehurst Farms is still run by her family, they are no longer all sitting down together around the same kitchen table.
With more employees than ever before and a growing operation, the discussions have migrated to a conference table, on the back of a pickup, in the milking parlor or in the break room, to name a few. Collaboration is still a key part of the success at Noblehurst.
“There's a lot to be said about that interaction that we have with one another, but it's not happening in an isolated area anymore,” Moag shared. “Forty years ago, the way my dad started his day was the morning huddle, and they still do it today at the farm. They are meeting at the milk house for five to 10 minutes with maybe three or four key people.”
The morning huddle creates a plan for the day and emphasizes the value of collaboration and teamwork. Managers and supervisors filter down to their employees what is happening or what needs to happen for the upcoming day. As she explained this process, Moag pulled out a Buffalo Bills jersey as a part of her toolbelt to symbolize the huddle.
Sharing key values and the farm culture is another way that the leadership of Noblehurst Farms communicates with employees. These are reviewed annually with opportunities to identify if anything is missing, and then leadership continues to relay the importance of these values to each employee.
“We are good stewards of our land and want to make sure that we're doing the very best thing for our small little neighborhood,” Moag said. “We want to produce a quality product that's handled in a manageable way and according to regulations. Whether that's milk, feedstuffs or the manure that's going out – we are going to treat each other with the golden rule.”
Building camaraderie within a team is not the easiest thing to do, especially when language and cultural barriers are present. Noblehurst Farms employs several Spanish-speaking employees from multiple countries and cultural backgrounds. It can’t be assumed that these workers understand our culture or values in America.
“We're really open to having outside people come in and sharing what they know with us and teaching, perhaps sharing, some of our American agriculture with them,” she said.
For Noblehurst Farms, managing these barriers and coming up with solutions meant designating a point person. Moag took on the role of human resources manager for her family’s farm and other business operations. She works to stay up-to-date with changing regulations in the state of New York and can communicate that to the rest of the management team to allow for proper planning and long-term decisions.
Thankfully, Moag's job was in place when the New York State Department of Labor and the U.S. Department of Labor showed up at her door asking for timecards, payroll, personnel files and job descriptions. With an injured employee at the time, she handled the situation with the proper insurance agency, attorney and government entities.
While this may seem unusual, the truth is it could happen to anyone and any dairy farm operation. Having a system with the proper paperwork and filing in place is important for a business to have when managing employees.
“The point is having that person on staff that can handle some of those issues as they come along,” Moag added.
Talent recruitment and acquisition
Working in production agriculture is not the first place graduates of two- and four-year institutions are looking for employment. Moag encouraged thinking outside the box when it comes to finding people to hire on the farm.
“We have great retirees that drive truck,” she said. “There are folks that have come out of the construction business or have had another profession, [and] they just want to be active. They want to work hard, and they know how to work with people.”
She also works with other departments, such as the state disability department, to hire individuals with developmental disabilities and allow them to be a part of the team. The prison and rehabilitation system are another way of outreach to find hirable employees for the farm.
“We look for folks that can come to work every day, have a good attitude and like to come to work,” Moag shared. “My dad used to say, ‘Find a good person, work with them a little bit, figure out what they can do well and then just let them go do it.’ We don't need to micromanage them.”
Moag takes care of hiring, onboarding and training new employees. A large part of the process is ensuring that the employee understands the values and code of conduct in place while realizing their important role in the success of the overall operation. She strives to build a community where employees feel safe and are willing to approach management when there is a concern.
Each employee is provided with an explanation of their job, the breakdown of the payroll slip, a copy of the employee handbook and a great deal of autonomy in the process, especially with clocking their time. Moag creates a file for each employee, including emergency contacts in case someone from their home needs to be contacted. Furthermore, safety is noted and emphasized within the training. Employees are given the responsibility to “see something, say something” on the job.
Housing guidelines and expectations are laid out in employee agreements upon hiring as well. This allows for the expectations to be clear and for the employees to know how the farm will support them. For example, members of a foreign-born workforce who are not licensed to drive are given a ride to the grocery store.
“We don't let anyone that does not have a driver's license have a car or drive our vehicles. They're not insured,” Moag said. “The wife of a previous employee takes the guys to Walmart three days a week. The guys can schedule their time to go with Debbie. We've always provided that service, mostly because we didn't want people driving on the road who weren't licensed. It’s an expense to us, but it's well worth it.”
Another key factor to employee management is relationship building. Moag implemented a performance evaluation system and meets with each employee annually.
When it comes to conflict management, referring to the employee handbook can save a lot of relationships and uphold employment. Noblehurst Farms developed its employee handbook by compiling verbiage and ideas from other resources.
Free resources to create your own versions of documents needed to manage are available through Senior Extension Associate and Agricultural Workforce Specialist Richard Stup, the Cornell Workforce Development Office and the Center for Dairy Excellence.
