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.

While training takes many forms and varies greatly from one dairy to the next, two common goals among producers are to increase employee engagement and to grow employee skill sets.

Many business leaders and managers complain that they can teach new employees how to do all the tasks required for the job, but too often prospective employees lack the character and attitude necessary to fit their company culture.

In fact, I’d say the dairy industry leads the way in many aspects of using measurement tools to make decisions. However, there is one area where we can learn from other industries: tracking our own learning and development.

As a nation that depends on immigrants and foreign labor to work in agriculture, the diversity of this population and their languages bring new challenges to the dairy industry.

Feeding cows is one of the most important jobs on the farm. First, feed is the largest expense on dairy farms. Feeders handle large quantities of pricey ingredients every day, so any mistakes they make can be costly.

One of the biggest differences between farmers who struggle to be progressive and make changes and those who possess the agility to tackle change boils down to structure and clarity.