Improved labor efficiency, employee retention and communication were among the benefits for two Pacific Northwest dairy farms that upgraded their milking parlors from the traditional herringbone and parallel models to a rotary and an automated milking system, respectively.

As the newest member of my company’s youngstock nutrition team and the most recent returning member to my family dairy, I value the efforts taken by my supervisors to identify and apply my skills and strengths effectively to get the job done.

Since their father began dairy farming in 1974 with only four cows, the Brophy brothers have grown their herd to 200 milking cows, expanded their forage acreage sixfold, overcome a barn fire in 2002, which decimated their milking herd and main facility, and most recently, sprung back from a severe disease outbreak, which resulted in the death of 42 cows over nine days.

We have seen partners and executive leadership teams mistakenly discount the importance of company culture and harm the operation’s performance. Culture is the unique way the organization lives out its purpose and values.

While the cow-side benefits of monitoring technology are significant, don’t overlook the human benefits for your employees. These advantages go beyond simple labor savings.

While it is possible to have SOPs for many important tasks on a dairy farm, there are few more important than milking parlor procedures. 

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.